There is a famous baseball quote: “They expect an umpire to be perfect on Opening Day and to improve as the season goes on.”
And that was the impossible standard that Jim Lamanna was expected to achieve on State Primary Day 2026, the first election that he was overseeing in his new position as Lynn city clerk.
From all reports from voters and candidates alike, Lamanna and his team handled the responsibility flawlessly, carrying on the tradition of election operational excellence from his legendary predecessor, the late Janet Rowe.
The election process affects everyone in Lynn, one of the largest cities in Massachusetts with a population of more than 110,000 residents. Out of 64,138 registered voters, a total of 8,595 residents cast ballots in the primary through early voting or at polling locations throughout the city, representing a total turnout of 13.40 percent (11.02 percent Democratic turnout and 2.39 percent Republican turnout).
“We had a turnout of 11.2 percent in the Democratic primary,” Lamanna reported. “It was much better than the municipal primary last year which was close to 3 percent. Between the crowded Sixth Congressional race, and the Moulton-Markey U.S. Senate race, there was some interest.”
Understandably, Lamanna had some anxious moments leading up to his first election since taking office on March 2, 2026.
“I had a sleepless night Monday night, I can tell you that,” Lamanna said candidly. “But I’m fortunate, I have a tremendous staff that has been through this before. Sadly, Janet Rowe passed away in May – she certainly would have been someone I had on speed dial. But she left me a great staff on the election side.”
Lamanna said once the polls closed at 8 p.m., the ballot-counting process began in earnest.
“I learned a lot Tuesday night,” he said. “I have never been in the so-called ‘war room’ as the ballot tabulators come in, the ballot boxes are unlocked, the plastic strips on the ballots are cut to make sure the votes haven’t been tampered with – and the tabulation begins. I’ll be more prepared for November when there will be a much bigger turnout for the final election.”
Voters across Lynn and eight of the ten precincts in Saugus, and four precincts in Wakefield delivered decisive outcomes in several contested primary contests on Tuesday night:
• U.S. Senate (Democrat): Incumbent Edward J. Markey carried Lynn with 4,272 votes (62.02%), defeating Seth Moulton, who received 2,616 votes (37.98%). Republican John Deaton received 1,279 votes in his primary.
• Sixth Congressional District (Democrat): Dan Koh led the crowded six-candidate field in Lynn, receiving 2,827 votes (41.70%). Following Koh were Tram T. Nguyen with 1,452 votes (21.42%), John A. Beccia, III with 1,118 votes (16.49%), Jamie M. Belsito with 595 votes (8.78%), Mariah L. Lancaster with 452 votes (6.67%), and Bethany Andres-Beck with 335 votes (4.94%). Micah Quinney Jones secured 1,099 votes in the Republican primary.
• Governor (Republican): Michael Roger Minogue won the Republican primary in Lynn with 1,176 votes (78.40%), surpassing Brian Shortsleeve, who took 324 votes (21.60%). Incumbent Democratic Gov. Maura Healey drew 5,961 votes in her uncontested primary.
• Ninth Essex House District (Democrat): Dr. Peter Meaney won the local primary contest with 619 votes (61.59%) against Zosia Jean VanMeter’s 386 votes (38.41%). Meaney will face Republican incumbent Donald H. Wong, who received 248 votes in his primary, in November.
• Sixth Councillor District (Democrat): Terrence W. Kennedy secured 4,013 votes (65.21%) in Lynn to defeat challenger Diann Mary Baylis, who gathered 2,141 votes (34.79%).
Lamanna expects the upcoming gubernatorial matchup between Gov. Healey and Republican nominee Minogue, alongside the Sixth Congressional District battle between Koh and Jones, to be major draws for the city in the fall.
“There are also nine ballot questions, including one about the elimination of recreational marijuana sales,” said Lamanna. “There are some important issues to be decided by the voters statewide in November.”
Lamanna, who proudly holds the titles of chief of elections and chair of the Election Commission, credited the assistance of “our three excellent commissioners, Paul Amirault, Sue Lang, and Arthur Richard, who were with me all day on Tuesday.”
Early Wednesday morning, Lamanna was back at his desk knowing that his team had delivered the goods on Election Day.