Election Results: Coppinger Clinches Essex County Sheriff Race

LYNN, MA – The Lynn Police Department is going to need a new chief: Kevin Coppinger will be the new sheriff in town.

The longtime police chief and Democratic candidate won over Republican candidate Anne Manning-Martin, who congratulated Coppinger on Tuesday night.

The race has been up in the air since February when 20-year Sheriff Frank Cousins announced that he would not run for re-election. The field flooded with candidates – 13 in all – but four emerged: Coppinger, Manning-Martin, and Independent candidates Kevin Leach and Mark Archer.

The race saw extremely low turnout for the primaries, but got a boost alongside Clinton and Trump on Tuesday's ballot. Coppinger got endorsements from 48 local police chiefs.

Coppinger will be in charge of managing a department budget of $67 million and overseeing nine facilities and offices. The sheriff's office is headquartered in Middleton, and the sheriff's duty is to ensure that inmates are housed in a fair and secure manner, according to the state.

Coppinger will also be responsible for programs and services, such as job training and substance abuse help, to lower inmate recidivism rates.

Photo via Taylor Rapalyea