Mendes clenches victory in new majority-minority Brockton state rep district; Cruz wins

Chris Helms, The Enterprise
·6 min read

BROCKTON — Rita Mendes came to Massachusetts from Brazil when she was 12. Come January, she'll be state Rep. Rita Mendes.

The Brockton Democrat had no challengers on the ballot as she took the seat vacated by Claire Cronin when President Joe Biden named Cronin ambassador to Ireland. Brockton businessman Fred Fontaine ran an unsuccessful write-in campaign as an independent after flubbing an election deadline. Unofficial results showed Mendes taking 80% of the vote.

"We kept campaigning. We didn't take anything for granted," Mendes said at a small but energetic gathering of supporters at Home Cafe on Main Street. "We kept door knocking and making sure they were coming out to vote."

In other Brockton-area election results, Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy Cruz was elected to a sixth term, by a nearly two-to-one margin, fending off a challenge from Democrat Rahsaan Hall.

Associated Press called the race for Cruz late Wednesday morning, with the incumbent having 63% of the vote as of 11:15 a.m. With 91% of the vote in at that point, Cruz had 124,432 votes to Hall's 72,447.

Cruz has been Plymouth County's top prosecutor for more than two decades. He was first appointed by Gov. Jane Swift in November 2001.

"I think that we really found out exactly what it is the people in Plymouth County want," Cruz said on WATD Radio Tuesday evening. "They want to be safe in their homes; they want to be secure in the street. I think they're happy with the work that we've been doing here, and we'll go forward from there and continue to do that job."

Hall, a Brockton civil rights lawyer, has a varied legal background. He prosecuted crimes as an assistant district attorney in Suffolk County for eight years. And for more than six years he directed the racial justice program at the American Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts.

In a Twitter thread conceding the race, Hall thanked his supporters and family, and sounded themes from his campaign.

"Justice demands better, and so do we – all of the residents of Plymouth County," Hall said. "Despite the outcome of last night’s election, we are all winners. We dared to say that we demand better than what we’ve had. Thank you, Plymouth County."

Plymouth County District Attorney Tim Cruz, who holds a commanding lead in his bid for re-election, speaks to supporters at the Article Fifteen Brewery Co. in Rockland, on Tuesday night, Nov. 8, 2022, thanking his staff and supporters for all their hard work and emphasizing the need to continue working together from all backgrounds to keep residents of Plymouth County safe.

Cruz, who is the state's longest-serving district attorney, said his opponent "wanted to either defund or abolish the police" and said there were major cities elsewhere in the U.S. that elected "progressive" district attorneys and saw escalating numbers of violent crimes.

"And they don't want that here, and I don't blame them," Cruz said of Plymouth County voters.

Mendes race

The 11th Plymouth was drawn as a "majority minority" district.

"I'm really honored to be here, to be able to serve the city of Brockton, the city that I love and to be looking forward to working with the other councilors and the mayor and the residents and everybody so that we can make Brockton even a better place," Mendes said. "I'm super excited. I'm ready to get to work."

Mendes said she will finish her City Council term, but will not seek re-election to the city's governing board.

Brockton is not home to a large Brazilian population. But Mendes' victory is a victory for all Brockton's immigrants, said City Councilor Moises Rodrigues.

"One of us has made it," said Rodrigues. "Rita is going to the State House because of the Cape Verdean community."

When she gets to Beacon Hill, Mendes said she hopes to join the House Workforce Development and Judiciary committees.

"I think those two are great for Brockton," said Mendes, who is also a lawyer.

Rita Mendes, center, celebrates at Home Cafe after she wins the 11th Plymouth state representative seat on Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022.
Rita Mendes, center, celebrates at Home Cafe after she wins the 11th Plymouth state representative seat on Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022.

9th Plymouth House

As of 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, the Associated Press had still not called a winner as Gerard Cassidy (D-Brockton) held a strong lead over Republican Lawrence Novak, a Brocktonian returning to public life after six years in federal prison on a conviction for money laundering. With 95% of precincts reporting, Cassidy held a lead with 60.4% of the vote.

2nd Plymouth & Norfolk Senate

The Associated Press had not called the race as of 11:30 a.m. Wednesday, but incumbent Mike Brady (D-Brockton) declared victory over first-time candidate Jim Gordon, a Hanson Republican, with an overwhelming showing in Brockton giving him an insurmountable lead. In Brockton, Brady racked up 14,988 votes to Gordon's 4,460, according to unofficial results.

"I'm looking forward to continuing to work for my constituents. It was a nice win and I'm grateful for all the support I got," Brady said. "I also want to give my opponent credit. Anyone who throws their hat into the ring, both my opponents, in the primary and final, it's not always easy."

Brady had 63.4% of the vote as of late Wednesday morning, with 88% of precincts reporting.

The Legislature's recent redistricting removed Hanover and Plympton from this district and added Avon and parts of Randolph. It is also known as the 34th District.

Results at a glance

Here are the winners and losers for State Senate and House races in the coverage area of The Enterprise.

State Senate

  • 3rd Bristol & Plymouth: Incumbent Marc Pacheco (D-Taunton) held a lead over Republican Maria Collins, also of Taunton, with 54.1% of the vote, with about 89% of the vote counted, as of 11:30 a.m. Wednesday.

  • Norfolk, Plymouth & Bristol: Voters returned Walter Timilty (D-Milton) to office over Brian R. Muello, a Braintree Republican, with Timilty earning 65.5% of the vote as of late Wednesday morning.

State House

  • 3rd Bristol: Carol Doherty (D-Taunton) defended her seat from Taunton City Councilor Christopher Coute, a Republican.

  • 6th Norfolk: William C. Galvin (D-Canton) won. He was unopposed.

  • 8th Norfolk: The Associated Press had not called this race as of 11:30 a.m. Wednesday. Ted Philips (D-Sharon), held a strong lead over Howard Terban, a Stoughton Republican, with 71.6% of the vote.

  • 7th Plymouth: The Associated Press had not called the race as of 11:30 a.m. Wednesday between Alyson Sullivan (R-Abington) and Brandon Griffin of the Workers Party. She had no Democratic opponent. Sullivan held a strong lead with 74.3% of the vote.

  • 8th Plymouth: Angelo D’Emilia (R-Bridgewater) fended off a challenge from Eric Haikola, a Raynham Democrat, according to the Associated Press.

  • 9th Plymouth: Gerard Cassidy (D-Brockton) was leading Brockton Republican Lawrence Novak at 11:30 a.m. Wednesday.

  • 10th Plymouth: Michelle DuBois (D-Brockton) won her fifth term. The former Brockton city councilor was unopposed.

  • 11th Plymouth: Rita Mendes, a Brockton Democrat, had no challengers on the ballot for the new, vacant, majority-minority, all-Brockton district. The write-in campaign of Brockton businessman Fred Fontaine failed.

The State House News Service contributed to this report.

Send your news tips to reporter Chris Helms by email at CHelms@enterprisenews.com or connect on Twitter at @HelmsNews. Thank you, subscribers. You make this coverage possible. If you are not a subscriber, please consider supporting quality local journalism by purchasing a digital or print subscription to The Brockton Enterprise.

This article originally appeared on The Enterprise: Brockton election: Rita Mendes wins majority-minority state rep seat