Most incumbents for state legislative seats in western Massachusetts are running unopposed for this year's election. But there are a handful of contested races.
The filing deadline for candidates to declare their intention to run was Tuesday. The Secretary of State’s office released a preliminary list of candidates on Wednesday.
There's one contested state senate race, which is in the Hampden District. Two-term incumbent Adam Gomez is being challenged by current Springfield City Councilor Malo Brown. The Democrats will square off in September's primary.
Meanwhile, in the House, Republican Kelly Pease, who is seeking his third term, is being opposed by Democrat Bridget Matthews-Kane, a Westfield City Councilor.
In Springfield, Democratic incumbent Bud Williams will have a primary challenge from Johnnie McKnight, a former mayoral candidate.
And in the Third Franklin District, veteran state representative Susannah Whipps of Athol, who is unenrolled, will face Republican Jeffrey Raymond in a rematch of two years ago. Whipps defeated Raymond 63% to 31%. Raymond is also from Athol.
Meanwhile, there are two open state house seats to be filled, but as of now, only one of them is contested.
In the Second Hampshire District, which includes Easthampton, South Hadley and Hadley, incumbent Dan Carey is not seeking reelection. He is instead a candidate for a court clerk's job.
To replace Carey in the House, only one candidate, Easthampton City Councilor Homar Gomez, a Democrat, has entered the race. It is possible a write-in candidate could emerge.
Meanwhile in the Third Berkshire District, which is made up of the southern and central parts of the county, three Democrats are running to replace outgoing state representative Smitty Pignatelli. They are: Leigh Davis a Great Barrington select board member, and a pair of Stockbridge select board members: Jamie Minacci and Patrick White. They will face each other in the September primary.
A fourth candidate, Marybeth Mitts, who is unenrolled and a member of the Lenox select board, would face the winner in November.
According to the Secretary of State’s office, candidates have until Friday to withdraw from a race. Any challenges to someone’s eligibility would also have to be filed by then. For all legislative contests, write-in candidates could still launch campaigns.
Across Massachusetts, all 160 House seats and 40 Senate seats are up for re-election every two years. This time around, voters will have more than one option on the ballot in only 54 House districts and 14 Senate districts.
The lack of competition effectively guarantees most sitting lawmakers seeking another term will stroll into office again. This cycle features 104 incumbent state representatives and 26 incumbent state senators without a declared challenger. That's an increase over the 92 representatives and 16 senators who were the only candidates on the ballot in their districts in 2022.
Material from State House News Service was used in this report.