Elizabeth Warren Glides to Victory, Returns to Senate for Third Term

Updated November 5, 2024, at 9:29 p.m.

BOSTON — Senator Elizabeth A. Warren (D-Mass.) cruised to reelection on Tuesday, winning a third six-year term and roundly defeating her Republican opponent John Deaton in deep-blue Massachusetts.

The Associated Press called the race for Warren just minutes after polls closed at 8 p.m. With her win, Warren, a former Harvard Law School professor, cemented her status as Massachusetts’ most prominent politician and — following her unsuccessful bid for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020 — one of Washington’s top progressive champions.

At home, Warren is known for having mentored many progressive politicians — including Boston Mayor Michelle Wu ’07 and Boston City Council President Ruthzee Louijeune — and top-ranking staff of federal economic agencies.

A Cambridge resident often spotted by Harvard students walking her dog near the Radcliffe Quadrangle, Warren cast her vote Tuesday morning at the Graham and Parks Elementary School.

Deaton, an attorney and first-time political candidate, ran on a decidedly moderate platform: distancing himself from Trump, supporting abortion rights, and comparing himself to former prominent Massachusetts Republicans.

Still, in a state that — despite its progressive bona fides — has elected centrist Republicans to the governor’s mansion, Deaton’s attempt to cast himself in the style of former Governors Charlie D. Baker ’79 and Mitt Romney failed to propel him over the finish line.

Spirits ran high at an election watch party in Boston’s South End Tuesday night, as prominent Democrats took the stage before Warren to hype up the crowd, including Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscroll, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu ’07, Rep. Ayanna S. Pressley (D-Mass.), and Sen. Edward J. Markey (D-Mass.).

Pressley, who ran unopposed, celebrated both Warren and Vice President Kamala Harris in her remarks, lauding their success as women in politics.

“Our labor as the women of this country is too often rendered invisible,” she said. “In their memory, in their honor, we are doing the battle for America.”

“You, me, we the people are powerful,” Pressley added.

While Warren’s reelection was largely anticipated, Democrats are already looking for indications of whether or not this stint in the Senate will be her last. At 75, she is the fourth-oldest Senator seeking reelection, and would be 81 years old by the beginning of a fourth term.

The end of Warren’s stint in Congress, however, would signify a drastic shift in Massachusetts politics as the Democratic party loses a significant figurehead, opening the doors for the state’s prominent local politicians to enter the race.

—Staff writer Avani B. Rai can be reached at avani.rai@thecrimson.com. Follow her on X @avaniiiirai.

—Staff writer Jack R. Trapanick can be reached at jack.trapanick@thecrimson.com. Follow him on X @jackrtrapanick.