With Election Day now just 18 days away and early voting already underway, we would like to share with you our list of endorsed legislative candidates. Each candidate listed below is running in a contested and competitive race for either State Representative or State Senator here in Massachusetts.
Longtime Mass Retirees members know that our Association does not shy away from politics. The Association has been politically active since our creation in 1968. This includes maintaining an active political action committee. We are also politically active by supporting those candidates for public office who have a proven record of supporting public retirees.
And by supporting our members, simply saying “I’m with you” is not enough. Prioritizing the issues that are of direct importance to public retirees, such as the COLA and retiree health insurance, along with actively cosponsoring our bills and amendments – along with voting to improve retiree benefits, are the items we look toward when gauging which candidates have earned our endorsement and support.
The successful passage of several key items of direct importance to public retirees during the current legislative session weighed heavily on our endorsement process. We are also mindful of the fact that COLA reform, retiree health insurance, and post-retirement work rules will likely be active issues before the 2025-26 legislative session.
Helping to elect candidates who will stand with our members and make these issues a personal priority is extremely important.
In addition, a candidate who takes the initiative to personally contact and meet with us earns our consideration. To paraphrase Tip O’Neill, if a candidate wants our support, they need to ask for it.
What is not part of our endorsement criteria is party affiliation or positions on issues that are not directly related to public retirees. Whether a candidate has been labeled as a conservative, liberal, or something in-between is not relevant to us as an organization representing public retirees.
The fact that you will see more Democrats on the list below than Republicans or unenrolled candidates is largely due to the political leanings of Massachusetts as a whole, which is reflected in the makeup of the legislature and most of the state’s elected offices. However, what every endorsed candidate has in common is their support of public retirees.
We should also note that we have not taken a position on any of the 5 referendum questions that appear on the November ballot. This is because none of this year’s ballot questions have any direct relation to public retirees.
Once again, we would like to sincerely thank those members who have generously contributed to our Retired Public Employees Political Action Committee (PAC). Your support is essential to our ongoing success. If you would like to make a contribution, you can do so by clicking here.
Finally, we share our endorsements with you simply as a guide. We fully expect that members will vote based on the issues and criteria most important to you. Regardless of whom you choose to support, we urge you to please take the time to vote.
Vote-by-mail is now underway here in MA. Ballots must be returned to your local election department no later than the 8PM on Election Day, November 5th. Early voting begins this Saturday, October 19th and continues to Friday, November 1st. Find your community’s early voting schedule and locations by clicking here.
Mass Retirees is proud to endorse the following candidates for State Representative and State Senator in the General Election taking place on Tuesday, November 5th. We have indicated the office sought, whether the candidate is an incumbent or vying for an open seat, along with the district. We have also provided a link to the candidate’s website.
State Senate
John Cronin (Incumbent): Worcester and Middlesex – Consisting of the cities of Fitchburg and Leominster and the towns of Clinton, Lancaster and Lunenburg in the county of Worcester; and the towns of Ashby, Groton, Shirley, Townsend and Westford in the county of Middlesex.
Matt Muratore (Current State Representative, seeking open Senate seat): Plymouth and Barnstable – Consisting of the towns of Kingston, Pembroke, Plymouth and Plympton in the county of Plymouth; and the towns of Bourne, Falmouth, Mashpee and Sandwich in the county of Barnstable.
Joe Pacheco: Third Bristol and Plymouth – Consisting of the city of Taunton and the towns of Berkley, Dighton, Raynham, Rehoboth and Seekonk in the county of Bristol; and the towns of Carver, Marion, Middleborough and Wareham in the county of Plymouth.
Incumbent State Representatives
Tackey Chan: 2nd Norfolk – Consisting of Ward 1, Ward 3 Precincts 1, 2, Ward 4 Precincts 2, 4, Ward 5 Precincts 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5, of the city of Quincy, in the county of Norfolk.
