Brownsberger Holds Off Lander by 35 Votes After Recount in State Senate Primary

State Senator William N. Brownsberger ’78 survived the closest challenge of his 14-year Senate tenure Thursday, fending off challenger Daniel A. Lander ’14 by just 35 votes after a districtwide recount.

The recount cemented Brownsberger’s razor-thin victory more than a week after the Sept. 1 Democratic primary, during which the lead repeatedly changed hands as election officials counted late-arriving and hand-counted ballots.

Brownsberger entered the recount ahead by 34 votes, meaning the two-day hand count widened his margin by just one vote.

The victory all but guarantees Brownsberger another term representing the Suffolk and Middlesex district, which includes Belmont, Watertown, and parts of Boston and Cambridge. No Republican is running for the seat in November.

It also dealt a setback to Boston Mayor Michelle Wu ’07, who endorsed her former senior aide in an unusually direct attempt to unseat one of her most prominent adversaries on Beacon Hill. Brownsberger has repeatedly clashed with Wu over her legislative agenda, including her proposal to temporarily shift more of Boston’s property tax burden onto commercial properties.

“I’m just really eager and looking forward to continuing to serve the people in my district, all of the people in my district, and I’m eager to get back to work,” Brownsberger told The Crimson in an interview.

In a statement, Lander thanked his supporters and congratulated Brownsberger on his victory while pledging to remain involved in efforts to push for change on Beacon Hill.

“While this race did not end as we’d hoped, I am so deeply proud of the campaign we built,” Lander wrote. “I know we have woken up the State Senate and sent a message loud and clear that the days of delay and inaction must end now.”

This is a developing story and will be updated.

—Staff writer Megan L. Blonigen can be reached at [email protected] and on Signal at mblon.50. Follow her on X at @MeganBlonigen.

—Staff writer Thamini Vijeyasingam can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on X @vijeyasingam.

—Staff writer Kevin Zhong can be reached at [email protected].