D’Amico, a longtime community organizer who had never before sought elected office, defeated Republican Steven Howitt, a business owner and former Seekonk selectman and Planning Board member, 8,451 votes to 6,386, according to unofficial results last night.

“I feel humbled and honored that so many people put their faith and trust in me,” said D’Amico as he prepared to meet with supporters at Tort’s Restaurant in Seekonk. “People got to meet me and, I think, related to may background having worked hard to hold government accountable to working families and seniors.”

He credited volunteers who, he said, knocked on “literally thousands of doors.”

D’Amico’s voter-turnout machine emerged in September’s primary, when he easily beat three other Democrats, including two who were incumbent selectmen from Seekonk and Swansea. And campaign finance reports showed advocacy-group and union support and ready financing. But Howitt began campaigning far earlier than any of the candidates, raising significant money, door-knocking and gaining a bevy of endorsements.

And Howitt’s result yesterday was significantly better than in his first run for the 4th Bristol District two years ago, when he lost to Travis by some 5,000 votes.

During the campaign, D’Amico asserted that Howitt was a flip-flopper on some issues, including gaining endorsement from an anti-taxation organization but once supporting giving towns the right to increase the meals tax by one percent.

Howitt asserted that D’Amico was trying to hide liberal views and connections from the public, had no political experience and was ready to do the bidding of out-of-town organizations that supported D’Amico’s campaign but have little or nothing to do with the district’s issues. He also raised concern that D’Amico inflated the lists of endorsements by listing individually ones that were really part of one coalition that D’Amico also listed as a separate endorsement.