Afonso works for the state’s Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities. Former track and field star and current coach Said Ahmed earned 1,155 votes in the District 7 race last week, while attorney and senior pastor the Rev. Miniard Culpepper claimed 1,102 votes, according to the city’s unofficial tally. The two were set to advance to November’s general election, a result Afonso — who got 1,082 votes in the preliminary — is today contesting given the tight margin between him and Culpepper.
“With so much at stake for District 7, voters deserve certainty that every ballot was counted correctly,” Afonso said in a statement Monday. “This isn’t about politics, it’s about protecting the integrity of our democracy. The fact that other candidates and community leaders are united proves that fairness matters more than campaign lines.”
Mayor Michelle Wu finished first by an enormous margin in last week’s preliminary election for mayor, a result that all but secured her second term and ultimately led her main opponent, Josh Kraft, to drop out of the race entirely.
There is little question that the recount could change the outcome of the mayor’s race, given how far ahead Wu is of her rivals. Wu drew 66,398 votes to DaRosa’s 2,409, according to unofficial city tallies. (Kraft earned 21,324.)
Under state law, if a candidate withdraws from the general election ballot — as Kraft today has — it is possible to replace him with the next highest vote-getter. But that candidate must have received “a number of votes at least equal to the number of signatures required by law to place his name on the preliminary election ballot.”
DaRosa has so far not cleared that bar. The number of signatures required to get on the preliminary election ballot was 3,000, a far cry from his 2,409 votes.
DaRosa told the Globe he hopes the recount reveals more votes for him and that he hopes to find a path to the November ballot.
He gathered enough signatures for a recount in five of the city’s 22 wards, elections officials said: Wards 4, 8, 9, 16, and 18.
Assuming DaRosa does not clear the bar of 3,000 votes, Wu could be the only candidate for mayor to appear on the November ballot.
“You’re going to have a general election with one candidate?” DaRosa said in an interview last week. “This is unprecedented.”
The recount will take place at 9 a.m. Saturday at the Boston Election Department.
Emma Platoff can be reached at emma.platoff@globe.com. Follow her @emmaplatoff.
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