by Hillary Borrud with the Sciortino campaign, Christopher R. DeFillippi with the Ciampa campaign, Nona Howard with the Green campaign and Neil W. McCabe with the Toomey campaign

A political newcomer, who promised to oppose House Speaker Thomas M. Finneran and pursue a progressive agenda, defeated the 16-year incumbent in the 34th Middlesex District by 117 votes.

“I am overwhelmed and humbled by the opportunity the families of Somerville have given me,” Carl Sciortino said, shortly after arriving at a victory party at Orleans restaurant in Davis Square.

In the other contested seat, the 26th Middlesex District, State Rep. Timothy J. Toomey Jr. defeated progressive activist Avi Green, 3,161 to 2,666.

“It was a spirited campaign, with important issues brought up and discussed. Now it’s on to November,” Toomey said. His opponent in the general election will be Republican David R. Slavitt.

Green addressed his supporters at around nine o’clock. “The bad news is that we lost. The good news is that we were within three percentage points and that 2,500 people said it was time for a change.”

The Democratic Party must be a party of peace and victory, he said.

There was one thing Green said he would do differently: “Walk faster between houses.”

Sciortino won 2,301 votes and Ciampa had 2,184, with a total of 4,485 votes cast in Medford and Somerville.

Upon entering Orleans, Sciortino was greeted by applause from his friends and supporters, some of whom were jumping up and down with excitement. “So do you want the results,” Sciortino asked. “We won.”

The Sciortino campaign had spent the last twelve hours working to recruit voters to the polls with volunteers going door to door and calling from a phone bank, said Marty Martinez, who led the campaign in Ward 7.

Many people at the victory party said they had been out talking to voters since the early morning, he said.

“I think the people who I spoke to in advance were very excited and they were excited that we were checking that they were voting,” said volunteer Rebecca Scott who spent the day in Medford. “It gave them confidence in the campaign,” she said.

Sciortino said he attributed his victory to the hard work of the volunteers. “Without you here tonight, we wouldn’t have the opportunity to fight for all families and for all our values on Beacon Hill,” he said.

“Well, we ran a good campaign, we didn’t run a negative one, we kept our comments to the issues,” said Ciampa.

The people that were working in this campaign were grassroots Somerville and Medford people. But, obviously, the voters clearly spoke, he said.

“There’s been a lot of negative attacks by agencies with just one issue in mind,” Ciampa said.

Ciampa said he knew that his support of civil unions, instead of full legalized same-sex marriage was used against him. “I think my opponent is panicking about the whole thing. He’s a one-issue candidate.”

“My vote that I took clearly at the Con Convention was a vote to give people the right to vote on this on the Nov. 6 ballot, and it clearly was to create civil unions and I felt that the vote of the people in my heart of hearts was the way to go,” Ciampa said.

“Obviously, my opponent didn’t want to go that way.”

Now that he is leaving office, he said, it was a privileged to work on behalf of the people of Somerville and Medford.