US Rep. William Keating on track to win sixth term in 9th Congressional District

HYANNIS -- U.S. Rep. William Keating, D-Mass., appeared on his way to winning a sixth term representing the 9th Congressional District on Tuesday.

Keating, 68, of Bourne, fended off challengers Helen Brady, a Republican from Plymouth, and Michael Manley, an independent from Brewster.

The 9th District comprises 46 municipalities that stretch from Norwell to Fall River and includes Cape Cod and the Islands.

With results in from most Cape and Islands towns and several off-Cape towns, Keating had 63% of the vote early Wednesday.

This year's election was quite different from years past, Keating said Tuesday night. A typical Election Day, he said, begins outdoors in the cold and ends with a large gathering of friends and supporters. But such a celebration could not happen this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic.

"It is much more than sitting around waiting for results coming in," he said. "You meet people, share stories and share excitement on what is going to happen. It's impossible to replicate."

But after losing several of his friends to the pandemic, Keating said, he is grateful for everyone who has been able to come through it.

"It puts things in perspective and also puts things in perspective for the job," he said.

Looking ahead, Keating said he will continue to fight to protect and restore basic health care rights. The pandemic has strained major hospitals, community health centers, doctors, nurses and other front-line professionals, he said.

The CARES Act began in the House, and now the Heroes Act, another stimulus bill that targets the hospitality industry and restaurants, is awaiting action in Congress, Keating said.

Keating said he would continue his work providing personal protective equipment to those on the front lines and will continue to find the funding for lost revenues and testing resources.

Keating said there is a lot of work to be done back in Washington, even if it may be a lame-duck session.

"An election ... it doesn't stop those in need," he said. "The real urgency of dealing with the issues don't go away as long as this virus is with us."

Since the pandemic started, Keating has been in regular videoconference calls with community leaders and town halls with residents to address the region’s most pressing needs.

On top of his list is rebuilding the Cape Cod Canal bridges, fighting to advance economic and security issues at Joint Base Cape Cod and working to bring the largest offshore wind farm in the country to this district.

"I think everyone is fatigued, but we have to be smart and do the right thing," he said.

His two opponents had quite different views on the issues, Keating said. The differences mirrored those in the presidential race, he said.

Brady, 50, who ran her campaign as the conservative alternative to Keating, fought to safeguard the rights guaranteed by the Constitution.

In 2016, Brady was defeated by Democrat Cory Atkins in her run for Massachusetts state representative for the 14th Middlesex District, and then in 2018, she lost to Suzanne Bump in her bid for state auditor.

Her biggest issue was making sure the decommissioning process at the closed Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station is done safely. She also supported replacing the Bourne and Sagamore bridges, stopping the flow of drugs into the region, and supporting the tourism and fishing industries.

A mother of four, Brady, who pledges that she is not a politician, said it was time for regular hard-working people like herself to step up and run for office.

Brady did not return a call seeking comment Tuesday night.

Manley, 72, who has no political experience, ran a campaign based on creating a team on both sides of the aisle to build a better America.

Getting students back into school was Manley’s priority, followed by supporting local small businesses, which he says are the backbone of the middle class. He was the only candidate in the race against abortion rights.

Manley said the voters might see him again in two years.

For now, he hopes to promote his self-published book, "The Project Kids: World in Small Spaces," which took him 48 years to write. The book outlines what it was like for him growing up in Bayonne, New Jersey, in the late 1950s.

"I did the best I could," Manley said. "I'm not disappointed or anything. I got my message out, and I hope people heard it."

Beth Treffeisen can be reached at btreffeisen@capecodonline.com. Follow her on Twitter: @Btreffeisencct.