Lander, Brownsberger Seek Districtwide Recount in Four-Vote State Senate Race

First-time challenger Daniel A. Lander ’14 held a four-vote lead over incumbent state Senator William N. Brownsberger ’78 as of Thursday afternoon, with 99 percent of votes counted, as both candidates sought a districtwide recount.

The race has been too close to call since Tuesday night, though both candidates were initially hesitant to push for a recount. The deadline to file for a recount was 3 p.m. Thursday — and in the hours before, both candidates submitted petitions across the four municipalities represented by the district.

Brownsberger has represented Belmont, Watertown, and parts of Cambridge and Boston in the state Senate since 2012, drawing much of his support from Belmont, where he first launched his political career. But with a first-time challenger vying to take his seat, the primary race has been neck-and-neck since late Tuesday night.

Brownsberger saw a large influx of support on election night when tallies from Belmont precincts came in, temporarily turning the race in his favor. But despite holding a roughly 60-vote lead over Lander on Wednesday morning, Brownsberger fell back to second place by that afternoon.

Brownsberger filed his first recount petition in Belmont on Thursday morning, before filing petitions in Cambridge, Watertown, and Boston throughout the day.

To trigger a districtwide recount for a state Senate seat, 75 certified signatures from registered party voters are required on the petition to local election officials. Brownsberger’s recount petition in Belmont received 171 signatures, and Lander’s petition received 54 signatures, according to the Belmont Town Clerk’s Office.

Lander filed his petitions across the district later Thursday, submitting his Watertown petition around 2:30 p.m. — just 30 minutes before the deadline.

Election officials in Cambridge, Watertown, and Boston were still certifying signatures Thursday afternoon.

Local election officials have until Friday morning to verify the signatures needed for a recount, after which candidates must bring the certified signatures to the Secretary of the Commonwealth’s Office by 5 p.m.

Lander thanked his supporters for helping collect “hundreds of signatures from all across the district” to support his recount petition.

“This race still remains too close to call. We believe it is going to a recount and we are committed to making sure every single vote is counted,” Lander wrote in a statement.

Belmont Town Clerk Ellen O’Brien Cushman also said Belmont had seven provisional ballots that had not yet been evaluated or counted. The Cambridge Election Commission reported that roughly 826 additional Democratic ballots remained to be counted as of Wednesday morning.

Any recount would need to be completed and certified before 5 p.m. on Sept. 11, requiring each municipality to conduct its recount by that deadline.

Brownsberger has not faced an opponent since he was elected to the state Senate in 2012, while Lander’s campaign to unseat him quickly gained momentum. Lander earned endorsements from U.S. Senator Elizabeth A. Warren (D-Mass.) and Boston Mayor Michelle Wu ’07, both of whom he previously worked for.

Since launching his campaign last December, Lander said his campaign had knocked on more than 43,000 doors and made 20,000 phone calls in an effort to reach voters.

The recount could end Brownsberger’s nearly two-decade tenure on Beacon Hill, where he has held elected office since 2007.

Clarification: September 3, 2026

This article has been updated to clarify that Daniel A. Lander ’14 held a four-vote lead over William N. Brownsberger ’78, rather than a four-point lead.

—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.