HALDEMAN

SHANLEY

There were no upsets yesterday in the General Assembly races in South County, with all incumbents winning reelection, according to state Board of Elections results.

One of the closest races was in House District 33 – which covers part of Narragansett, North Kingstown and South Kingstown – where Democrat incumbent Donald J. Lally Jr. received 53 percent of the vote as he defeated Republican challenger Karen A. Salvatore 3,447 to 3,111. Salvatore won the two precincts in North Kingstown.

The race was largely a repeat of their first challenge two years ago when Lally defeated Salvatore by 307 votes.

Lally, 51, a lawyer by profession who chairs the House Judiciary Committee, had been criticized for his stand against the voter initiative issue and for voting in favor of putting the Narragansett Indian casino proposal on the ballot.

Tuesday night, Lally defended his opposition to voter initiative, referring to it as “corporate initiative,” arguing it would allow special interests to run government.

“I think the people got a taste of what it’s like with the casino issue,” Lally said.

He declined to comment on how he voted on the casino question saying, “My personal votes on issues are my personal votes.”

Over the next two years, Lally said, he plans to work on legislation mandating the installation of ignition interlock systems on the vehicles of repeat drunken drivers, campaign finance reform, and to continue monitoring sex predator laws, citing reports that the requirement for convicted sex offenders to report to their local police departments is being circumvented.

In District 32, which serves North Kingstown, incumbent Laurence W. Ehrhardt, one of a handful of Republicans in the House, also faced stiff competition from Democratic challenger Richard A. Welch, who had previously run for the Town Council. Ehrhardt won 51 percent of the vote to Welch’s 49 percent.

In Senate District 37 – which covers South Kingstown and New Shoreham – incumbent V. Susan Sosnowski, a Democrat, easily defeated Republican Malcolm J. MacKenzie, who had previously launched two unsuccessful campaigns challenging Democratic state Rep. John Patrick Shanley Jr.

Shanley, 62, a retired probation officer, easily secured reelection in House District 35, defeating Republican James K. Haldeman, a retired Marine lieutenant colonel, by a vote of 2,471 to 1,749.

Democrat incumbent Kenneth Carter defeated Republican Carol W. Hueston – 3,273 to 2,264 – in the run for the House District 31 seat, which serves portions of Exeter and North Kingstown. Hueston had unsuccessfully challenged Carter in 2004.

“I’m very pleased. I’m almost humbled, that the people have trusted me again,” Carter said last night.

Over the next two years, he said, “I’m going to work as hard as I’ve done in the past.” And in 2008, he said, he will be back again for a shot at another term.

In other races, incumbent Peter L. Lewiss, a Democrat, easily defeated newcomer George W. Markham, who was running as a Republican, in the race for House District 37, which covers Westerly. Lewiss received 3,164 votes to Markham’s 2,624.

In the Senate, Republican incumbent Kevin A. Breene defeated Democratic challenger Gregory R. Kenney, a representative for Hopkinton on the Chariho Regional School Committee, in the race for District 34, which covers portions of Charlestown, Exeter, Hopkinton, Richmond and West Greenwich.

Kenney, whose term on the school board expired this year but launched a write-in campaign to secure reelection to that seat, carried the vote in Charlestown and Hopkinton, while Breene romped in Exeter and his hometown of West Greenwich.

Republican incumbent Dennis L. Algiere, the Senate minority leader, defeated political newcomer Patrick W. Schmitt in the race for District 38, which stretches through portions of Charlestown and Westerly.

Democrat Schmitt carried 60 percent of the vote in Charlestown, but Algiere ended up winning with 6,584 votes to Schmitt’s 4,994 votes, according to the Board of Elections.

Algiere credited Schmitt for running a clean campaign and said over the next two years he will continue working on property tax reform, education, health care and energy conservation issues.

Incumbent Democrat James C. Sheehan, 40, a history teacher at Toll Gate High School, romped over Republican William J. Connelly in Senate District 36 in North Kingstown and Narragansett. Sheehan won with 7,981 votes to 3,881 for Connelly, who had unsuccessfully run for the seat in 2004, but lost in the primary.

Voter turnout – driven by a contested race for the U.S. Senate seat and referendum questions, particularly Question 1 on the proposed casino – was up statewide.

“It was higher than normal for an off year,” said Jean Hinson, the moderator of District 13 in North Kingstown.

With two hours left for polls to close, Hinson said her district was reporting approximately 62 percent voter turnout.