State Sen. Becca Rausch easily overcame a somewhat ad hoc challenge from Franklin Republican Dashe Videira to earn a fourth term representing the Norfolk, Worcester and Middlesex District.
With almost all votes counted, the Needham Democrat held a nearly 17,000-vote lead and a 59%-41% margin over Videira among some 100,000 votes cast. Rausch carried nine of the district’s 11 communities, with Videira earning narrow wins in Wrentham and Bellingham.
Videira entered the race just days ahead of the September Republican primary and gained a spot on Tuesday’s ballot via a write-in campaign.
This year’s race was far different from the more robust challenge Rausch faced in 2022 from then state Rep. Shawn Dooley of Norfolk. Dooley spent more than $400,000 in that race but fell about 10 points shy of unseating Rausch, whose margin of victory came largely from Needham.
This year, Rausch and Videira spent a small fraction of the nearly $750,000 that had been spent on the 2022 campaign, and Rausch cruised to victory in a district with a few communities that don’t usually warm to her brand of progressive politics.
Rausch touted the endorsements she received from more than 50 elected officials in the district as an indication she has been able to build relationships across ideological divides.
“I work hard. I take my role and my responsibilities as the state senator for this district very seriously,” she said Tuesday night while taking a break from her post-election gathering at The Common Room on Dedham Avenue. “I put everything I can give directly into it.”
Videira, who has cited Republican Sen. Rand Paul of Kentucky as an inspiration, ran on a personal freedom platform that mixed Second Amendment protections with vaccination skepticism and small-government policies. Her most recent political involvement before her late entry into the Senate race was to lead the successful opposition to a June Prop. 2 1/2 override in Franklin, one of the district’s most populous communities.
Although Videira did improve on Dooley’s 2022 performance in Franklin, Rausch still carried the community by nearly 2,000 votes.
Looking ahead, Rausch said her fourth-term goals actually begin with a completion of a third-term goal — the passage of a long-delayed economic development bill. Different versions of the bill have received unanimous support from both the House and Senate, but have failed to gain consensus in joint conference sessions.
“I am still hoping that the economic development bill from earlier in the session will get over the finish line before we close the term out on Dec. 31,” she said.
Rausch also said she looks forward to working closely with state Rep.-elect Joshua Tarsky, whom she supported in his 13th Norfolk District campaign.
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