Rufus Gifford earned the most votes during a Haverhill Democratic City Committee straw poll this week. (Jay Saulnier photograph for WHAV News.)
Concord-based candidate Rufus Gifford was a winner among city voters in attendance at Saturday’s Haverhill Democratic City Committee breakfast, Committee Chair William D. Cox Jr. tells WHAV.
Gifford, running to secure the democratic nomination in the 3rd district congressional race to succeed Niki Tsongas, received 31 percent of the vote, followed by Rep. Juana Matias (18 percent), Dan Koh (16 percent) and Alexandra Chandler and Sen. Barbara L’Italien, who each received 11 percent of the vote. One-hundred fifty patrons were attendance during the breakfast and participated in the straw poll, Cox said.
Leonard Golder received one percent of the straw poll votes, while Jeffrey Ballinger, Beej Das and Bopha Malone did not receive any votes.
In the democratic race for governor, Jay Gonzalez triumphed over Bob Massie with 70 percent of the vote, while challenger Josh Zakim won over incumbent Secretary of State William Francis Galvin.
Winners are usually those who were accompanied by the most supporters at the annual event.
Haverhill heads to the polls on Tuesday, Sept. 4, with the winner of the democratic congressional primary facing off against Republican Rick Green in November.