Tarsky Finishes First in State Rep. Race, Rausch Fends off Opponent
November 6, 2024
• Democrat Josh Tarsky will represent Needham in the State House, and state Sen. Becca Rausch secured her fourth term in office.
Tarsky, a school principal and veteran, will continue the 35-year tradition of Democratic state representatives in Needham following his successful bid for office Tuesday. Tarsky will assume the seat currently held by Rep. Denise Garlick, who did not seek reelection.
Tarsky earned 14,687 votes across the district, with the largest share of support coming from Needham, where he won all 10 of the town’s precincts, according to unofficial results released early Wednesday morning. Realtor and Needham native Bill Dermody, who ran unenrolled, won 9,344 total votes, according to unofficial results.
The 13th Norfolk District comprises Needham, Dover and part of Medfield.
Tarsky picked up endorsements from local and state Democratic leaders, including U.S. Rep. Jake Auchincloss, who joined Tarsky in Needham Tuesday morning. Despite receiving a significant endorsement from Garlick, Dermody failed to clinch her seat.
When asked about his campaign, Tarsky shared some of the “surreal” moments, including calls from Sen. Elizabeth Warren. Guidance and perspective from Massachusetts leaders helped position Tarsky for local office, he said.
“I’ve met great people throughout, local leaders, congressional folks, the governor, media and people who are concerned citizens and want change in one area or another,” Tarsky said at Town Hall. “It’s been a humbling experience… I can do a good job by all the people that are putting their trust in me.”
Affordable housing, education reform and climate change are key issues Tarsky hopes to target during his freshman term, he said. The MBTA Communities Act — with which Needham recently voted to comply — marks the first step in addressing the need for housing, Tarsky said, and he aims to bring state resources back to Needham to see that vision become reality.
Tarsky also touched on a concern specific to Needhamites: the Commuter Rail.
“We have got to get away from plastics, fossil fuels, electrify the train, more sidewalks, bike lanes,” he said. “These are things that will make our communities, I think, more enjoyable.”
Following Garlick and her predecessor Lida Harkins, Tarsky will become the third consecutive Democrat to represent the 13th Norfolk District.
The total voter turnout in Needham was about 76%, with 19,036 eligible voters having cast ballots. Presidential election turnout has dropped steadily in Needham though remains high compared to other communities — in 2016, 94% of town voters turned out, and in 2020, that number was 84.6%.
Outside of Town Hall Tuesday afternoon, Dermody became emotional discussing the campaign and support he’s received, calling it “an honor” to run for public office. A cohort of his volunteers and friends were stationed across Needham’s five polling locations throughout the day holding signs.
Before casting his ballot, Dermody reflected on the last few months. He considers his campaign a grassroots, multi-generational effort and extended his gratitude to his constituents.
“I think it’s been a good campaign, and it’s great to see the civic engagement,” Dermody said. “It’s a lot different from working at Park and Rec and the local level. That one step up is a big difference.”
Joining the Tarsky campaign outside Town Hall, Auchincloss said he believes in supporting Democrats, particularly in this election. Because of significant learning loss in students, Auchincloss said “it’s critical that we have educators in the State House” to address that.
“He’s an educator, and I think the quality of education in Massachusetts is going to be a defining issue in years to come,” Auchincloss said, “as we see the results of the school closures, which have really reversed 20 years of progress in math and literacy instruction.”
State Sen. Becca Rausch, D-Needham, successfully defended her seat against Republican opponent and Franklin resident Dashe Videira to secure a fourth term in office.
Rausch cast her ballot at the Center at the Heights early Tuesday morning, accompanied by her husband and two young children, aged 8 and 10, who emerged proudly brandishing “I Voted” stickers. Rausch said the family has started calling Election Day “Election Yay!”
During the 2016 election, Rausch recalls voting for Hillary Clinton with her youngest wrapped on her chest. Involving her children in the democratic process is important to her, Rausch said, and on Beacon Hill, she champions civics education and funding.
With her next term solidified, Rausch said she’s looking to build on her work on abortion access, reproductive health, climate action and more. She also plans to refile her Plastics Reduction Act that passed in the Senate.
Rausch shared a message of hope and optimism with voters.
“It’s Election Day, it’s one of the best days of the year. It’s beautiful outside, bright, crisp, wonderful day,” she said. “Just gratitude, really, to all of my supporters, to the 50-plus bipartisan local elected officials who have all endorsed me and supported me in this race, to all of the volunteers, just so much gratitude.”
This election was Videira’s third bid for office, after first running for the Franklin School Committee back in 2021 and later for a seat on the Governor’s Council. Her write-in campaign against Rausch in the primary kickstarted after the two spoke at a Franklin municipal meeting back in August.
Videria’s involvement in local politics was spurred by other community members, who encouraged her to run.
“Seeing how I could help, having a diverse background and being a voice for change and not be politician, lead more like a parent that has genuine concerns, that opened a doorway,” Videira said.
On the five state ballot questions, Massachusetts voters supported audits of the state legislature, the repeal of the MCAS graduation requirement and the unionization of rideshare drivers. However, Needham residents somewhat differed from the state, with a majority voting to preserve the MCAS requirement and to disallow rideshare unions. Both Needham voters and those across Massachusetts voted against legalizing psychedelics and raising the tipped wage.
Bill Dermody serves as vice president of the Needham Community Television Development Corporation, the board that oversees Needham Local and the Needham Channel. The NCTDC did not contribute to the reporting or editing of this article.
