Election Recap: Campbell ’04, Polis ’96 Win Statewide Races

Massachusetts Attorney General-elect Andrea Campbell ’04 waves on stage during a Nov. 8 Democratic election night party.

AP Photo/Michael Dwyer

Andrea Campbell ’04 (D) punctuated her return to Massachusetts politics with a resounding win in the state attorney general election, dispatching Republican candidate Jay McMahon by a margin of over 20 points. She will be the first Black woman in the role, according to WGBH in Boston. Campbell, who had lost Michelle Wu in her bid to become mayor of Boston in 2021, has heavily emphasized equity and justice for communities of color in her campaign.

Jared Polis ’96 (D) was reelected governor of Colorado, defeating Republican opponent Heidi Ganahl by nearly 20 points as part of several statewide Democratic wins. Polis, who made history four years ago as the first openly gay governor in the nation, largely ran on his achievements in his first term, from steering the state through COVID-19 to implementing universal free full-day kindergarten, according to the The Hill.

Princetonians in the House of Representatives, top row from left, Ken Buck ’81, Mike Gallagher ’06, and Derek Kilmer ’96; second row, from left, Raja Krishnamoorthi ’95, John Sarbanes ’84, and Terri Sewell ’86.

U.S. House of Representatives, Official Portraits

Rep. Ken Buck ’81 (R) won his fifth term representing Colorado’s fourth district, easily defeating democratic opponent Ike McCorkle by a double-digit margin. According to local NBC affiliate KOAA News5, Buck ran primarily on government accountability, energy issues, and livestock and agriculture advocacy.

Mike Gallagher ’06 (R) returns to D.C. for his fourth term representing Wisconsin’s eighth district, seeing off independent candidate Paul Bocher and Libertarian nominee Jacob VandenPlas by a vast margin. Gallagher, the youngest member of Princeton’s congressional delegation at 38, has established a firm grip on his seat, coasting through a stress-free election night. Raja Krishnamoorthi ’95 (D) also won a fourth term, in Illinois’ eighth district, cruising to a double-digit win. Speaking with the Daily Herald, a local northern Illinois newspaper, Krishnamoorthi said he believed he appealed to voters because “they’re looking for pragmatic problem-solvers,” and that he was “really looking forward to talking them [the voters] more in depth about what their challenges are, outside of a campaign setting.”

Elsewhere, Derek Kilmer ’96 (D) and Terri Sewell ’86 (D) both rolled to double-digit victories in their bids for a sixth and seventh term, respectively. According to local WSFA 12 News, Sewell, the only Alabama Democrat in their delegation, said in her victory speech, “I pledge to continue listening, learning, and fighting for the values we share. We as a nation face many challenges but I am confident that working together, we can continue to deliver more resources and better opportunities for our communities.”

Rounding out the House races, John Sarbanes ’84 (D), the dean of Princeton’s congressional delegation, won his ninth term in Maryland’s third district, winning by a double-digit margin as he had in each of his previous eight general elections.