AGAWAM—Hoping to capitalize on presidential-level turnout and Democratic discontent about the incumbent, Southampton Democrat Jerome (J.D.) Parker-O’Grady kicked off his campaign for State Senate here surrounded by friends, family and a coterie of local officials. He faces a long road to the State House, but
In the race for 2nd Hampden & Hampshire Senate, Republican Don Humason, who won a special election last year faces Democrat Patrick Leahy. This race has often lived in the shadow of the higher-profile race next door, but it is no less important. The two
WESTFIELD—Overshadowed in large part by the hot senate contest next door, the 2nd Hampden & Hampshire Senate election has been a more heated affair as a Democrat seeks one of the few Republican senate seats that could flip. Republican Senator Don Humason is facing a
Depending on your perspective, 2014 is either a good year or a less poor than usual one for Western Massachusetts Republicans. On the one hand, there are some pickup opportunities for the party. On the other, for the first time in a long, long, LONG
For the remainder of the races, we shall keep our endorsements brief. Certainly, we could go on & on about any of these candidates and races. However, with time actually running out to influence the electorate, brevity carries the day over intricate analysis. To see
HOLYOKE—Among the Leahy brothers, there appear to be two directions. A couple are into politics, if only part time. Most of the others are cops. While both practicality and scheduling would prohibit Patrick Leahy from doing both at the same time, he already has a
WESTFIELD—Following years of political malpractice and perhaps poor judgment of electoral strength, Democrats are in a prime position to take back the 2nd Hampden and Hampshire district from Senator Don Humason, who won the seat in a special election last year. However, Democrats first must
UPDATED 5/29/14: For updates, including the state AFL-CIO’s endorsement on May 28. All such references to the AFL-CIO are new and remainder of material dates to May 20 publication date. Although its counterpart has received a great deal of attention so far, the 2nd Hampden
UPDATED 12:54PM: For confirmation Brewer is retiring and a previous version of this story indicated that Ludlow School Committee Member Chip Harrington would enter the 1st Hampden & Hampshire race as an independent. New information says he will run as a Democrat, setting up a primary
UPDATED 11:44PM: For grammar and an omitted detail of Leahy’s work history . As the Valley’s largest city gazes into the maw of possibly several legislative contests on top of county races, little attention has been paid to the legislative races elsewhere in Hampden County.