U.S. Representative Richard Neal will be the Democratic candidate for Massachusetts 1st Congressional District for the 19th time. He held off challenger Jeromie Whalen with less than 10 percent of the vote.
Neal has held onto his seat for almost forty years; Whalen, a high school teacher and political newcomer, is the most recent Democrat to attempt to bring new leadership into the position. Speaking to supporters after the election, Neal touted his experience and passage of major legislation.
"For me, I think that a unified Democratic Party in November is really important," he said. "There are really small differences that we have as a party, but I think that we're united about the Trump policies, and I never saw this as personal."
Whalen ran a grassroots campaign that involved extensive door-knocking and public meetings. His progressive platform included a single payer healthcare system and the abolishing of ICE. Whalen vowed to prioritize working class families over corporations - and accepted only donations from individuals, no corporate PACS.
But he only raised about $300,000 compared to the more than $3 million dollars that Neal had amassed, much of that from corporations.
As the results came in, Whalen spoke to a boisterous crowd of supporters at the White Lion brewery in Springfield.
"Throughout this entire campaign, I've said our biggest opponent wasn't the congressman. It wasn't his … corporate war chest. It was the failure of people to have hope. It was the failure to believe. So believe. Believe," he said.
Whalen did win handily in a few towns, including Easthampton, Southampton and Holyoke.
NEPM's Phil Bishop contributed to this report.
