Chris Worrell prevailed in the 5th Suffolk state representative race on Tuesday night over Danielson ‘Donnie’ Tavares to become the Democratic nominee for the seat, which is being vacated by Rep. Liz Miranda, who was nominated to be the state senator in the 2nd Suffolk district yesterday.
According to preliminary numbers from the City of Boston, Worrell received 1,658 votes to Tavares’s 1,266. Althea Garrison, took third place with 866 votes.
As returns from polls in Wards 14 and 15 started to trickle in during the 8 o’clock hour, it soon became apparent that Worrell was likely to have a good night. He topped the ticket at all five precincts that vote at the Lilla G. Frederick School on Columbia Road. He also posted victories at the Dot House and Viet AID community center in Fields Corner.
Tavares conceded the race around 9 p.m., and after receiving the last set of numbers from the polling location (15-5) at the UP Academy, the Worrell campaign claimed victory.
Worrell said it was a victory for the district and not himself, noting that Primary Day was also his daughter’s first day of kindergarten.
“This isn’t a victory for me,” he said. “This is a victory for residents of Dorchester and Roxbury, as we will push an agenda that lifts up people of color and delivers real, tangible services to our neighborhoods. On Election Day morning, I dropped my kids off for their first day of school and it reinforced why I decided to run for office — because every child in this city deserves to live in a safe community with great schools and unlimited opportunities.”
Worrell said he also wanted to thank his opponent, Tavares, for running a good, solid campaign that focused on the residents.
“Boston politics has gotten increasingly divisive in recent years, so I also want to congratulate Donny Tavares for running such an impressive campaign and being such a great man,” he said. “Donny and I are both committed to this city, and we agreed early on that we would make this race about the issues. We did that, we will continue to work closely together, and I hope that others will follow our example. Boston is stronger and our Black and Brown communities are stronger when we lift each other up.”
Worrell, whose brother Brian represents District 4 on the City Council, has worked in the State House previously for state Sen. Nick Collins, and currently is on leave from a position with the Boston Planning and Development Agency (BPDA). He and his wife and children live on Normandy Street in Grove Hall.
The campaign between Worrell and Tavares was one where two mayors were loosely involved at first – with Mayor Michelle Wu encouraging Worrell to run early on and later endorsing him. Tavares, meanwhile, was part of former mayor, and now Labor Secretary Marty Walsh’s administration, and had gained an advantage with the Walsh camp in Boston.
Tavares outraised Worrell in campaign financing most months of the race, but it was a race defined more by door-knocking, and meeting people directly rather than a heavy-spending campaign.
In a recent story in the Reporter, Chris Worrell spoke about his family’s political rise.
“We’re not trying to be the Owens or the Bolling families,” he said, referring to two prominent Boston political dynasties. “We’re just trying to be the Worrells and bring change to a community we live in and that really needs it…It’s not a power trip, it’s two brothers loving their community.”