Kip Diggs: 2nd Barnstable – Consisting of Precincts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 13, of the city known as the town of Barnstable, and Precincts 5, 6, and 8A of the town of Yarmouth, both in the county of Barnstable.
Kate Donaghue: 19th Worcester – Consisting of Precinct 21A, of the city of Framingham, in the county of Middlesex; Precincts 1, 2, and 3, of the town of Northborough, the town of Southborough, Precincts 1, 2, 3, 5, and 6, of the town of Westborough, all in the county of Worcester.
Ann-Margaret Ferrante: 5th Essex – Consisting of the towns of Essex, Rockport, and Manchester-by-the-Sea, and the city of Gloucester, all in the county of Essex.
Carmine Gentile: 13th Middlesex – Consisting of Precincts 3, and 4, in the town of Concord, Precinct 1, of the town of Lincoln, Ward 1 Precincts 1, 2, Ward 2 Precinct 2A, and Ward 7 Precinct 2A of the city of Marlborough, the town of Sudbury, and Precincts 1, and 4 of the town of Wayland, all in the county of Middlesex.
Pat Haddad: 5th Bristol – Consisting of the towns of Dighton and Somerset, Precincts 1, 2, and 3 of the town of Swansea, and Ward 1 Precinct A1, Ward 4 Precinct B1 and Ward 6, of the city of Taunton, all in the county of Bristol.
Jim Hawkins: 2nd Bristol – Consisting of Ward 1, Ward 2, Ward 3 Precinct A, Ward 4, Ward 5 and Ward 6, of the city of Attleboro, in the county of Bristol.
Natalie Higgins: 4th Worcester – Consisting of the city of Leominster, in the county of Worcester.
Vanna Howard: 17th Middlesex – Consisting of Ward 3, Ward 4 Precincts 1, 2, 3A, Ward 5 Precincts 1, 2, 3, 4, Ward 6, Precincts 3, 4A, Ward 7 Precinct 3A, and Ward 8 Precinct 4A, of the city of Lowell, and Precinct 1, of the town of Tewksbury, both in the county of Middlesex.
Kristin Kassner: 2nd Essex – Consisting of the towns of Georgetown, Hamilton, Ipswich, Newbury, and Rowley, and Precinct 1, of the town of Topsfield, all in the county of Essex.
Kathy LaNatra: 12th Plymouth – Consisting of Precincts 1, and 2A, of the town of Halifax, the town of Kingston, Precincts 1, and 5A, of the town of Middleborough, Precinct 3, of the town of Pembroke, Precincts 1, 2, 3, 5, and 13, all of the town of Plymouth, and the town of Plympton, all in the county of Plymouth.
John Marsi: 6th Worcester – Consisting of Precincts 1, 2, 3, and 4A, of the town of Charlton, the town of Dudley, the city known as the town of Southbridge, and Precinct 1, of the town of Spencer, all in the county of Worcester.
Paul McMurtry: 11th Norfolk – Consisting of the town of Dedham, Precinct 8, of the town of Walpole, and the town of Westwood, all in the county of Norfolk.
John Moran: 9th Suffolk – Consisting of Ward 3 Precincts 7, 16, Ward 4 Precincts 2, 3, 4, 5, Ward 7 Precincts 8, 9, Ward 8 Precincts 1, 2, 3, 4, 6, 6A, Ward 9 Precincts 1, 2, 3, and 6 of the city of Boston, in the county of Suffolk.
Jerry Parisella: 6th Essex – Consisting of the city of Beverly, and Precinct 1, of the town of Wenham, in the county of Essex.
David Robertson: 19th Middlesex – Consisting of Precincts 2, 4, 5, 6, and 8, of the town of Tewksbury, and the town of Wilmington, both in the county of Middlesex.
Jeff Roy: 10th Norfolk – Consisting of the city known as the town of Franklin, and Precincts 1A, 2, 3, and 4, of the town of Medway, both in the county of Norfolk.
