Republicans declare victory
Democratic foe mulls whether to request recount
In an early election year test for Governor Mitt Romney, Republicans declared victory last night in a close state Senate race between Scott P. Brown, Republican of Wrentham, and Democrat Angus McQuilken.
McQuilken, however, said he was weighing whether to demand a recount. He said he would make a decision within the next couple of days.
After examining unofficial results, GOP officials said they felt confident Brown would win by 291 votes over McQuilken, chief of staff to former state senator Cheryl Jacques. There were about 37,000 votes cast.
"Reform won," said Eric Fehrnstrom, Romney's spokesman. "This shows what happens when independent voters cast the ballot for change."
Celebrating at Lake Pearl Luciano's in Wrentham, Brown declared victory, saying "291 votes, the people have spoken."
Asked what accounted for his apparent win, Brown said, "The experience level played a major part, as did the support of the governor."
The race was seen on Beacon Hill as a gauge of Romney's clout and the strength of the gay marriage issue. Brown opposes legalizing gay marriage; McQuilken supports it.
They were vying to replace Jacques, who stepped down in January for a position with a gay advocacy group. The state Senate district includes Needham, Norfolk, Sherborn, Millis, Plainville, Wrentham, Wayland, North Attleborough, and parts of Attleboro, Natick, Franklin, and Wellesley.
Romney, who won the district in the 2002 governor's race, saw the contest as a chance to cut into the Democratic Party's majority in the House and Senate. The governor campaigned with Brown on three occasions and filmed a television ad to bolster Brown.
If Brown's apparent victory stands, Romney and the GOP would turn their attention to the fall elections.
Last night, GOP chairman Darrell Crate said the party had commitments from more than 100 candidates for the 2004 legislative elections. The GOP raised more than $2 million last year to back the party's candidates, much of the money from the financial, real estate, and venture capital industries.
Romney also helped Brown build a sizable war chest. Brown has raised $186,000, according to the latest campaign finance reports, plus another $100,000 in assistance from the state Republican Party, one of its largest contributions to a legislative candidate, according to the Massachusetts Money and Politics Project, which monitors campaign finance. By contrast, McQuilken raised $97,000.
Last night, McQuilken said he might request a recount.
"We are keeping our options open for a potential recount, and we will make that announcement in the next couple [of] days," he said. "It was gratifying that so many voters turned out to cast their ballots for me, and I feel I owe it to the voters to consider what options are available."
Secretary of State William F. Galvin described two scenarios for a recount. First, if he determines the margin of victory is under half of 1 percent of the total votes cast, a recount would occur automatically. If the margin is greater, McQuilken could gather 10 signatures in each precinct to demand a recount.
GOP officials said there were about 37,000 votes cast in the Senate race. That would mean the margin of victory would have to be about 185 votes or less to trigger an immediate recount.
Either way, Galvin said, `it's a slow and tedious process."
Last night, the Globe tallied results from 11 of the 12 towns in the district and found McQuilken leading Brown by just 87 votes. Plainville Town Clerk Kathleen M. Sandland did not return repeated phone calls last night.
Crate predicted a GOP victory would hold up. "We won this election fair and square," Crate said.
During the campaign, the two candidates hurled accusations at each other after they won their parties' nominations a month ago.
Brown said that his opponent will be "one of the boys" if he wins, referring to the Democrats on Beacon Hill.
McQuilken labeled Brown a "right-wing extremist," who is weak on gun control.
Whatever the outcome, there might be a replay in November. Representatives of both parties said that if their candidate loses, the winner can expect a challenger in the fall.
The state Senate set the date of the special election so it would coincide with the presidential primary.
Republicans objected, saying the Democrats knew their party faithful would be turning out to vote. The state Republican Party challenged the date, but it was upheld by the Supreme Judicial Court.
The SJC set off a firestorm nationally with its ruling in November that gay couples should have equal rights to marriage. Lawmakers convened a constitutional convention last month to consider a proposed amendment that would ban gay marriage and overturn the SJC's ruling. Legislators are set to reconvene March 11, but the new senator is not expected to be sworn in by then.
Lisa Kocian can be reached at 508-820-4231 or lkocian@globe.com. Globe correspondents Jared Stearns, Michael Busack, and Stephanie Vosk contributed to this report. 