Cape Cod History

1996: The day the Cape lost a good Congressman

Delahunt's long reign begins with a question mark
Johnston win primary but loses it to a judge

No longer in the running for the 10th Congressional District after a judge named his opponent the winner in the Democratic primary, Philip Johnston says he will appeal the ruling.

On this day in 1996, Phil Johnston who had won the Democratic primary in September to replace Gary Studds as the United State Congressman for the South Shore and Cape Cod, discovered that a judge from William Delahunt's home town where he was Norfolk County prosecutor had reversed the election results approved by the Secretary of State. The two stories that day read:

Candidate's Ballot Surprise
Phil Johnston at rally with Hillary Clinton when he heard the bad news

A judge reversed the results of a Democratic Congressional primary on Friday, and the winner-turned-loser got the bad news while on stage at a campaign rally with Hillary Rodham Clinton.  The candidate, Philip Johnston, the apparent winner of last month's primary in the 10th District, abruptly left the stage in Quincy when told that a judge had reversed the results.

William D. Delahunt, who trailed by 175 votes in the initial count, actually won by 108 votes, Judge Elizabeth Donovan of Superior Court decided on Friday. The judge cited errors by an electronic ballot scanner.

Judge Donovan declared Mr. Delahunt, the Norfolk County prosecutor, the winner and put his name on the ballot to face Edward B. Teague 3d, the Republican candidate, on the Nov. 5.  Earlier tallies and a recount, validated by the Secretary of State's office, had given the race to Mr. Johnston.

Mr. Johnston, a 52-year-old former State Representative, made no comment as he rushed off the stage.  Judge Donovan reviewed about 900 ballots from the Sept. 17 primary and determined that in many cases, an electronic scanner had read ballots marked for Mr. Delahunt as blank only because they had not been punched through cleanly.

Ousted Johnston rips election judge

After 2½ weeks as the apparent loser in the 10th Congressional District Democratic primary election, William Delahunt seemed every inch the winner yesterday.
Mr. Delahunt swooped through the district with new-found ebullience after a judge reversed the close result, declaring him the victor in the primary.

"I've never felt as good about anything as I do about this election," said Mr. Delahunt, who began his day with a brisk jog following what he called "a very good night's sleep."
Yet even as Mr. Delahunt tried to reach out to supporters of his rival, Philip Johnston, Mr. Johnston was vowing to appeal the ruling Monday.

"Personally, I think there should be another election," an upbeat Mr. Johnston told supporters at his Marshfield campaign headquarters yesterday, but clarifying later that he has no plans to request a new race.

Earlier tallies and a recount, approved by the secretary of state's office, made Mr. Johnston the winner by 175 votes.

But on Friday, Superior Court Judge Elizabeth Donovan ordered the secretary of state to remove Mr. Johnston's name from the ballot and list Mr. Delahunt as the person to face Republican Edward B. Teague III in the Nov. 5 general election.
Judge Donovan reviewed about 900 ballots and determined that they had not been properly read by an electronic scanner. She found that Mr. Delahunt, in fact, had won by 108 votes.

Most of the deciding votes came from Weymouth, Delahunt campaign organizers said.
Mr. Johnston, however, charged that Judge Donovan ruled indiscriminately. He also said that some of the ballots could have been damaged during earlier recounts.

Judge Donovan was a former assistant attorney general under then Attorney General Frank Bellotti, one of Mr. Delahunt's campaign strategists. While Mr. Johnston questioned her decision, his campaign aides hastened to add that they were not suspicious of her ethics.
At Mr. Delahunt's campaign headquarters in Quincy yesterday, about 30 volunteers greeted the candidate with hugs and cheers as he began his first official day as Democratic nominee.

When he heard the news that Mr. Delahunt, the Norfolk County district attorney, was named the victor Friday, supporter Gregory Hargadon said he couldn't contain himself.
"I was jumping up and down, screaming and yelling and dancing," said Mr. Hargadon, chairman of the Weymouth selectmen.

Cape Cod environmentalist Ian A. Bowles, who grabbed 22 percent of the vote in the Democratic primary for the district, campaigned with Mr. Delahunt yesterday, saying Democrats had to stick together to defeat Mr. Teague.  Two weeks ago, Mr. Bowles campaigned with Mr. Johnston, who then appeared to be the party's nominee.

"I got almost a quarter of the vote, and I'll be urging my supporters to vote for Bill Delahunt," Mr. Bowles said.

Mr. Delahunt reminded his field organization yesterday that they, too, had to reach out to win the support of Mr. Johnston and his supporters.
Mr. Delahunt said he had not spoken with Mr. Johnston as of yesterday morning.

"We've got to put any hard feelings that exist behind us," he said. "If we are going to prevail, the only way we're going to do it is to tell people that they're wanted and they're welcome."
Sen. John F. Kerry, who is himself fighting a fierce campaign for Senate, said the Democrats must remain unified.
"We've got to get it going no matter who the candidate is," he said as he toured the grounds at the Topsfield Fair. "I think it's important for either candidate to get this matter completely and totally resolved."

Sen. Kerry said he had a "premonition" that the judge would reverse the decision.
"When I saw the Weymouth vote and all those blanks, I knew there was potential for this. A day like that, with all that rain, it was simply improbable that so many people turned out to (vote) blank," he said.

Mr. Teague, meanwhile, spent yesterday stumping along the South Shore and Cape Cod. He continued to criticize not one, but two potential Democratic opponents.

"Neither of the opponents has a plan," he said, noting that a Johnston appeal could again change the Democratic nominee.

Mr. Delahunt's ebullient workers said yesterday they never doubted their man would succeed in his challenge. Yet some grasped for words to describe their elation, still shocked by their candidate's sudden reversal of fortune.

"It was like, 'Oh gosh,"' said David Carroll, Delahunt's field coordinator in Weymouth. "It's so sweet. It really is."