Longtime U.S. Rep. Richard Neal said he plans to run on his record this November. The Springfield, Massachusetts, Democrat had no opposition in the primary last week, but will face an independent challenger, attorney Nadia Milleron, in the general election.
Neal was first elected in 1988 and is the top Democrat on the powerful House Ways and Means Committee and a former chair of the panel. It’s been a low-key campaign so far for Neal, who was Springfield’s mayor prior to going to Capitol Hill.
Neal attended a ribbon cutting this week for an affordable housing complex in Springfield, financed in part with federal tax credits he's touted. Asked about his reelection bid, Neal referenced remarks made by others during the event.
"As you heard today from the people who participated in this announcement, which I think is consistent with announcements across the district, nobody ever said 'ineffective,'" Neal said. "I think that's what we're going to continue to highlight."
Milleron is from the Berkshire County town of Sheffield, in the far southwestern corner of Massachusetts. She has accused Neal of supporting trade policies that have driven industry out of the state.
Milleron also said her opponent has been largely unresponsive to residents of the sprawling district outside of Neal’s home base in Hampden County. The 1st Congressional District stretches from Berkshire County, through Hampden County and into Worcester County.
“I want to set a standard for how this congressional office should operate,” she said. “It should have investigations, hearings on important issues to the district, and propose legislation and pursue these things in the way that we pursued aviation safety legislation.”
Milleron is referring to legislation introduced following the Boeing Max airline crashes in 2018 and 2019, one of which killed her daughter.
Neal holds a massive fundraising advantage over his opponent. According to federal campaign finance data, Neal had $3.9 million in his campaign account as of the middle of August. Milleron’s sat at just over $43,000 at the end of June.
Neal has never really faced a scare at the ballot box in his more than three-decades in office. He has often run unopposed. And, when he has been challenged, either in Democratic primaries or general elections, he has routinely won by double-digit margins.
In the neighboring 2nd Congressional District, which includes much of central Massachusetts and a chunk of Hampshire and Franklin counties, incumbent Jim McGovern also faces an independent challenger. The Worcester Democrat is up against Marine Corps veteran and former teacher Cornelius Shea in November.
