Richard Neal has won his 20th term to represent Massachusetts' 1st Congressional District.
Neal won September’s Democratic primary in his closest race ever, beating progressive newcomer Jeromie Whalen by just 8 points.
But Neal’s win in the general election over independent Nadia Milleron had a much greater margin — with around 65% of the vote.
Speaking to supporters at Nathan Bill’s bar in Springfield, Neal said he has proven that he can deliver for his district, including reopening the North Adams hospital and bringing in funds for the Soldiers Home in Holyoke.
And on a national level, as Democrats appeared to win the U.S. House, he said he hopes to reclaim his chairmanship on the Ways and Means Committee and start to reverse some of the damage done by President Trump and his Republican allies.
"We intend to push back on $1 trillion of cuts to Medicaid. Let the ACA enhanced credits be returned so people can enjoy health insurance as promised," he said. "Two hundred billion dollars in SNAP monies that were cut, [so] 42 million Americans are going to see a return to those benefits, as we aspire."
A block away, campaign workers for Nadia Milleron were dancing to Stevie Wonder, even as their candidate was losing in the returns.
Milleron is a lawyer and consumer advocate who got involved in politics after her daughter died in a Boeing plane crash. The niece of former presidential candidate Ralph Nader, Milleron funded her campaign with money her family received from a legal settlement with Boeing.
On election night, while leading a prayer circle, Milleron told her supporters that she appreciated their dedication.
"We raised consciousness, we organized people, we got people out," she said. "We got them motivated to take care of their own material needs and demand what they deserve."
One of Milleron's campaign workers, Jacqueline Velez, said she felt inspired by Milleron’s integrity and willingness to call attention to Neal’s large corporate donations.
"She took on this Herculean effort to defeat the establishment," Velez said. "It wasn’t easy. And at times it was scary, I’m sure. But she did it gracefully."
When the dust settles from the midterm election, Velez said she’s considering running for office herself.
