Fall River turns red in 2024 Presidential Election

Preliminary election results for the city of Fall River show that for possibly the first time in modern election history, a Republican Presidential candidate has won the majority vote in the city.

According to the Elections Office at Fall River Government center, Trump garnered 14,843 votes to Harris’ 13,981.

Election data for the city dating back to 1972 shows that Democratic candidates have won every single election in Fall River, even in 1980 and 1984 when Massachusetts as a state voted for Ronald Reagan.

The seemingly improbable win for Trump in the city of 94,000 residents has finally aligned Fall River with surrounding communities that had already been leaning right with their votes. Westport, Somerset, Swansea, Freetown, Berkley and even Seekonk all voted for Trump in this year’s election, with many of those communities voting for him in the majority in 2020 and 2016.

Further cementing the shift in voters allegiance to the Democratic party, long-time incumbent State Representative Patricia Haddad was ousted by Republican Justin Thurber in a win that sent shockwaves through the 5th Bristol District. Haddad, who was first a member of the Somerset school committee before taking office as state representative over 20 years ago, had never had an opponent until Thurber tried his luck two years ago as a write-in candidate, getting 46% of the vote. Haddad pulled off a slim win with 53% of the vote.