Margaret Scarsdale: 1st Middlesex – Consisting of the towns of Ashby and Dunstable, Precincts 2, 3, of the town of Groton, and the towns of Pepperell and Townsend, all in the county of Middlesex; and Precincts A, B1, C, and D, of the town of Lunenburg, in the county of Worcester.
Mike Soter: 8th Worcester – Consisting of the town of Bellingham, Precinct 1, of the town of Medway, both in the county of Norfolk; the towns of Blackstone and Millville, and Precincts 1A, 2, 3, and 4, of the town of Uxbridge, all in the county of Worcester.
Tom Stanley: 9th Middlesex – Consisting of Ward 1 Precincts 1, 2, Ward 2, Ward 3 Precincts 1, 2, Ward 4 Precinct 1, Ward 5 Precinct 2, Ward 6 Precincts 1, 2A, Ward 7, and Ward 8 Precincts 1 and 2A, of the city of Waltham, in the county of Middlesex.
Marcus Vaughn: 9th Norfolk – Consisting of Precincts 3, and 4 of the town of Medfield, Precinct 1, of the town of Millis, Norfolk and Plainville, Precinct 5, of the town of Walpole, and the town of Wrentham, all in the county of Norfolk.
Susannah Whipps: 2nd Franklin – Consisting of the towns of Erving and Gill, Precincts 1, 2, 3, 4, and 9 of the city of Greenfield, the towns of Northfield, Orange and Warwick, all in the county of Franklin; the towns of Athol, Phillipston and Royalston, and Precinct 1 of the town of Winchendon all in the county of Worcester.
Steve Xiarhos: 5th Barnstable – Consisting of Precincts 10, 11, and 12, of the city known as the town of Barnstable, Precincts 1, 2, 3, 5A, and 7, of the town of Bourne, and the town of Sandwich, all in the county of Barnstable.
Jon Zlotnik: 2nd Worcester – Consisting of the town of Ashburnham, the city of Gardner, and the towns of Templeton and Precincts 2, and 3 of the town of Winchendon, all in the county of Worcester.
State Representative Candidates for Open Seats
Becky Coletta: 6th Plymouth – Consisting of the town of Duxbury, Precinct 2, of the town of Halifax, Precincts 2, and 3, of the town of Hanson, Precincts 2A, and 4, of the town of Marshfield, and Precincts 1, 2, 3A, 4, and 5, of the town of Pembroke, all in the county of Plymouth.
Leigh Davis: 3rd Berkshire – Consisting of the towns of Alford, Becket, Dalton, Egremont, Great Barrington, Lee, Lenox, Monterey, Mount Washington, New Marlborough, Otis, Richmond, Sandisfield, Sheffield, Stockbridge, Tyringham, Washington, and West Stockbridge, all in the county of Berkshire.
Dennis Gallagher: 8th Plymouth – Consisting of the town of Raynham, in the county of Bristol; and the city known as the town of Bridgewater, in the county of Plymouth.
Bridget Plouffe: 9th Plymouth – Consisting of Precincts 1, 2, 3, 4B, and 7, of the town of Easton, in the county of Bristol, Ward 1 Precincts B, C, D, Ward 3 Precinct C, and D, of the city of Brockton, Precinct 4, of the town of East Bridgewater, and the town of West Bridgewater, all in the county of Plymouth.
Mark Sylvia: 10th Bristol – Consisting of Precincts 1, and 2A, of the town of Acushnet, the town of Fairhaven, Ward 1 Precincts A, B, and C1, of the city of New Bedford, all in the county of Bristol, and the towns of Marion, Mattapoisett, and Rochester, all in the county of Plymouth.
Josh Tarsky: 13th Norfolk – Consisting of the town of Dover, Precincts 1, and 2, of the town of Medfield, and the town of Needham, all in the county of Norfolk.
Richard Wells: 7th Norfolk – Consisting of Precincts 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10, of the town of Milton, Precincts 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 9, and 10, of the town of Randolph, in the county of Norfolk.