Perkins Wins Norfolk County District Attorney Race
Democrat Djuna Perkins defeated independent Joe Pagliarulo to succeed longtime District Attorney Michael Morrissey.
Updated on Nov. 4, 2026 in Criminal Justice
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Democrat Djuna Perkins won the Norfolk County District Attorney race, receiving 178,064 votes (71.7%) to independent Joe Pagliarulo's 70,278 votes (28.3%). Perkins will replace Michael Morrissey, who did not run for a fifth four-year term.
Why it matters
The outcome installs a new prosecutor in Norfolk County, a Massachusetts jurisdiction whose office drew heavy scrutiny in recent high-profile cases. Both candidates are former prosecutors, so the change is one of leadership and direction within the same professional tradition.
Perkins won a seven-candidate Democratic primary on September 1 and then the general election on November 3, 2026, outpacing Pagliarulo in every town reported, including 2,954 to 1,906 in Norfolk and 4,609 to 2,643 in Foxboro. The extraction does not indicate when Perkins will take office or whether any prior cases will be transferred.
The players
Djuna Perkins
A Democrat and former assistant attorney general and assistant district attorney who won the Norfolk County District Attorney race.
Joe Pagliarulo
A former prosecutor who ran as an independent in the Norfolk County District Attorney race and lost to Perkins.
Michael Morrissey
The outgoing Norfolk County District Attorney, whose office faced heavy criticism in the Karen Read and Sandra Birchmore/Matthew Farwell cases, and who did not seek a fifth term.
The details
Voters cast ballots in the general election, with results counted late on election night. Perkins also led Pagliarulo in Norfolk, Wrentham, Plainville and Foxboro, among other towns in the county.
Timeline
September 1, 2026: Perkins wins the Democratic primary among seven candidates.
November 3, 2026: General election results are counted and Perkins defeats Pagliarulo.
Legal Context
The election follows the end of Michael Morrissey's tenure, which drew heavy criticism over the Karen Read and Sandra Birchmore/Matthew Farwell cases. Perkins's win marks a leadership change in one of Massachusetts's county prosecutor offices.
Residents of Norfolk County will be served by a new district attorney, with Perkins replacing Morrissey in the office that prosecutes cases across the county. The extraction does not describe specific changes to policies or local safety measures.
The takeaway
A change at the top of a county prosecutor's office can reshape how cases are handled for years, so readers following Norfolk County justice matters should watch how Perkins sets early priorities after taking office.
Further reading
For more on how prosecutors' offices operate across the state, see Criminal Justice coverage for Massachusetts.
Source note: This article includes information reported by The Sun Chronicle.
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