Vargas Wins Haverhill Democratic Primary; Faces Toohey Next Month

Andy Vargas shares a laugh with City Councilors Mary Ellen Daly O’Brien and William J. Macek after addressing supporters in downtown Haverhill. (WHAV News photograph.)

City Councilor Andy Vargas secured the Democratic nomination for state representative Tuesday night, winning 13 out of 14 city precincts and besting his opponent 1,749 votes to 1,077.

Gathering at Barking Dog Ale House, just a few blocks from his opponent Paul A. Magliocchetti’s party, Vargas addressed his supporters.

“I am so proud to be a son of this city…I love it so much. Tonight, we proved and we defined what it means to be from Haverhill.”

School Committeeman Paul A. Magliocchetti, hosting a gathering at Battlegrounds Coffee Co., thanked his opponent. He told WHAV that low voter turnout must be addressed, whether it impacted his campaign or not.

“I feel good about the campaign that I ran. I feel good about the issues that I raised. I think Andy ran a good campaign. I’m disappointed in the turnout in the vote—2,700 (Democratic) voters is a really low turnout and I think that’s a problem that we all have to work on to address collectively.”

Vargas faces off against Republican Shaun P. Toohey during the final election Nov. 7. Toohey, who ran unopposed, garnered 499 votes. The Third Essex District represents about two-thirds of Haverhill residents.

97.9 WHAV FM broadcast election results live from City Hall and from both Vargas’ and Magliocchetti’s gatherings.

There will be much more coverage during the morning newscasts, beginning at 6 a.m.

2 thoughts on “Vargas Wins Haverhill Democratic Primary; Faces Toohey Next Month

Click here to cancel reply.