2020 Massachusetts Legislature Candidates Weigh In On Potential 2022 Runs
By Tom Joyce | February 18, 2021, 16:05 EST
A couple are in, some are out, many aren’t sure, and most won’t say a word.
That’s the state of the 2022 Massachusetts legislative races as of this week.
On Tuesday this week, NewBostonPost reached out to every unsuccessful candidate who was on the November 2020 general election ballot running for either state representative or state Senate to see if the candidates plans to try again in 2022. That includes Republicans, Democrats, Green-Rainbows, independent conservatives, and even a communist.
Here is what those who responded had to say, broken down by category:
Yes
Bruce Chester — “Yes, I plan on running again in 2022.”
The Gardner and Republican resident ran for state representative against incumbent Democrat Jonathan Zlotnik of Gardner in the Second Worcester District last year. He got 42.8 percent of the vote to his opponent’s 57.1 percent.
Ingrid Centurion — “Yes, I would love to run again. It was a remarkable experience.”
The Sudbury Republican ran for state representative against incumbent Democrat Carmine Gentile of Sudbury in the 13th Middlesex District. She got 31 percent of the vote to Gentile’s 68.9 percent.
No
William LaRose — “No, I do not plan on running. Thank you!”
The Democrat from Athol ran for state representative against incumbent independent Susannah Whipps of Athol in the Second Franklin District and lost. He got 32.8 percent of the vote to her 66.8 percent.
Chris Keohane — “I feel as though my talents and efforts as both an entrepreneurial and community-focused businessman will be better served in the private sector for my foreseeable future.”
The non-party candidate from Danvers ran for state representative in the 13th Essex District. He was one of five candidates in the race. He got 2.3 percent of the vote. Democrat Sally Kerans, also of Danvers, won the race with 46.1 percent of the vote.
Steve Hall — “No, I do not plan to run again.”
The Republican from Sturbridge ran for state Senate against incumbent Democrat Anne Gobi of Spencer in the Worcester, Hampden, Hampshire, and Middlesex District. He got 47.1 percent of the vote to her 52.8 percent.
Deb Busser — “Not thinking about it at this point.”
The Democrat from Groton ran for state representative against incumbent Republican Sheila Harrington of Groton in the First Middlesex District. She lost, getting 48.4 percent of the vote to Harrington’s 51.5 percent.
Christina Eckert — “I don’t think I’ll run again; I already ran twice. I don’t even know if I’ll be in the same district in 2022.”
The Democrat from Boxford once again ran a tight race for state representative in the Second Essex District against incumbent Republican Lenny Mirra of West Newbury. She got 48.7 percent of the vote to his 51.3 percent last year. In 2018, she got 49.3 percent to his 50.7 percent.
Maybe
Josh Mason — “I’m leaning towards another bid, but haven’t made a final decision.”
The Democrat from Dennis ran for state representative in the First Barnstable District against incumbent Republican Tim Whelan of Brewster. Mason got 45 percent of the vote to Whelan’s 55 percent.
Bob May — “Yes, I ran for State Representative for the 13th Essex District. I will be meeting with the State GOP Committee in the next couple of weeks to review the campaign and decide if it makes sense to run again.”
The Republican candidate from Peabody ran, as he said, for state representative in the 13th Essex District. He was one of five candidates in the race. He got 36.9 percent of the vote. Democrat Sally Kerans of Danvers won the race with 46.1 percent of the vote.
Jeff DuFour — “While I was very pleased with my 2020 election results, I have not decided if I can commit to representing my district at the State House in 2023 and 2024. I won’t run for the office unless I’m sure I can give the 110% that the people of the district deserve. That said, I haven’t ruled it out either. I plan to decide in the fall whether or not I’ll run in 2022.”
The Republican from Tewksbury ran for state representative in the 18th Essex District against incumbent Democrat Tram Nguyen of Andover. He got 37.6 percent of the vote to her 62.3 percent.
Nick Giannone — “I am considering another run in 2022 but more importantly I’m continuing to work to establish the Workers Party of Massachusetts as an independent working class socialist political force in this state.”
The self-described communist from Weymouth ran for state representative in the Fourth Norfolk District in a three-way race. Incumbent Democrat James Murphy of Weymouth won the race with 64.7 percent of the vote, but Giannone got 5.0 percent of the vote.
Alec DiFruscia — “At this point, I’m not ruling anything out.”
