MARBLEHEAD — Lori Ehrlich won all but one of the 15 precincts yesterday to become the first new state representative in Swampscott and Marblehead in nearly two decades.
In a three-way race, Ehrlich, a Democrat, trounced her closest competition, Republican John Blaisdell, by a nearly 2-1 ratio. Ehrlich took 57 percent of yesterday's votes to Blaisdell's 35 percent, while independent Mark Barry picked up the remainder.
"I'm elated, excited and can't wait to get to work," said Ehrlich, a longtime environmental activist and accountant. "... I have a long list of things to do, and probably a long list of things people want me to do."
Ehrlich spoke from her Marblehead home before going to a celebration at Red Rock Bistro in Swampscott. Across Marblehead, her opponents were considering the next step. The three candidates were hoping to replace former state Rep. Doug Petersen, who resigned in November to become the state's agricultural commissioner.
Blaisdell, a retired police officer, called yesterday's competition an interesting race and openly wondered about the next step.
"We're undecided at this point if we'll be back in the fall," he said, surrounded by a crowd of supporters in Marblehead's Abbot Hall. "We have a lot of friends here, and a lot of family."
Barry said in a phone call he wasn't particularly surprised at the results because he'd launched an independent bid relatively late, in December.
"We put up a good fight, but we didn't prevail," Barry said with a chuckle. "We did the best we could in the time we had, and we look forward to giving it another try in the near future, possibly in November."
All three candidates yesterday now live in Marblehead, where 32 percent of voters turned out. In Swampscott, 18 percent of voters went to the polls. In the two precincts in Lynn that are part of the 8th Essex District, only 249 voters, or 8 percent, turned out for the polls in weather that turned chilly and rainy.
In Swampscott, 18-year-old Collin Shannon said he didn't find the race interesting at all. He still cast a ballot, citing a motivation that helped Ehrlich.
"I'm a Democrat," he said.
Ehrlich handily won every precinct but Marblehead's Precinct 7, along West Shore Drive. She netted 260 votes there to Blaisdell's 265 and Barry's 67.
