MARLBOROUGH – A successful write-in campaign in the Sept. 3 Republican primary has created a contested race in November for the 13th Middlesex state representative seat.
Virginia A. Gardner of Wayland ran as a write-in candidate for the Republican nomination for the House seat, and she received enough write-in votes to qualify as a candidate in the November election.
She will face incumbent Carmine Gentile, who was uncontested in the Democratic primary.
According to the secretary of state’s website, “To win a state primary election as a write-in or sticker candidate, you must receive more votes than any other candidate. You also have to receive at least as many votes as the number of signatures that you would have needed to file to get on the ballot for that office.”
For state representative, the required number of signatures — and therefore write-in votes — is 150.
The 13th Middlesex District includes all of Sudbury; precincts 3 and 4 in Concord; precinct 1 in Lincoln; precincts 1 and 4 in Wayland; and in Marlborough, precincts 1 and 2 in ward 1, precinct 2A in ward 2, and precinct 2A in ward 7.
Gardner received 151 write-in votes across the district: Sudbury 67, Concord 21, Lincoln 10, Wayland 28, and Marlborough 25.
The League of Women Voters of Sudbury will record a candidates’ forum with the two candidates. The forum will be broadcast and available on demand via community media (cable) stations in the district.
The forum is co-sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Wayland and Concord-Carlisle.
District residents are encouraged to submit questions for that forum by email to [email protected] or by mail to LWV Sudbury, P.O. Box 338, Sudbury, MA 01776.
Questions are due by 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Oct. 2.
