Middleboro and Lakeville voters on Tuesday favored Donald Trump, who secured the win nationally over Vice President Kamala Harris, John Deaton over Elizabeth Warren for US Senate and cast ballots in favor of eliminating the MCAS exam as a graduation requirement. Warren ultimately beat out Deaton at the state level.

In competitive races for state office, voters in Middleboro overwhelmingly supported Republican John Gaskey in his bid to win the seat held for many years by the recently deceased Rep. Susan Williams Gifford, and boosted Republican Kelly Dooner’s effort to succeed retiring longtime State Sen. Marc Pacheco.

In other referendum questions, both towns voted in favor of allowing the state auditor to audit the state Legislature, against granting “transportation network drivers” (such as those who work for Uber and Lyft) the right unionize, against loosening restrictions on the use of psychedelic substances and against changing the way tipped workers are compensated. 

Middleboro voted in support of Dan Sullivan for representative in Congress, but incumbent Bill Keating will return to Beacon Hill. The support of voters in South Middleboro — part of the 2nd Plymouth District — aided Gaskey in fending off a write-in challenge from Democrat Sarah Hewins. Gaskey won 73.45% of the votes cast in Middleboro.

According to unofficial results released by town clerks after polls closed on Nov. 5, the Donald Trump-J.D.Vance ticket garnered 7,807 votes versus the Harris-Tim Walz total of 5,642 votes in Middleboro. In Lakeville, Trump-Vance received 4316 votes versus Harris-Walz’ 3,256.

Deaton received 8,260 votes to incumbent Sen. Warren’s 5,201 votes in Middleboro. In Lakeville, Deaton accumulated 4,660 votes to Warren’s 2,968. 

Gaskey, who defeated Gifford in the September primary to become the Republican nominee for the 2nd Plymouth District seat, said he considers himself “a [Second Amendment] absolutist, [and] a firm believer in civil rights, the constitutional civil rights that were guaranteed to us through the federal constitution.”

Susan Williams Gifford, who served as the Republican representative of the 2nd Plymouth District for 22 years, succumbed to cancer on Oct.22. 

Hewins, who said she felt like she had to join the race as a write-in following Gifford’s defeat, focused her campaign on environmental issues and affordable housing. 

First-time Middleboro voter Jessica Perry, who recently turned 18, voted Tuesday in her first presidential election. “This election is very close and every vote counts,” she said. “If you have the ability [to vote], you should.”

Perry attended the polls with her father Steve, who said voting is critical because “if you don’t participate, you don’t have anybody to blame but yourself.” 

Lakeville resident James Parent, who identifies as a libertarian, was clear about why he voted. “We need to go back to what the Bill of Rights was originally. Government has gotten too big and libertarians want to shrink government.”

For Bonnie Moran, who came to the polls with her daughter Haven and husband Paul, the MCAS ballot question was particularly important. Moran, who works in special education, said “the MCAS [question] hit home. I don’t think MCAS should be a requirement. There are too many people who don’t test well.”