Democrat Tamisha Civil won reelection to the Governor’s Council District 2 seat, defeating Republican Francis T. Crimmins Jr. in the Nov. 3 election, WATD reported. Needham voters helped decide the race, which shapes who confirms the state’s judges.

Incumbent Democrat Tamisha Civil faced Republican Francis T. Crimmins Jr. for the District 2 seat, according to the state's official candidate list. Needham is one of roughly 37 communities in the district, which stretches across Norfolk, Bristol, Plymouth and Middlesex counties.

Dedham voters did not see this race on their ballots. Dedham falls in Governor's Council District 4, where incumbent Democrat Christopher Iannella Jr. ran, according to Progressive Mass.

What the council does

The Governor's Council is a colonial-era body of eight elected members. It confirms judges, approves pardons and commutations, and signs off on Parole Board appointments, according to the council's official website. Members serve two-year terms with no term limits.

The District 2 race was one of three contested council seats statewide, MassLive reported.

The candidates

Civil, a Democrat from Stoughton, won the seat in 2024 after defeating Crimmins in that cycle, the North Star Reporter reported. She is the first woman of color elected to the District 2 seat since the council was established in 1780, according to the Franklin Observer.

A former associate probation officer and victim-witness advocate, Civil told the North Star Reporter her work is shaped by her cousin's wrongful 27-year imprisonment before his exoneration in 2021. She graduated from Dover-Sherborn Regional High School and holds a master's degree in criminal justice and leadership from Northeastern University.

Her stated priorities include confirming judicial nominees who support reproductive rights and take a public-health approach to substance use.

Crimmins, also from Stoughton, practiced law for more than 40 years and spent nearly 18 years as a District Court judge, the North Star Reporter reported. He served as first justice of Stoughton District Court and also held a position on the Appellate Division. He later served as Stoughton town manager and Avon town administrator.

His campaign emphasized evaluating nominees on qualifications, temperament, integrity and respect for the law. He told the North Star Reporter he would impose no political or ideological litmus test.

Needham primary results

In the Sept. 1 Democratic primary, Civil received 4,528 votes across Needham's 10 precincts, according to Needham's town election records. Crimmins received 654 votes in the Republican primary. The town cast 6,665 total Democratic ballots that day.

Election Day details

Polls in Needham were open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Tuesday, Nov. 3. Voters in line by 8 p.m. were allowed to cast a ballot. Polling locations for precincts A, B, C, D and G have changed for all elections through June 30, 2027, according to the town's election page.

Before polls opened statewide, early and mail-in turnout stood at 22.3%, with more than 1.1 million votes already cast, according to NBC Boston.

The Boston Globe's results page carries Governor's Council returns. Certified results will be available through the Massachusetts Election Statistics database.