Chelsea voters back Democratic slate

Nearly 34 percent of Chelsea’s 20,472 registered voters cast ballots in this year’s state election, with the majority of voters backing the Democratic candidates.

That turnout was higher than the last state election in Chelsea in 2022, which saw a 31 percent turnout.

Both Governor Maura Healey and Senator Ed Markey easily won re-election statewide, and both candidates outperformed their overall margins of victory in Chelsea.

Healey finished with 4,842 votes to 1,212 for Republican challenger Mike Minogue in the unofficial results.

Markey took over 77 percent of the votes cast in the U.S. Senate race with 4,849 votes to 1,077 for Republican challenger John Deaton.

Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley ran unopposed and garnered 5,171 votes in Chelsea.

In other statewide races, incumbent Democratic Attorney General Andrea Campbell was returned to office, as was incumbent Democratic Secretary of State William Galvin. Both finished with about 80 percent of the votes cast in Chelsea.

Democratic incumbent State Auditor Diana DiZoglio easily held off a challenge from Al Ozonoff with nearly 89 percent of the vote in Chelsea.

Incumbent Democratic State Representative Judith Garcia and incumbent Democratic State Senator Sal DiDomenico both ran unopposed and will return to office for another term, as will Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden.

In a regional school committee race, James Bancroft Perry finished with 2,548 votes in Chelsea to 1,974 for Sean Salazar.

On the ballot questions, Chelsea voters followed the statewide lead in rejecting an effort to overturn legalized cannabis by a 4,237 to 1,657 tally. Voters also strongly supported a question that keeps current gun laws in place by a 4,633 to 1,523 margin.