Democrats try to build on their majority in State House

Governor Deval Patrick and Senator Brian A. Joyce, a neighbor, arrived to vote at St. Mary of the Hills School in Milton. (Pat Greenhouse/Globe Staff)

Despite the turmoil that has engulfed Beacon Hill in recent weeks, Democrats yesterday were poised to increase their overwhelming majority in the state Legislature, grabbing at least two seats from the already scant Republican ranks.

As of 1 a.m., Democrats had won a seat previously held by a retiring Republican, John A. Lepper of Attleboro. Democrat Bill Bowles defeated Republican George Ross in the race for that open seat. They also won the seat vacated by Paul J.P. Loscocco of Holliston. Carolyn Dykema, a Democrat, defeated Republican opponent Dan Haley.

Democrats were also ahead in the race to succeed one other Republican who gave up her seat this year - Mary S. Rogeness of Longmeadow.

Republicans, who currently hold 19 seats in the 160-member House and five seats in the 40-member Senate, had not recorded a net gain in 18 years.

"We're disappointed," said state GOP spokesman Barney Keller. "Clearly a wave hit us. But when a wave hits you, you have to get back up and keep fighting. People deserve to know their corrupt Democratic Party's dismal record on both the economy and job-killing tax hikes. That's what we have to do."

But there will be few major changes in the makeup of the Legislature come January.

Most incumbent state lawmakers, Democrat and Republican alike, had no challenger and were assured of victory before the first vote was cast. Twenty others did not run for reelection or were ousted in the primaries.

Five senators, all Democrats, are leaving office, including two who have been criminally indicted. Senator Dianne Wilkerson of Roxbury is accused of accepting bribes, and Arlington Senator J. James Marzilli Jr. allegedly accosted four women last summer in Lowell. Edward M. Augustus Jr. of Worcester, Pamela Resor of Acton, and Robert S. Creedon Jr. of Brockton did not run for reelection.

Of the remaining 35 senators, only five had opponents, and insiders predicted all would win reelection.

In the House, there will also be few changes when the new session begins in January.

Two incumbents, Representative Patrick M. Natale, Democrat of Woburn, and Representative Anthony J. Verga, Democrat of Gloucester, lost their September primaries, but the overwhelming majority survived that month and 114 had no opposition yesterday. Just 31 faced opponents and 15 seats were being vacated.

Three Democratic incumbents - Tom Conroy of Wayland, Geraldo Alicea of Charlton, and Paul Kujawski of Webster - appeared to have fended off aggressive challenges.

Conroy won a rematch with Republican Susan W. Pope, who held the seat before Conroy narrowly beat her in 2006.

The GOP yesterday had hoped not only to keep the seats held by Lepper, Loscocco, and Rogeness, but they were also looking to flip seats held by departing Democrats including Augustus and Representatives Stephen P. LeDuc of Marlborough, who left earlier this year, and Geoffrey D. Hall of Littleton.

Democrats were winning the races to succeed Augustus and LeDuc. As of 11 p.m. Republican Paul Avella was slightly ahead of Democrat James Arciero in the fight to succeed Hall.

Democratic Party chairman John Walsh said Democratic candidates won because they were the better choices. "Voters compared the candidates and found that Democratic candidates were better and worked harder district by district, town by town, voter by voter," he said. "The Democratic enthusiasm out there came from having good candidates."