2020, a ‘blue’ year for Tewksbury, politically speaking

TEWKSBURY — Across the nation, 2020 has been a year of great political significance. With high stakes elections occurring on both the presidential and congressional level, the 2020 elections brought forth new opportunities for change and progress within the United States. In the face of these opportunities, the political atmosphere in Tewksbury saw itself shift, changing the way in which the town is viewed in the larger political picture of Massachusetts’ politics.

The 2020 general election brought about a “blue wave” in Tewksbury, with Demo­cra­tic candidates winning in town in both top of the ticket and down-ballot races for the first time in over a decade. Each contested race in town was won by the democratic candidate. These competitive races included the presidential race be­tween now President-Elect Joe Biden and incumbent President Donald Trump, the senate race between incumbent Ed Markey and Repub­lican challenger Kevin O’Con­nor, the 19th Middle­sex State Representative race between incumbent Dave Robertson and Repub­lican challenger Alec DiFrus­cia, and the 18th Es­sex State Representative race between incumbent Tram Nguyen and Repub­lican challenger Jefferey DuFour.

The presidential race in particular marked a distinct shift from the town’s previous voting history. In 2016, Tewksbury favored Donald Trump over Hillary Clinton, by a margin of 49.4 percent to 44.6 percent. This followed Tewksbury’s consistent pattern of voting as a “red” town within the traditionally “blue” political landscape of Massachu­setts. On the contrary, Joe Biden triumphed in the 2020 Election by a margin of 51.8 percent to 46.1 percent in contrast to previous voting patterns.

The 2020 elections also brought forth an increased voter turnout compared to years past. In 2020, the vot­er turnout percentage was 79.4 percent. In comparison, voter turnout for the 2018 midterm elections and the 2016 general elections were 63.1 percent and 78.8 percent, respectively. This year, 19,243 town residents voted, compared to 17,608 in 2016.

With the 2020 election re­sults, Tewksbury saw itself shift blue in the presidential election for the first time since 2004. This result amongst this year’s “Blue Wave” raises questions as to whether this marks the beginning of a new voting trend in Tewksbury’s fu­ture; only time will tell.