Bi-Partisan Split: Obama + Brown win Groton; Medical Marijuana Supported by 64%
Independent Groton voters split their ballot by voting to reelect Barack Obama for President and Scott Brown for U. S. Senator. Statewide, it was a Democratic sweep as voters in Massachusetts cast their ballots to reelect Barack Obama for President and to return the U. S. Senate seat once held by Ted Kennedy to a Democratic candidate. The New England region voted heavily in the Democratic column and the big winners in the region were women as Massachusetts voted to elect its first woman as U. S. Senator and in neighboring New Hampshire women now constitute that state's entire congressional delegation including the U. S. Senate.
Locally, Groton voters were closely divided for the Presidential race and the race for U.S. Senate. Obama received 3,201 votes to 2,806 for Romney. In the U.S. Senate race, Groton voters cast their ballots to reelect Scott Brown. In that race Groton voters gave Scott Brown 3,356 votes while Warren received 2,714 votes. Brown scored a stunning upset win in 2010 after a special election to fill the Senate seat vacated after the death of Ted Kennedy. Despite Brown's impressive showing in Groton, he lost the statewide bid for reelection.
Groton voters also followed district trends as they voted to reelect Nikki Tsongas as Congresswoman from the Third District and also voted to reelect Democrat Eileen Donoghue to the State Senate from the First Middlesex District. Tsongas received 3,571 votes to 2,352 received by Republican challenger Jonathan Golnik. Donoghue received 3,390 votes to Republican challenger James Buba's 2,114.
Representative Sheila Harrington was unopposed in her bid for reelection and won a second term in the House of Representatives. Despite being unopposed, Harrington received 4,705 votes.
On the ballot questions, Groton voters endorsed Question 2, Death with Dignity. Question 2 was defeated statewide in a very close vote. In Groton, voters supported Question 2 by a 3,404 to 2,538 margin. Groton voters also endorsed Question 3 which would allow medical marijuana. Question 3 was also approved statewide. Groton voters cast their ballots overwhelmingly in support of Questions 3 by a 4,037 to 1,951 margin.
Voter turnout was heavy. The Town Clerk's office reports that 6,325 Groton voters cast their ballots out of 7,825 registered votrs for an 81 percent turnout.
