Senator Eric Lesser
Senator Eric Lesser (via wikipedia)
Eric P. Lesser (D-1st Hampden & Hampshire Senate District)
Contact:
Phone: 617-722-1291 (State House)
State House Office: Room 413-C
District Office: 60 Shaker Road East Longmeadow
Email: [email protected]
Website: Office / Campaign
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This district includes Belchertown, East Longmeadow, Granby, Hampden, Longmeadow, Ludlow, Wilbraham and parts of Chicopee & Springfield. Find out if this your district.
First Elected: 2014
Joint Committees: : Tourism, Arts & Cultural Development, chair; Committee-Financial Services (vice-chair); Transportation, Veterans & Federal Affairs; Revenue, Public Health, Elder Affairs; Economic Development & Emerging Technologies.
Senate Committees: Special Committee on Opioid Addiction, Prevention & Recovery Options
Education: Harvard College (B.A), Harvard Law (in progress)
Past Work: Campaign Aide, Obama for America; White House Aide, Script Consultant.
Other Elections: None
Political Distinctions: Member, Longmeadow Democratic Town Committee.
Poll of last contested election: 1st Hampden & Hampshire Senate General 2014:
| Debra Boronski-R | 24964 | 44.7% |
| Michael Franco-Am 1st | 2705 | 4.8% |
| Eric Lesser-D* | 28153 | 50.4% |
| Write-in | 85 | <1% |
*winner
Key votes:
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Tagged stories here.
Political Note: Pitting the region’s provincialism against a latent desire for something different, Eric Lesser’s campaign was like no other in the Pioneer Valley. After college the Longmeadow native signed on with the presidential bid of a freshman Illinois senator. He become a logistical coordinator on the campaign and later the assistant to President Barack Obama’s top White House strategist, David Axelrod. He returned to the Bay State to pursue his law degree, but six months before graduation, Gale Candaras retired.
Lesser came home and ran a modern campaign, really in the mold of a congressional race, that promised to depart from business as usual. But to opponents, he seemed a naive kid, helicoptering in on wealthy donors’ dime. Springfield City Councilor Tim Allen, a fellow Democrat seeking the nomination, challenged his eligibility to run. Lesser prevailed and scooped up plenty of free media in the process. Still Allen’s base in Springfield was strong enough to give Lesser a scare on primary night. He squeaked to victory by a 1% margin.
The general election would prove bumpy too, but Republican Debra Boronski, broke from spending her money too early and facing integrity questions, could only resort to bizarre and laughably false tactics. Lesser won comfortably. With Amherst’s Stanley Rosenberg leading the Senate, the 413’s senators like Lesser were in luck. Lesser scored seats on committees with jurisdiction on Lesser’s campaign promises centered on public health and transportation.