Four Massachusetts district attorney races were contested Tuesday. In three of them, the office changes hands or stays in place based on a primary that most voters in the county did not know was happening.
District attorneys decide who gets charged, what they get charged with, what is offered in a plea, and what the office asks for at a bail hearing. In most Massachusetts counties, nobody from the other party files, and the primary is the whole election.
Norfolk County: an open seat decided by 2.68 points
Seven Democrats ran for the seat that Michael Morrissey is vacating after four terms.
| Candidate | Votes | Percent |
|---|---|---|
| Djuna Perkins | 28,067 | 28.95% |
| Adam Deitch | 25,473 | 26.28% |
| Gregory Connor | 14,518 | 14.98% |
| Macy Lee | 10,713 | 11.05% |
| Robert Jubinville | 8,171 | 8.43% |
| Jim Barakat | 7,093 | 7.32% |
| Craig MacLellan | 2,904 | 3.00% |
| Total | 96,939 |
Margin: 2,594 votes, 2.68 points. This was the closest district attorney race in the state. It sits well outside the 0.5 percent threshold that would permit a recount petition.
Perkins won a seven-way field with under 29 percent, which is what happens when a crowded open seat has no runoff. More than 71 percent of Norfolk Democrats voted for someone else.
Deitch carried Foxborough, Plainville, and Wrentham. Perkins carried Norfolk.
Norfolk is the one county with a contested general election. Perkins faces independent candidate Joe Pagliarulo on November 3.
Morrissey leaves an office that drew sustained criticism over its handling of the Karen Read prosecution and the Sandra Birchmore case. No victory or concession statements have been published by named sources in this race.
Middlesex County: a win with no published vote count
Marian Ryan, district attorney since 2013, defeated David Solet.
That is the extent of what can be stated with confidence, because no countywide vote total has been published for this race by any source we could reach. The Associated Press did not call it. There is no percentage.
What exists is a concession. Solet called Ryan shortly before 10:30 p.m. Tuesday and conceded. Ryan declared victory about ten minutes later.
Partial municipal counts reported as of midnight, expressly incomplete, showed Ryan well ahead: Framingham 6,786 to 1,590, Natick 4,614 to 1,217, Marlborough 3,130 to 872, Wayland 1,822 to 486.
Solet, at his election night event in Cambridge, said they did not have “complete numbers, but we have enough numbers to know this is not our night.” In a statement he added: “For us, this race started with us at zero. We had no name recognition, no people, no money, no office. We’re proud of the race we ran.”
Ryan: “I am deeply grateful to the people of Middlesex County for once again placing their trust in me. Tomorrow, I get back to work, leading this office with independence, compassion, common sense, and an unwavering commitment to keeping you safe.”
Middlesex is the largest county in Massachusetts by population. No Republican is on the November ballot.
Cape and Islands: Galibois holds
Robert Galibois, elected in 2022, turned back a challenge from Daniel Giardino.
| Candidate | Votes | Percent |
|---|---|---|
| Robert Galibois (incumbent) | 22,295 | ~64.4% |
| Daniel Giardino | 12,294 | ~35.6% |
These totals come from a single Cape Cod Times tabulation. They should be treated as approximate: at least one other outlet reported the margin as “roughly 60 percent,” which does not quite match. No Associated Press call was issued for this race.
On Martha’s Vineyard, all six towns reported: Galibois 2,109, Giardino 971.
Giardino conceded by phone and in writing at 10:12 p.m.: “I called Rob to let him know I conceded the race. Tonight is not what we had hoped for but despite the loss, I am proud of this campaign. We hope the best for the district attorney’s office going forward.”
Galibois: “I so appreciate the people embracing our vision and elevating public safety.”
No Republican is on the November ballot.
Suffolk County
Kevin Hayden won with 49.89 percent, ahead of Linda Champion at 25.84 and Rachael Rollins at 24.27. No Republican filed. That race is covered in detail separately.
Why these races are decided in September
Massachusetts has eleven district attorney districts. In most of them, in most cycles, only one party fields a candidate. The general election is a formality.
The consequence is that the person who exercises charging discretion for an entire county is chosen by whoever turns out for a September primary. In Norfolk that was 96,939 voters in a county of roughly 725,000 people, and the winner took under 29 percent of them.
The four-year terms begin in January 2027.
Nothing here is certified
No official results exist for any race on the September 1 ballot. The Secretary of the Commonwealth’s certified results archive contains no data for this election. The figures above are unofficial tabulations, and in the Middlesex and Cape and Islands races they are incomplete or single-sourced.
Common questions
Who won the Norfolk County District Attorney primary?
Djuna Perkins, with 28,067 votes, 28.95 percent of a seven-candidate field. She faces independent Joe Pagliarulo in November, the only contested district attorney general election in the state.
Did Marian Ryan win reelection in Middlesex?
She won the Democratic primary. David Solet conceded on election night. No countywide vote total has been published and the race was not called by the Associated Press. No Republican is on the November ballot.
Are district attorney general elections usually contested in Massachusetts?
Rarely. In most of the eleven districts only one party fields a candidate, which means the primary decides the office. Norfolk is the exception this year.
When do the new terms start?
District attorneys serve four-year terms beginning in January 2027.
Could any of these races go to a recount?
No. The closest, Norfolk at 2.68 points, is more than five times the 0.5 percent threshold required to petition for a district-wide recount.
Vote totals from Associated Press tabulation as of the afternoon of September 2, 2026, except the Cape and Islands figures, which come from a Cape Cod Times tabulation, and Middlesex, for which no countywide total has been published. All results unofficial. Quotations as reported by the Boston Globe, Boston Herald, MassLive, the Martha’s Vineyard Times, and the Harvard Crimson. General information, not legal advice.