In the end, it came down to just 35 votes.
That was incumbent state Senator William N. Brownsberger’s margin of victory over challenger Daniel Lander in the Sept. 1 primary election, according to final vote tallies from the election recount that local officials completed Thursday.
The winner of the Democratic primary for the Boston-based state Senate seat was still unclear in the aftermath of the closely watched race, with the outcome too close to call for days. Now, the official, certified recount results confirm that Brownsberger, 69, is set to continue to represent the Suffolk and Middlesex district, which includes part of Boston, Cambridge, Watertown, and Belmont. He will not face a Republican opponent in the November general election.
The final result marks the end of the hard-fought, and remarkably tight race — an anomaly in a state primary where incumbents largely cruised to reelection. Brownsberger, a two-decade veteran of Beacon Hill and the third-ranking Democrat in the state Senate, had not faced a challenger for roughly a decade until Lander, a 35-year-old first-time candidate and former senior aide to Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, sought to unseat him.
The matchup gave voters a choice between a young, ambitious progressive and an experienced, powerful incumbent, and drew attention for its potential to upend the status quo of the state Legislature. That spotlight also intensified exponentially after Wu threw her weight behind Lander’s bid to oust Brownsberger, one of her top adversaries on Beacon Hill.
Ultimately, Lander, as well as the two other candidates Wu endorsed in Boston-area state Senate races this year, lost — an outcome some political observers say demonstrates the limits of Wu’s political influence beyond Boston City Hall. But others argue that the nail-bitingly close margin in the Brownsberger vs. Lander race is an achievement in itself, and shows that voters are hungry for more urgency from their elected leaders.
Lander, bolstered by Wu’s support and an endorsement from US Senator Elizabeth Warren, got incredibly close to pulling off an upset. The gap between the two candidates seesawed from a margin of dozens of votes to just three, then back up to 34, as election officials updated voting tallies. Both candidates formally requested a recount last week.
An army of city staffers, poll workers, attorneys, and volunteers in Boston, Watertown, Belmont, and Cambridge diligently hand-checked and re-tabulated thousands of ballots to complete the recount, which began on Wednesday and wrapped up Thursday afternoon. The results only marginally changed both candidates’ vote totals, and ultimately determined that Brownsberger had clinched 35 more votes than Lander.
After the recount was complete, Brownsberger told the Globe he felt the process worked well and that he’s happy with the final outcome.
“I’m just grateful for the opportunity to continue to serve the people in my district, and I’m eager to get back to work,” Brownsberger said.
Throughout his campaign, Brownsberger focused on his extensive experience, record, and leadership in office. He pointed to his work on police and criminal justice reform, investments in affordable housing and public transportation, and more. Brownsberger is deeply respected by his peers in the Legislature, and earned a reputation for being a detail-oriented policy wonk.
In an interview with the Globe Thursday afternoon, Lander said he had called Brownsberger to concede and congratulate him on his victory.
“I wish him the best, because the people of the district are counting on him to fight for them,” Lander said.
Lander had fiercely criticized the state Legislature for its lack of transparency and rigid hierarchy, arguing that state lawmakers had not taken enough action to address persistent challenges such as the rising cost of living.
Brownsberger and other incumbents on Beacon Hill, Lander said, should take the 35 vote difference as a warning that voters are increasingly demanding action.
“This campaign was all about holding the feet to the fire of state Senate leadership to say, ‘Let’s go faster, let’s get to work,’” he continued. “This incredibly razor, razor, razor-thin margin is an indication that people are hungry for change.”
To be sure, Wu’s backing undoubtedly helped to close that gap. Ahead of the September election, Wu — coming off her own resounding reelection victory last year — canvassed around the city for Lander, amplified his campaign on her social media platforms, and lent him the support of her extensive network of grass-roots volunteers and donors.
In addition to Lander, Wu also endorsed education activist and first-time candidate Latoya Gayle, who ran and lost against state Senator Nick Collins of South Boston by about 10 percentage points.
Wu fiercely feuded with both Collins and Brownsberger in recent years over their opposition to her proposal to temporarily shift more of the city’s property tax burden onto commercial real estate.
To many, Wu’s move to endorse their challengers marked an escalation in the ongoing tension between Boston City Hall and Beacon Hill, and a clear attempt by Wu to oust her adversaries in the state Legislature.
A spokesperson for Wu did not respond to a request for comment Thursday afternoon. But speaking on GBH’s Boston Public Radio Wednesday, Wu praised both Lander and Gayle, saying their campaigns achieved important gains.
“It shows that longtime incumbents with big war chests and a lot of support can’t just cruise to reelection in this moment, because people expect more,” Wu said on the radio. “Does this lead to more entrenchment, or does this lead to more open discussion? I think the ball is in the court of the state Senate at this point.”
Whether state Senators will take that message to heart is unclear. Brownsberger did not indicate that he plans to change how he approaches policy-making, or working with residents or other elected officials, when asked what his takeaway is from the close race.
“I’m a true public servant,” Brownsberger said. “I always call issues the way I see them, and I always listen closely to my constituents, and I’m going to be the same person next year that I was last year.”
As far as where his relationship with Wu stands, Brownsberger said he is always open to collaboration, and is “eager to partner with everybody” to serve his constituents.
The recount, though, laid bare the deep, persistent divisions between the state Senate and Wu and her supporters. At the recount at Boston City Hall on Wednesday, many of the volunteer observers for Lander’s campaign had connections with Wu’s administration or previous campaigns. At least 10 state Senators, along with Senate staffers, volunteered as observers for Brownsberger.
“We’re here to make sure that that our colleague has the support of his body,” said state Senator Adam Gomez, a Springfield Democrat. “His dedication to the Massachusetts Senate and to the people of his district is important.”
State Senate President Karen Spilka congratulated Brownsberger, as well as Collins and other winners in the primary, in a statement Thursday after the recount tallies were finalized.
“Will and Nick are deeply respected members of the Senate who have earned the trust of their colleagues through years of hard work, principled leadership and a commitment to the people they represent,” Spilka said. “I’m proud to call them colleagues and friends, and I’m grateful that they will continue bringing their experience, independence and leadership to the Senate.”
Spilka also appeared to acknowledge the tension that hovered over both races, and the political capital Wu threw behind their challengers.
“There was a great deal of time, money and political energy spent this year trying to remake the Senate. Voters had their say,” Spilka said. “I’m proud of the members of this Senate, and I think the results speak for themselves. Now it’s time to put the primary campaign politics behind us.”
Theo Lennhoff, a 24-year-old Cambridge resident, said he voted for Lander in the primary because his criticisms of the state Senate rang true for him.
“Housing was the biggest issue for me,” Lennhoff said. “It’s just kind of become unaffordable for people my age to live in this area, especially, and he’s someone that I feel like recognizes that and is acting on it, and that’s really important to me.”
Lennhoff volunteered to help observe the recount for the Lander campaign on Wednesday and Thursday, and said the experience of seeing the election process up close was “illuminating,” even though the result was ultimately disappointing.
“It’s tough … [but] we’ll get them next time,” he said.
Bonnie Friedman, a 69-year-old Belmont resident, also volunteered to help with the recount, though she declined to say which campaign she supported.
Friedman has a leadership position at the League of Women Voters in Belmont, and said she emailed all the organization’s members to encourage them to participate in the recount after the Belmont Town Clerk reported that they were short on volunteers.
Outcome aside, she said her priority was making sure people were aware of the opportunity to engage and participate in the election process.
“This is what democracy is about, to make sure that your election is fair and accurate,” she said.
Niki Griswold can be reached at niki.griswold@globe.com. Follow her @nikigriswold.