Election Analysis: In Flipping from Brown to Warren, Stoughton Voters Buck South Shore Trend

With the 2012 Presidential Election in the books, Stoughton voters, like voters statewide, supported President Barack Obama, the Democratic incumbent, in his quest for reelection, voting for the President by a wide margin over former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney, the Republican nominee.

Stoughton also went the statewide trend in supporting Elizabeth Warren, the Democratic Party nominee, over Republican incumbent, Senator Scott Brown.

Many communities in Massachusetts voted for Warren. What is noteworthy, however, is that just 11 communities in the Southeastern part of the state, Stoughton included, switched from backing Brown in 2010 during his Special Election race against Attorney General Martha Coakley, a Democrat, to Warren in the 2012 Presidential Election.

Check out the charts below for more election data. Full Stoughton election results are posted in the media gallery of this article (or by clicking here).

***

From Brown to Warren

Brown 55%

Coakley 44%

Brown 52%

Coakley 47%

Brown 49%

Warren 51%

Brown 46%

Warren 54%

After supporting Brown in the January 2010 Special Election, Stoughton flipped in 2012, with Warren edging the incumbent.

Brown won precincts 3 and 4 in Stoughton in 2012, but lost the other six.

With Obama winning 58 percent of the town and 60 percent of the state, Brown got a significant part of the electorate to split its ticket, voting for Obama and Brown, but it was not significant enough to win either here in Stoughton or statewide.

In both 2010 and 2012, Easton, Canton and Avon supported Brown, while Brockton, Sharon and Randolph supported Coakley/Warren, however Brown received more support in all of these towns, even the ones he lost, back in 2010. Stoughton was the only town to flip.

In fact, Stoughton, Taunton and Quincy were the only communities in the local area to flip from Brown in 2010 to Warren in 2012. Stoughton, Taunton and Quincy join Acushnet, Brewster, Dartmouth, Falmouth, Fairhaven, Swansea, Somerset and Wesport as the only Southeastern Massachusetts/South Shore/Cape communities to flip from Brown to Warren.

Brown received support from most communities in Southeastern Massachusetts, especially those closest to Stoughton, in both elections (like Abington, Attleboro, Avon, Braintree, Bridgewater, Canton, East Bridgewater, Easton, Foxborough, Dedham, Hanson, Holbrook, Mansfield, North Attleboro, Norton, Norfolk, Norwood, Plainville, Raynham, Walpole, West Bridgewater, Westwood, Weymouth, Whitman and Wrentham).

Towns in Southeastern Massachusetts near Stoughton to go Coakley/Warren: Brockton, Milton, Randolph and Sharon.

Click on the link to see full statewide results from the 2010 Special Election and the 2012 Presidential Election.

***

Obama Again

Obama 59%

McCain 39%

Obama 62%

McCain 36%

Obama 58%

Romney 40%

Obama 61%

Romney 38%

Obama received essentially the same support state-wide and town-wide in 2012 as he did in 2008, despite the fact Romney is from Massachusetts.

Obama took all eight precincts in Stoughton in 2012.

The 2012 results are in stark contrast to the support Romney received when he won the 2002 race for governor. Romney beat then Treasurer Shannon O'Brien 50-45; he won Stoughton 52-43 that year.

In between the 2008 Presidential Election and the 2012 Presidential Election, Stoughton voted for the Republican candidate in the Special Senate Election (Brown) and in the 2010 Gubernatorial Election (Charlie Baker).

***

Ballot Questions

Question 1

Right to Repair

Yes - 86%

No - 14%

Yes - 85%

No - 15%

Question 2

Doctor-Assisted Suicide

Yes - 43%

No - 57%

Yes - 49%

No - 51%

Question 3

Medical Marijuana

Yes - 60%

No - 40%

Yes - 63%

No - 37%

***

Voter Turnout

It's been a busy year for the Stoughton Town Clerk's Office with a Presidential Primary in March, the Town Election in April, the State Primary in September and the Presidential Election in November.

Let's see how voter turnout compared:

The number of people who turned out to vote in the Nov. 6 Presidential Election almost doubled the the amount of people who voted in the first three elections this year combined (13,986 vs. 7,001).

***

Presidential Election Turnout by Precinct

Precincts 4 and 5 vote at the Gibbons School. If you combine the number of people who voted there in the Presidential Election on Nov. 6 (3,622) it outnumbers the turnout in any of the other elections this year (see above table).

***