The Republican from Tewksbury ran for state representative in the 19th Middlesex District against incumbent Democrat David Robertson of Tewksbury. He got 43.5 percent of the vote to Robertson’s 56.4 percent.
Teresa English — “I am discussing the possibility of a second run with my family and close friends.”
The Democrat from Billerica ran for state representative in the 22nd Middlesex District against incumbent Republican Marc Lombardo of Billerica. She got 44.6 percent of the vote to his 55.3 percent.
Steve Tougas — “Thank you for asking. I have been considering it, but there are a lot of factors that will go into making my decision, many of which are currently unknown variables. The fact that almost a third (31.6%) of my constituents voted for me (higher than I received in 2018) — despite my not having been vague on the issues (see http://stevetougas.com) as some politicians purposefully are to get elected (see http://wikivote.net) — is one known variable very much in my favor. This was despite not having been able to run a strong campaign with the COVID restrictions, as I was not the well-known entrenched incumbent (in office since 1991). Another level of difficulty has since been added to running against him, now that he is the Speaker of The House. If and when I decide to run again, your organization will be one of the first to be informed. Again, thank you for asking. God Bless. . . .”
The Republican from Quincy ran for state representative in the Third Norfolk District against incumbent Democrat Ron Mariano of Quincy. He received 31.5 percent of the vote to Mariano’s 68.3 percent.
Tatyana Semyrog — “I am monitoring the current political situation in the state. We definitely need more balanced representation on Beacon Hill that doesn’t willfully ignore the will of the electors. People are upset over the doubling down on the votes by our legislators that occurred immediately after the election. The constituents clearly spoke out against these harmful bills, such as the TCI gas increase, the ROE infanticide act, as well as the Police Reform bill, but their voices were not heard. Many are reaching out to me, urging me to run again. It’s a serious decision that I need time to make, and I will in due time.”
The Republican from Duxbury ran for state representative in the Sixth Plymouth District against incumbent Democrat Josh Cutler of Pembroke. She got 40.8 percent of the vote to his 59.1 percent.
Syed Hashmi — “I am not sure, 2022 seems far away. However, I do think we need new voices. As you may be aware, the Mass legislature has very little turnover.”
The independent from Westborough ran for state representative in the Fourth Middlesex District against incumbent Democrat Danielle Gregoire of Marlborough. He got 28.9 percent of the vote to Gregoire’s 70.9 percent.
Matt Kelly — “At this time I am exploring the possibility of running in the next election. A decision will be made as we get closer to midyear. Thank you.”
The Republican from Franklin ran for state senate in the Norfolk, Bristol, and Middlesex District against incumbent Democrat Becca Rausch of Needham. He got 40.2 percent of the vote to her 59.7 percent.
Jason Guida — “I have not made any final decisions yet.”
The independent candidate from Danvers ran for state representative in the 13th Essex District. He was one of five candidates in the race. He got 5.9 percent of the vote. Democrat Sally Kerans of Danvers won the race with 46.1 percent of the vote.
Cathy Clark — “At the moment I am considering it after being encouraged by a few people, still not entirely certain.”
The Republican from Lunenburg ran for state representative against Democrat Danillo Sena of Acton in the 37th Middlesex District. She got 35.4 percent of the vote to Sena’s 64.4 percent.
Michelle Mullet — “It’s really early to say when it comes to Mass politics. I don’t have plans to run again until Coronavirus is under control in the Commonwealth. I have heard that another Democrat might run against Brad Jones or Bruce Tarr, but nothing other than speculation for now. So, I am leaving my options open.”
The Democrat from North Reading ran for state representative against Republican Brad Jones of North Reading in the 20th Middlesex District. She got 36 percent of the vote to his 63.9 percent.
Chip Harrington — “I haven’t made a decision one way or another. I’m still on the fence. I enjoy the work I do now with the Department of Corrections. I’m a program manager. I write curriculum for people who are getting ready to release. I’ve always enjoyed that. In fact, prior to announcing last year, it was a tough decision because it’s like I have a good gig, do I really want to do something different? But I’m interested in public service and I’ve been involved at the local level for about 30 years.
“If I am gonna do it, I’ll talk to my family because it not only takes a lot out of me, but there’s so many people behind the scenes. I’d need to have the support of them as well.”
The Republican from Ludlow ran for state representative in the Seventh Hampden against Democrat Jacob Oliveira of Ludlow. He ran the tightest race of any Republican who didn’t win in 2020. He got 49.5 percent of the vote to Oliveira’s 50.3 percent.
