Published in the March 3, 2016 edition

NORTH READING'S JANET VINCZE, (center), and her supporters hold signs outside the voting precincts on election day. Vincze was a candidate for Republican State Committeewoman. (Bob Turosz Photo)

NORTH READING’S JANET VINCZE, (center), and her supporters hold signs outside the voting precincts on election day. Vincze was a candidate for Republican State Committeewoman. (Bob Turosz Photo)

By BOB TUROSZ

NORTH READING — Donald J. Trump took North Reading by storm on Tuesday, winning the town’s vote in the Republican presidential primary with more votes than all other candidates on the GOP ballot combined. Trump polled 1,324 votes in North Reading, over 50 percent of all Republican ballots taken, (2,628). When you make allowances for the write–ins, “no preference” votes and blank ballots, Trump’s total here surpassed the 1,271 votes cast for all the 12 other Republican names on the ballot, most of whom had already withdrawn or suspended their campaigns.

On the Democratic ballot, Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders bested Hillary Clinton here by 147 votes out of 2,573 cast. Sanders garnered 1,332 votes to beat Clinton, (1,185 votes) in all four precincts. Former Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley, who is no longer in the race, attracted 7 votes and Roque De La Fuente got 5. There were five blanks and 27  “no preference.” Sanders beat Clinton here, 52 to 46 percent. There were 2,573 Democratic ballots cast.

Trump beat his closest competitor, Florida Senator Marco Rubio, by over 800 votes, 1,324 to 498. Ohio Governor John Kasich placed third with 440 and Texas Senator Ted Cruz was a distant fourth with 252.

The rest of the Republican ballot went this way:

• Jim Gilmore, 1

• George Pataki, 1

• Ben Carson, 37

• Mike Huckabee, 3

• Rand Paul, 4

• Carly Fiorina, 3

• Rick Santorum, 1

• Chris Christie, 11

• Jeb Bush, 20

No Preference: 19, Write–ins, 11 and 3 blank ballots.

Also on the Republican ballot, North Reading resident Janet A. Vincze and candidate for State Committee Woman in the First Essex and Middlesex District, won easily here. Vincze crushed her opponent, Angela Hudak, in North Reading,1,982 to 317. But there are 17 towns in the district and as of early Wednesday morning the results were still unknown.

For State Committee Man, Lucas J. Noble beat Lawrence Brennan, 1,106 to 839.

Kathleen A. Pasquina was unopposed on the Democratic ballot for State Committee Woman and there was no candidate for State Committee Man.

Forty–eight percent of the town’s 10,841 cast votes on Election Day, as the stream of voters into the St. Theresa Church Parish Hall was heavy and steady all day. 

On the Green–Rainbow Party ballot, Jill Stein got one vote for the presidential nomination and there was one “no preference.”  There was a United Independent Party ballot available but that party had no candidates.

Democratic Party Town Committee

This was the vote for Democratic Town Committee: Dianne M. Heeley, 1,359; Georgette DiGiovanni, 1,194; Nicholas DiGiovanni, 1,163; Susan Holsing, 1,206; Patrick Gemelin, 1,182; Write–ins, 30.

Republican Town Committee

Jeff Yull, 1,116; Brad Jones Jr., 1,659; Michael Prisco, 1,121; Robert Mauceri, 1,034; Lisa Macchi, 891; Charles Garlington, 889; Bradley H. Jones, 1,376; Peter Spinelli Jr., 960; Irene Yull, 960; Liane Gonzalez, 890; Rexford Whitmore, 868; Janet Vincze, 1,321; Linda Jones, 1,003; Jean Jones, 952; Joseph Lidoski, 958; Joyce Jenney, 874; Gordon Hall, 1,002; Richard Mottolo, 891; Christopher Vincze, 1,094; Hugo Wiberg III, 903; Laina Simone, 924; Lee Atlas, 902; Write–ins, 27.