Note: This article was co-written by Shaw Israel Izikson and Leslee Bassman.
Berkshire County — Great Barrington Selectboard Vice Chair Leigh Davis won the Democratic primary for the 3rd Berkshire District seat in the State House of Representatives on Tuesday, September 3. Davis defeated Democratic candidates Patrick White and Jamie Minacci, who are both members of the Stockbridge Select Board. She will now face independent candidate and Lenox Select Board member Marybeth Mitts in November’s general election.
Davis and Mitts are vying for State Rep. William “Smitty” Pignatelli’s seat.
All three Democratic candidates were seen at polling stations and town halls throughout Berkshire County during primary election day on September 3.
Davis announced her candidacy back in February. Originally a native of Washington, D.C., Davis moved to the Berkshire County area in 2009. She currently works as the communications and community engagement director for Construct Inc. Davis started her career as a town official in May 2013 when she was elected to the Great Barrington Finance Committee, where she served until May 2016. She was elected to the town’s Selectboard in May 2019 and began serving as its vice chair in May 2021. Davis is also the chair of the Selectboard and Planning Board Housing Subcommittee.
“I am excited and hopeful,” Davis said on the morning of September 3 as she was campaigning near the town’s polling station at the Great Barrington Fire Department. “It’s been a great campaign.” Davis said that she was very optimistic throughout the day as she campaigned throughout the 18 towns in the 3rd Berkshire District, and also joined a campaign phone bank in order to get residents out to polling locations.
On primary election day, candidate White issued a statement in his email newsletter and via social media. “I am of the firm belief that voters make the best decisions when informed,” White wrote. “I trust the voters. I trust you understand the complexities we face. I avoid sound bites. I am skeptical of special interests. The only special interests for me are my constituents’ needs.”
In his statement, White called for unity between all three candidates and their supporters. “We care about our community,” White wrote. “We have that in common, so let’s work together. The Berkshires are darn close to perfect, but there is always more to do. Let’s keep it up as we always have—roll up our sleeves, get to work, and solve each problem as we encounter it.”
White declared his candidacy in February after serving the community for more than 37 years as an elected official, including as a member of the Stockbridge Select Board. During his campaign for state representative, he produced weekly newsletters outlining his endeavors and stances on various issues such as climate change, clean water, and affordable housing.
Minacci announced her candidacy on March 9, and her platform included economic development, increased housing, and improved infrastructure. She has spent almost a decade as the Stockbridge representative to the Berkshire Regional Transit Authority Advisory Board.
For Minacci, the day encompassed “lots of emotions, up and down and all around.” “I’m grateful, grateful for the opportunity, grateful to serve, that people opened their hearts and spoke to me and told me what was on their minds,” she said.
According to Stockbridge Town Clerk Terri Lemolini, primary election day was “very, very busy,” with a large mail-in-voting turnout accounting for 274 ballots last Thursday and about 50 more returning their ballots up until September 3. “Today, it’s been crazy,” she said at about 7 p.m. on election day.
This year, poll pads were introduced at the voting site (technology akin to an iPad) and contained a list of voter names, obviating the need for check-in books. “It automatically brings up the voter’s information, what kind of ballot they should get or, if they’re unenrolled, it allows us to ask them which ballot they want,” Lemolini said of the new devices. “It gives us everything we need to know.” She believed the poll pads allowed voters to get in and out of the polls faster, with the users “really happy” with the new feature.
Towards the end of the day, right before the results came in, both Davis and White held parties in their respective hometowns as the election results were tallied. Davis held her party at Barrington Brewery, while White held his party at The Lion’s Den, but Minacci did not have a party.
The mood at Barrington Brewery was very upbeat as the results came in, with over 100 people listening to a Spotify playlist curated by Davis herself.
Attendees yelled out town results over the loud crowd noise as they came in, with volunteers for Davis’ campaign keeping track on a dry-erase board.
Back at Barrington Brewery, Davis arrived at around 8:45 p.m. to joyous cheers as “I’m Coming Out” by Diana Ross played in the background.
The one set of results everyone was anxiously awaiting was that of Great Barrington, which came in after 9 p.m. By the time the Great Barrington results came in, Davis had won 12 of the 18 towns in the 3rd Berkshire District, with White winning only his hometown of Stockbridge. Davis proceeded to declare victory in the primary and climbed up to a balcony in the brewery to make a speech to her supporters.
“You all have been with me from day one, and I couldn’t have done it without you,” Davis said to the cheers of her supporters. “This is only the first step in two steps, with two months to go [to the general election]. You guys are going to be with me. I’m going to be with you, and we’re doing it together.”
In an interview with The Berkshire Edge after her speech, Davis said she has a positive attitude going into the general election against independent candidate Mitts. “I’ve had a great team of supporters, and just having the diversity of people here right now at this party makes me feel like I’m on the right path,” Davis said. “I think I can make a positive impact. I’m a hard worker, and I’m going to continue to do all the hard work.”
Despite last week’s controversy over the Massachusetts Association of Realtors Political Action Committee supporting White, Davis said, “I am very thankful to Patrick and Jamie for running a great campaign and being great candidates.”
“I have two months left in this campaign, and this is not the end of the road,” Davis said. “There’s a lot of people I need to talk to, and there are independent voters I’m hoping to reach out to. I’m so proud to be a Democrat with [Vice President Kamala Harris] and just what’s going on with the Democratic Party. I want to be part of this machine and be part of the 3rd Berkshire District. We have a lot of work to do here. There are issues and challenges, but there’s a lot of pride, and I want to celebrate that pride, and I want to make sure that everyone’s voices are heard and that we’re uplifting each other in support.”
Over in Stockbridge at The Lion’s Den, a couple of hours into the election count, the lively group gathered for White’s party took a more somber tone when the results showed no path forward.
“I want to congratulate Leigh Davis on a well-run campaign,” White told The Berkshire Edge. “The voters have spoken, and I look forward to assisting in any way I can, whether it’s Leigh or [independent candidate] Marybeth [Mitts], and making progress in the 3rd Berkshire District. I am heartened by the fact that the voters of Stockbridge, who know me best in this district, overwhelmingly supported my campaign, and I thank them for that. And I thank all of the voters who turned out, especially those for whom my ideas resonated.”
Unofficial election results by town:
EDITOR’S NOTE: Unofficial results for the towns of Mount Washington and Tyringham were not available as of press time.
