Who is running for District Attorney, Cape and Islands District in 2026?

The District Attorney, Cape and Islands District race was decided at the 2026 primary - Robert Joseph Galibois won the seat - and does not appear on the November 3, 2026 ballot. 2 candidates were on the primary ballot: Robert Joseph Galibois and Michael Giardino. Candidate information follows official Barnstable County election filings; verify with the official election office linked below.

Barnstable County, Massachusetts

District Attorney, Cape and Islands District

Massachusetts › Barnstable County › District Attorney, Cape and Islands District

Decided at the 2026 primary — Robert Joseph Galibois won the seat

DECIDED at the September 1, 2026 primary. Robert Joseph Galibois won the Democratic contest that decided the office, since no Republican was running. Michael Giardino conceded shortly after 10 p.m.; on Martha's Vineyard Galibois took 2,081 votes to Giardino's 847 and he carried Barnstable, the district's largest town, by a wide margin, per the Vineyard Gazette. The Associated Press did not call this race and no districtwide totals have been published. The district covers Barnstable, Dukes, and Nantucket counties. Results are unofficial until certified by the Secretary of the Commonwealth.

Winner

Robert Joseph Galibois

Democratic · Incumbent

Robert Joseph Galibois is the Cape and Islands District Attorney seeking a second term, elected in 2022 after five years as a prosecutor and 20 years as a defense attorney, per the Provincetown Independent. His first term included forming a human trafficking unit and supporting a new mental health court in Barnstable, while facing criticism from former employees over staff turnover, which he says reflected resistance to standardizing office management, per the Provincetown Independent.

2026 priorities

An elder fraud initiative, including funding for three forensic examiners, per the Provincetown Independent
Expanding recovery court while aggressively prosecuting fentanyl dealers, per the Provincetown Independent
Community and immigrant outreach, including tripling U visa certifications for crime victims, per the Provincetown Independent

Also ran in the primary

Michael Giardino

Democratic

Profile

Michael Giardino is a superior court prosecutor in the Plymouth County District Attorney's Office and a Cape Cod native who previously rose to chief prosecutor of the district courts in the Cape and Islands office, leaving in October 2024, per the Provincetown Independent. He is running on restoring stability after what he says were 35 staff departures in two years, per the Provincetown Independent.

Stability and staff retention in the office, per the Provincetown Independent
Rebuilding the victim witness advocate unit, per the Provincetown Independent and Cape News
Continuing the mental health court, elder fraud, and human trafficking initiatives, per the Provincetown Independent

Verify this race
Candidate roster from official Barnstable County Supervisor of Elections filings, last verified 2026-09-02. Bios and priorities carry their attribution inline.
Cross-check with the official Massachusetts election office, or see the full Barnstable County sample ballot and your exact ballot by address.