Liberals Win In Massachusetts Races; Kerry Concedes, Hicks-Moakley Close

Massachusetts can claim to be the most liberal state in the nation today after providing Democratic Presidential candidate George McGovern with his only victory and sending mostly Democratic liberals to the Congress.

But an upset was in the making last night in the 5th Congressional District, as Republican Paul W. Cronin may have beaten Democrat John F. Kerry for the seal vacated by former Republican Congressman F. Bradford Morse.

With 44 per cent of the stores counted in that race, Cronin was leading Kerry by a margin of 42.3.30 to 38,198. However, the Kerry camp said that they expected good turnouts in the cities of Lowell and Lawrence to put their man over the top.

As expected, Senator Edward W. Brooke (D-Mass) easily defeated his Democratic opponent, Middlesex County District Attorney John J. Droney, although not by as large a margin as Brooke probably wanted for his 1976 national aspirations.

With about 35 per cent of the state's precincts reporting. Brooke had 369.217 votes compared to Droney's 226.070 votes.

In the state's closest contest Rep. Louise Day Hicks (D-Mass) held a paper thin lead over Independent challenger J. Joseph Moakley in the 9th Congressional District. But Hicks's strength was based on early returns from her stronghold in Boston, and there was a strong possibility that Moakley would overtake her in the outlying suburbs.

With about one-half of the vote counted, Hicks had 40.704 compared to Moakley's 40,496 and the 9620 tallied by Republican Howard Miller.

Another close battle took place in the 4th Congressional District where Representative Robert F. Drinan (D. Mass) appeared to have turned back the strong challenge from State Representative Martin F. Linsky (R-Brookline). But again, the trailing candidate refused to conclude defeat until more of the returns were counted.

The figures is that race, with more than 50 per cent of the precisely accounted for, were 45,916 for Father Drinan, 38,494 for Linsky and 3969 for Independent John I Collins.

Down on Cape Cod in the 12th Congressional District. Democratic Gerry Studds succeeded in his second attempt at that seat, defeating Republican William Weeks. Studds failed in 1970 to take the seat away from Rep. Hastings Keith (R-Mass.). who retired this year.

Although Studds was leading weeks by 33,600 to 26,466 with only about 40 per cent of the vote counted, the Democrat seemed to have victory safely in his grasp by running ahead of his expected totals in New Bedford, Plymouth and Norwell