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Incumbent U.S. Rep. William Keating defeated New Bedford activist Craig Swallow in Tuesday’s Democratic primary, putting the longtime congressman one step closer to securing a ninth term in Washington.
The Associated Press called the race for Keating at 9:50 p.m. As of 11 p.m., the AP said about 30% of votes had been counted, with nearly 80% in favor of Keating.
In New Bedford, Keating won 3,507 votes, or 58% of those cast, to Swallow’s 2,562, or 42%.
Keating, 73, will face Republican R. Tyler MacAllister in the Nov. 3 general election. The 9th Congressional District covers the Cape and Islands and parts of the South Coast and South Shore, including portions of Bristol and Plymouth counties.
Keating, who remained in Washington, D.C. on primary day as the House voted on funding the government and several other measures, said the day’s proceedings underscored how critical it is for the Democratic Party to succeed.
“Elections are always truly humbling experiences to go through,” Keating told The Light by phone Tuesday night.” I think most candidates understand that. People are putting their trust in you, particularly at a time when we are facing real needs: the cost of living, healthcare costs and groceries.”
Keating has spent nearly five decades in elected office. He won his first race for the Massachusetts House in 1976, at age 23, and later served in the state Senate and as Norfolk County district attorney. He was elected to Congress in 2010 and began representing the South Coast after redistricting created the current 9th District in 2012.
Swallow, 40, made that longevity central to his challenge. A former teacher and hospitality worker who lives in New Bedford’s North End, he argued that Keating had become too distant from his constituents and too closely tied to the Democratic establishment.
The candidates shared positions on several major issues, including support for Medicare for All and the need to dismantle or fundamentally restructure U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement. But they disagreed over how Democrats should pursue those goals and what kind of leadership the district needed.
Those differences came into focus during their only in-person debate, broadcast Aug. 24 on WATD 95.9 and livestreamed on The Local Seen’s YouTube page.
Immigration produced one of the sharpest exchanges of the campaign. Both candidates said ICE needed to be dismantled or fundamentally restructured, although Swallow questioned whether Keating had responded forcefully enough to conditions facing detained immigrants.
Money in politics provided another dividing line. Swallow rejected political-action-committee contributions and criticized lawmakers’ stock ownership. Keating defended support from labor organizations and said he backed legislation prohibiting members of Congress from trading individual stocks.
Campaign filings through June 30 reflected the financial imbalance between them. Keating reported $380,084 in receipts and entered July with $518,500 on hand. Swallow reported $33,076 in receipts and had $9,103 available at the beginning of July.
Swallow centered his campaign on generational change and accessibility. He argued that the district needed a representative less connected to the political establishment and more responsive to constituents.
The Craig Swallow for Congress campaign said they were pleased with the results considering the campaign had been running for less than six months and finished several points ahead of Keating’s last challenger in 2018. They said Swallow would hold off on commenting until the final vote count is available Wednesday morning.
“The real enemy of democracy is indifference,” Keating said. He then thanked Swallow for his “spirited campaign.”
“Hopefully the energy of this campaign is going to make a big difference in November.”
Email Eleonora Bianchi at ebianchi@newbedfordlight.org.
