Open Seat Elections 2022: MA Senate
The fall of 2022 will have a number of important elections taking place in the Commonwealth. This includes a number of elections for federal, state, and local positions, all of which will greatly impact the future for Massachusetts. While we have previously highlighted data on the many current legislators running for non-legislative state positions, their candidacy in these races has left a vacant seat for their present roles. There are a number of open seat elections in each branch of the legislature, but for this week, we took a deep dive into the five open seats in the state senate. From Boston to Worcester, some of the Commonwealth’s most populated areas have important decisions to make in these races, so here is a breakdown of each based on the information we’ve collected:
Berkshire, Hampden, Franklin, & Hampshire District:
While Sen. Adam Hinds will no longer be in the race for Lieutenant Governor following his recent loss at the Massachusetts Democratic Convention; his seat in the legislature still remains available. In this race, there are three main candidates running, arguably the most notable being Rep. Paul Mark (D), who currently represents the Second Berkshire district in the House. While this will likely give him a huge boost running in a Western Mass senate district, his two competitors likewise have roots in the area. Fellow Democrat Huff Templeton, a school board representative and community activist from Williamstown, is hoping that his local advocacy for issues affecting Western Mass. will resonate with voters of the area. The third and final candidate, Brendan Phair, is running as an independent, although his platform is leaning more conservative. Phair, a special education paraprofessional at Taconic High School in Pittsfield,, is stated to be “pro-life, pro-second-amendment, and pro-business” by the Berkshire Eagle, so will likely gain the support of any conservative voters in the election.
1st Essex District:
As shown by the recent Democratic Party Convention, Sen. Diana DiZoglio looks to have a close race in the fall with candidate, Chris Dempsey, both of whom are running for Massachusetts state auditor. However, the 1st Essex District represents over 20% of all residents in Essex County, and as such is an important seat that is now vacant in the legislature due to DiZoglio running. Again in this race there are three main candidates, though all of them are considered to be Democrats. One of the most notable is Pavel Payano, a current at-large Lawrence City Councilor. As a native of Lawrence with a wide array of educational experience (including a J.D.), Payano is a member of a number of local committees including the budget, housing, and public safety committees in Lawrence. While this experience likely gives him an advantage with Lawrence voters, he is not the only local official in the race. Eunice Zeigler, a Methuen City Councilor, is also running, and has worked in both city government in Haverhill and at the YWCA in Lawrence. Her experience across the district could prove important, but both candidates will also have to run against Doris Rodriguez. Rodriguez, born in Methuen and raised in Lawrence, has various private and public experience including work for the Department of Treasury, and she also ran previously once before for the legislature in 2014 despite losing that election.
2nd Suffolk District:
The 2nd Suffolk district of Massachusetts represents a large portion of Suffolk County, and most notably a significant section of the city of Boston. While Sonia Chang-Diaz held this seat for a number of years, her bid for the position of governor means that this coveted seat is now up for grabs. Of all the open seat elections though, this one in particular is quite interesting due to the fact that two current state representatives, Rep. Nika Elugardo and Rep. Liz Miranda are both running for the Senate position. We previously provided an in depth look into this race, as both women have shown great records of progressive activism in the legislature through representing different areas of Metro-Boston. These candidates are not the only ones with legislative experience however, as Dianne Wilkerson, a former state senator who held this same position before being arrested, entered the race this spring. Wilkerson, having been an eight term senator for the district, has extensive experience, but after leaving the legislature and serving time on bribery charges, it is unclear how much voters will trust to vote for her again at the polls. Lastly, there is Reverend Minniard Culpepper, a lifelong Dorchester resident and community advocate, who is hoping his experiences as a lawyer and a U.S. congressional chief of staff can garner him enough support. Importantly, if one of these candidates secures the position, they will join current Sen. Lydia Edwards as the second black state senator in the Massachusetts legislature.
As evidenced by the graph above, half of all candidates running in the Senate open seat elections bring an experience other than local or state government to the race.
Hampden, Hampshire, & Worcester District:
The Hampden, Hampshire & Worcester District, while newly created by the Senate in 2022, covers the region where State Senator Eric Lesser currently represents. As he is still in the fray for the lieutenant governor position, this new seat is open in the legislature. Three candidates have entered the race, the first of which being Rep. Jake Oliveira. Oliveira, who currently represents the 7th Hampden district in the House, is likely to receive similar support in this area, however, as the district lines have shifted, this means it is somewhat difficult to predict which candidate truly holds an advantage. One opponent to Oliveira is Sydney Levin-Epstein, a 26-year-old hailing from Longmeadow who has experience as a former aide for U.S. Senator Ed Markey, and could steal many of the progressive votes in the election. The third candidate, William Johnson, is the sole Republican running in the race, and is both a businessman and former selectboard member from the region. Despite running as a Republican, he is a self proclaimed moderate and hopes to garner many of these votes while the two more liberal candidates potentially fight over the others.
1st Worcester District:
The 1st Worcester seat is the only open election in the Senate due to a candidate not seeking election to a different office. For decades, Senator Harriette Chandler has served the Massachusetts state legislature, and at the age of 84, she has opted to retire. While it will be very hard for the next individual to fill her absence, there are three main candidates seeking the vote of her constituents from Worcester County. The first of these is Robyn Kennedy, a YWCA director who previously worked with the Executive Office of Health and Human Services in Massachusetts. While growing up in Worcester could prove advantageous for her, she will have to face Mayor of Worcester, Joseph Petty, who because of his position and notoriety could gain much of the district’s vote. Lastly, Lisa Mair, also from Worcester, is a dark horse candidate with experience on the planning board in the town of Berlin.
The overwhelming majority of candidates running in the Senate open seat elections for 2022 identify as a member of the Democratic Party.
As each of these candidates is a Democrat (like many other races), it will likely take further analysis for a voter to be educated on which candidate they think will represent them best. While a web search may be helpful, rather than scouring the internet for information, InstaTrac is here to help! We have candidate profiles for every legislative race in Massachusetts that provide all the details a voter could need to help make their decision - and enable candidates to better understand their opponents. For more information or to see a demo of our services, please reach out to info@instatrac.com.
Never miss a blog post - and stay on top of what’s happening on Beacon Hill! Follow us on Twitter, Linkedin, or Instagram.