State Sen. Barry Finegold was enjoying Election Night with family, friends and supporters at Palmers Restaurant last night. Finegold bested State Rep. Paul Adams, 65 percent to 35 percent, to reclaim his seat in the Second Essex and Middlesex Senate District.

His initial reaction, Finegold said, was immense gratitude toward the people around him and his supporters everywhere.

"I am very humbled by the outpouring of support," said Finegold.

Finegold also made several general statements about the issues he'll fight for during his second term as state senator in the Second Essex and Middlesex District, which includes Andover, Tewksbury, Lawrence and Dracut.

"We are going to continue to work on issues like the I-95 Interchange, fighting for education dollars for Andover, being responsive with the constituents, just working harder," said Finegold.

Final election results for Finegold's win were eventually released Wednesday afternoon. Finegold beat Adams, 44,223 votes to Adams' 23,648 votes.

Finegold also addressed the race itself and his opponent.

"I give a lot of credit to Paul Adams. He worked really hard," Finegold said.

In regards to his own success in the race, Finegold said he and his team worked hard to send the right message to voters.

"We just made sure we talked about using common sense, working across party lines and being someone who got things done," said Fingeold.

Looking Forward

In addition to the I-95 interchange and education aid, Finegold said that he's hoping to help stimulate the local and state economy during his second term as state senator.

"I want make sure we have a good business environment. I want to look at unemployment insurance and worker's comp to see if we can reform some of those areas," said Finegold.

Finegold also said he's also concerned about the state budget.

"I want to make sure that the state continues at a balanced budget," said Finegold. "And make sure we have an economy that can provide jobs for people out there."

Dedication to Joni

When addressing the crowd at Palmers, Finegold commented on the highs and lows of the year, including the passing Finegold's sister Joni Alicia Finegold, who lost an 18-month battle with non-smoking related lung cancer last July.

"I talked a lot about what an up and down year it's been. The birth of my son is probably the high and losing my sister was the low," said Finegold. "I wanted to dedicate this one to her tonight. She was a person who, in a lot of ways, inspired me."

Joni Alicia Finegold was accepted into the US Foreign Service Division at the age of 23, one of the youngest ever to hold the position.

"That to me was normal so I got involved younger," said Finegold. "Even though she's not here, I know she's looking down on us."