Fresh off his primary win, state Representative-elect Jonathan Hecht reflected on what made his campaign effective Wednesday.

[img_assist|nid=160|title=Jonathan Hecht|desc=|link=none|align=right|width=107|height=180]Hecht bested Watertown attorney Julia Fahey and Councilor Stephen Corbett on Tuesday. At this point, he has no opposition in the general election and is therefore likely to succeed Rachel Kaprielian in Middlesex County's 29th District seat.

In a phone interview with PolitickerMA.com, the fatigue came through in Hecht's voice. Asked what made his effort successful, the Democrat credited his campaign organization.

"I was fortunate to have an incredible campaign and fortunate that, through a lot of hard work, to be in touch with a lot of voters in Watertown and in Cambridge," he said.

Because Kaprielian stepped down from her post later in the election cycle, Hecht said it was difficult to get a full campaign team pulled together in the short amount of time before the election. He relied on some previous volunteers from his successful runs for the Watertown Council and hired Matt O'Neil, a freelance campaign operative, as a strategist.

O'Neil helped "really set out a plan," Hecht said. "And people were incredible in terms of their willingness to work through the summer."

Because the race was decided entirely on sticker and write-in ballots, organization was key, Hecht said, and all arms of the campaign worked together to distribute stickers and educate voters on how to use them.

"The whole package," Hecht said when asked which part of his campaign was most important. "Clearly the door-to-door was absolutely key. In this kind of race, people expect you to knock on every door and you have to do it. It's the best way to have contact with voters, the best way for them to get a feel for you and the best way to learn what they are concerned about."

From the beginning of the campaign, Hecht's camp emphasized how to use the stickers on the ballot. "From very early on, we made people aware that this was going to be a write-in or sticker campaign," Hecht said. "We planted that idea early and we kept reinforcing it."

The campaign distributed the stickers, as well as a graphic that had a sample ballot on it, throughout the summer. The graphic instructed votes where to put the sticker on the ballot. Hecht volunteers also passed out stickers and the instructions at the polling places.

Asked what he is looking forward to as a state Representative-elect, it was clear the win had yet to sink in entirely.

"All of it," Hecht said after pausing for a moment. "This is why you put yourself, your family, your friends and your volunteers though what is a grueling experience...to start thinking about the issues and to start thinking about what you can to do be effective."