WESTFIELD—For a few hours in the western Pioneer Valley Tuesday, humans walked the earth much like they did only a few months ago. Polling places throughout the region seemed almost normal, save the masked sign-holders. Voters—or their mailed ballots—were there too, selecting the region’s next
The race for the 2nd Hampden & Hampshire Senate seat is quite unlike any other for both the region and the candidates. Campaigning under the shroud of the novel coronavirus has voided rallies, standouts, debates and almost every visible element of the race, save yard
UPDATED 4/16/20 8:53PM: The Senate passed the bill Thursday. Last week the Massachusetts Senate unveiled plans to cut the number of signatures needed for some candidates to get onto the ballot. The proposal, released by Senate President Karen Spilka’s office, would halve the number of
UPDATED 3/20/20 7:22PM: To include note of Cain’s comments to The Republican. UPDATED 3/25/20 7:29PM: On March 23, the Senate moved the special election to May 19. Just a few days after Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth Bill Galvin stopped short of calling for a
UPDATED 8:27PM: To include details from Sen. Welch’s end of year campaign finance report. The Democratic primary ballot in the Greater Springfield area is beginning to look a bit crowded. In addition to races for the Democratic nomination for the US House and Senate, a
WESTFIELD—In one sense, the State Representative John Velis’ kickoff for State Senate was a formality. He had been running unofficially since last spring and officially since Don Humason announced his resignation, shortly after winning the mayoralty here. Still, the launch was both a show of
SOUTHAMPTON—At a low-key fundraiser Tuesday, Westfield Rep John Velis held court with local notables from both here and throughout the 2nd Hampden & Hampshire Senate district. This was not his first swing through town. Although the current occupant of the Senate seat, Don Humason has
UPDATED 7:44AM: To reflect a correction. The presidential primary is March 3, not March 6. Many expected Westfield State Senator Don Humason to waltz right into the Whip City’s mayor’s office. It turned out to be far more complicated than that. Police Captain Michael McCabe
The staff of Senator Eric Lesser experienced another shakeup this week with the departure of Michael Clark. A longtime advisor to Lesser, a Longmeadow Democrat, Clark has taken a new job outside government. He was the last staffer dating to Lesser’s original campaign in 2014.
Although the Massachusetts legislature is in recess, churn continues among the Upper House offices that represent the 413. From the office of region’s newest senator to its most senior one, change is afoot.