Brownsberger Says He Is Likely to Lose to Lander

State Senator William N. Brownsberger ’78 acknowledged at his watch party that he is likely to lose his primary to challenger Daniel A. Lander ’14.

“Update: not looking too good tonight,” Brownsberger said after entering the room and greeting the 50 volunteers and supporters gathered at Donohue’s Bar and Grill in Watertown.

Brownsberger acknowledged that results were not finalized, but said “we might lose” based on Lander’s 12-point lead at the time of his remarks, when 11 percent of votes had been reported. By around 10:30 p.m., however, the race had reversed, with Brownsberger leading Lander 56 percent to 44 percent with 59 percent of votes reported.

“I’m talking like I’m losing, because I do believe I am,” Brownsberger said, though he did not officially concede the race.

He thanked his supporters for sticking with him throughout the campaign, despite the “headwinds” he faced on the campaign trail. Brownsberger acknowledged widespread criticism from voters that the Massachusetts legislature is often labeled as unproductive and not transparent.

He also pointed to Boston Mayor Michelle Wu ’07’s endorsement of Lander as a hurdle in the race.

“We have a mayor who’s mad at me,” Brownsberger said.

“We’ll wait for a few more numbers, but that’s kind of where things are heading right now,” Brownsberger said.

At a Lander campaign event at the Peka Restaurant, the crowd was jovial as several volunteers and supporters remained “cautiously optimistic” that the results would fall in the challenger’s favor.

Josh Wolfson, Massachusetts state director for the Working Families Party — which endorsed Lander — had addressed the roughly 50-person crowd in the restaurant’s back-room bar and reminded them that the race had not yet been called at around 9:45 p.m., in one of two brief updates made throughout the evening. Lander had not made an appearance at the event as of 10:15 p.m.

In an interview with The Crimson, Brownsberger said he is not sure what he would have changed about his campaign to improve his results, but said “there’s nothing I’ve said that I regret.”

Cambridge City Councilor Patricia “Patty” M. Nolan ’80 said she was “somewhat surprised” at the results and pointed to what she described as an “anti-incumbent fever” in the 2026 election cycle. She also acknowledged voters’ dissatisfaction with the legislature’s productivity, while calling Brownsberger “one of the few people able to get things done.”