NOTE: This story was updated on Nov. 6 to include mail ballots.

PORTSMOUTH — Everything came up roses for local Republicans on Election Day.

With only the Hope Brown Center polling place on Prudence Island yet to report as of Wednesday morning, the four Republicans who ran for Town Council all won seats, according to results from the R.I. Board of Elections. 

The top vote-getter was incumbent Republican Keith E. Hamilton. Mary A. McDowell, who ran as an independent but aligned herself as a “transparency candidate” along with three of the GOP council hopefuls, was right behind him.

Incumbent Republican David M. Gleason was awarded another term, while two other GOP candidates, Sharlene M. Patton and David G. Reise, also won seats.

School Committee member Sondra A. Blank and council member Juan Carlos Payero, both Democrats, rounded out the final two council seats.

Charles J. Levesque and John Mark Ryan, both Democrat incumbents, lost their bids for new terms.

A council shakeup wasn’t entirely unexpected this year, as two Democrats on the panel — Council President Kevin Aguiar and Daniela Abbott — chose not to seek reelection.

Voters came early

What perhaps was a surprise were the impressive numbers the GOP put up in early voting and mail ballots, which normally favor Democrats and often by wide margins. This year, however, former and future President Donald Trump — he didn’t carry Portsmouth but won big nationally — encouraged more Republicans to vote early.

Hamilton, in fact, received the most early votes (2,283), with Gleason, McDowell, Reise, and Patton following close behind. Democrats performed better with the smaller pool of mail ballots, but not enough to make a big difference.

School Committee

In the race for the three open seats on the School Committee, Democrat incumbent Emily A. Copeland was the top vote-getter, followed by incumbent Democrat Karen E. Marlow McDaid and another Democrat, John Delehanty.

Independent Brett W. Fox was trailing Delehanty by 48 votes before the Prudence Island results came in. Fox was actually leading Delehanty among early and Election Day voters late Tuesday night, but mail ballots favored Delehanty by a margin of 583-353 to give him the lead.

Donovan, Whitehouse win

In the only local General Assembly race that was contested this year, Democrat incumbent Rep. Susan Ann Donovan of Bristol was reelected to another term in the House of Representatives, District 69. The district represents Prudence Island and Bristol.

Donovan easily outpointed her independent rival, Sergei M. Sharenko, capturing more than 60 percent of the vote.

Democrat U.S. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse also won handily, defeating his Republican challenger, R.I. Rep. Patricia Morgan, by a 60-40 margin. Morgan will relinquish her General Assembly seat in January.

In the Congressional race for District 1, Democrat incumbent U.S. Rep. Gabriel Amo won another term, easily defeating Republican Allen R. Waters by a 63-33 margin.

No Constitutional Convention

On the ballot questions, voters both in Portsmouth and statewide roundly rejected a proposal to hold a Constitutional Convention in Rhode Island. It was the fourth straight decade in which the question was defeated.

Voters approved the four other questions, to appropriate funds for high education facilities, housing opportunities, green economy bonds, and cultural arts.

Here’s how they voted
Here are the results from Tuesday night, not including Prudence Island votes. Checkmarks (✓) designate winners.
Town Council
Top 7 elected
✓ Keith E. Hamilton (R) 4,686
✓ Mary A. McDowell (I) 4,662
✓ David M. Gleason (R) 4,608
✓ David G. Reise (R) 4,315
✓ Sharlene M. Patton (R) 4,261
✓ Sondra A. Blank (D) 4,205
✓ Juan Carlos Payero (D) 4,202
John Mark Ryan (D) 4,136
David P. Fiorillo (D) 4,013
Charles J. Levesque (D) 3,986
Tasha M. MacGibbon (D) 3,719
Timothy E. Grissett (D) 3,411

School Committee

Top 3 elected

✓ Emily A. Copeland (D) 5,329

✓ Karen E. Marlow McDaid (D) 4,734

✓ John J. Delehanty III (D) 4,492

Brett W. Fox (I) 4,444

General Assembly races
Includes votes from outside Portsmouth
House District 69
✓ Susan Ann Donovan (D) 3,555
Sergei M. Sharenko (I) 2,043

House District 71
✓ Michelle E. McGaw (D) 5,789

House District 72
✓ Terri-Denise Cortvriend (D) 5,768

Senate District 11
✓ Linda L. Ujifusa (D) 10,065

Senator in Congress
✓ Sheldon Whitehouse (D) 283,081
Patricia Morgan (R) 191,408

Representative in Congress-District 1
✓ Gabriel Amo (D) 132,213
Allen R. Waters (R) 68,624
C. D. Reynolds (I) 10,018

Ballot questions
Portsmouth votes only, but checkmark designates winner of statewide results
1. Constitutional Convention
✓ Reject: 6,175
Approve: 3,392

2. Higher Education Facilities — $165,500,000
✓ Approve: 5,542
Reject: 4,278

3. Housing and Community Opportunity — $120,000,000
✓ Approve: 6,213
Reject: 3,626

4. Green Economy Bonds — $53,000,000
✓ Approve: 6,642
Reject: 3,205

5. Cultural Arts and the Economy Grant Program — $10,000
✓ Approve: 5,255
Reject: 4,563