Page 2 THE SAUGUS ADVOCATE – FriDAy, NOVEmBEr 6, 2026 WONG | FROM PAGE 1 my team. Congratulations Mr. Wong,” he said in a statement on the day after the election. Meaney, a 41-year-old dentist and Lynn city councilor who represents Ward 1, did issue a statement to supporters on his Facebook Page. “While the outcome wasn’t what we hoped, I am immensely proud of the campaign we built and the way we challenged ourselves every single day,” Meaney wrote. “Together, we knocked on thousands of doors across Lynn, Saugus, and Wakefield, having the real conversations that matter to our neighbors. I want to deeply thank my tireless volunteers, our dedicated campaign team, and especially my family for walking this road alongside me. Looking ahead, I stand ready to work with Donald Wong to move the Ninth Essex District forward,” he said. Meaney’s top legislative priority during the campaign was expanding access to universal prekindergarten, which would provide publicly funded preschool education for children ages three to five, reducing what working parents have to pay for early education. Meaney is the father of three young children. Affordability was a central campaign issue for the Meaney camp. During the campaign, Wong “WE’RE STILL HERE!” Since 1947 MALDEN AUTO BODY Book online: Maldenauto.com 49 Robin St., Everett, MA 617-389-3030 * Maldenab@yahoo.com Over 79 years of exceptional service! Massone Family Owned & Operated said he would push to bring more businesses to the district, lower the cost of living and make Route 1 safer. He stressed that party affiliation had no relevance to his legislative goals and that he would work with anyone to help the district. Wong said he was surprised by the total amount of campaign money spent by his opponent to beat him. The latest figures as of this week showed that Meaney spent $284,459.55 on the race – far exceeding the $200,000 goal that his camp had set as necessary to unseat the eight-term incumbent. “That’s a lot of money,” said Wong, who only spent $16,197.71 on his reelection campaign, according to recent reports filed with the state Office of Campaign and Political Finance (OCPF). He added that he was too busy working for his district to worry about spending money to get reelected. Meaney’s Democratic Primary opponent, Zosia VanMeter, spent twice as much on her campaign ($32,302.53), recent OCPF records show. In the end, campaign money really didn’t matter for Wong, who said he ran on the record he had established, representing the Ninth Essex District for nearly 16 years. Here are the unofficial totals from voters in the three communities he represents and how Meaney compared. A BIG CAMPAIGN SPENDER: Lynn City Councilor Pete Meaney outspent state Rep. Donald Wong by more than $260,000 in campaign money but still lost by more than 1,800 votes. (Saugus Advocate files) Candidate Saugus Wong Meaney 5,370 3,473 TWO MORE YEARS: State Rep. Donald Wong (R-Saugus) was reelected to his ninth term in the Ninth Essex District on Tuesday night. (Saugus Advocate files) Wakefield 3,513 3,362 Lynn Total 1,283 10,166 1,470 8,305 (Editor’s Note: These are the unofficial overall election totals released this week by the Town Clerk’s Offices in Saugus and Wakefield and the City Clerk’s Office in Lynn.) How Saugus voted overall Saugus voters still revealed some Republican-leaning tendencies in several races despite the heavy Democratic victories in Massachusetts and across the country. While Gov. Maura Healey was reelected to a second term by a landslide, Saugus voters preferred Republican challenger Michael Minogue by 5,541 to 5,329. In the U.S. Senate race, Democratic incumbent Edward Markey won big over Republican John Deaton. Saugus voters picked Markey by a 5,6894,954 margin. In the race to fill Congressman Seth Moulton’s seat, Dan Koh of Andover was elected over Republican Micah Quinney Jones. Saugus favored Koh, 5,594 to 5,055. Attorney General Andrea Campbell was reelected to another term over her Republican challenger Michael Walsh. In Saugus, Campbell won 5,502 to 5,432. Secretary of State William Francis Galvin was reelected over Anne R. Brensley. Saugus supported Galvin, 6,583 to 4,299. State Auditor Diana DiZoglio was reelected over Al Zonoff. In Saugus, she won 7,594 to 1,830. State Treasurer Deborah Goldberg was reelected over Republican Elizabeth Dionne. Goldberg won in Saugus, 5,784 to 4,944. Sixth District Councillor Terrence Kennedy (D-Lynnfield) was reelected without opposition. State Sen. Brendan Crighton (D-Lynn) won another term uncontested, as did state Rep. Jessica Giannino (D-Revere), whose district represents voters of the 3 and 10 precincts in Saugus.
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