State Primaries Are TuesdayBy Brittany Polito, iBerkshires Staff
05:39AM / Monday, September 02, 2024 | |
PITTSFIELD, Mass. — Voters will see few contests when they head to the polls for the state primaries on Tuesday.
Berkshire voters can weigh in on a three-way race for the Republican Party nominee for senator in Congress and the 3rd Berkshire District has three Democratic candidates vying for the nomination for state representative.
Voters who are enrolled in a party can only vote in that party's primary. Voters who are unenrolled may chose which party primary to they wish to vote in. Massachusetts recognizes three parties: Republican, Democratic and Libertarian. There are no primary candidates this election for the Libertarian Party.
Polls are open from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. for state and federal elections. Polling locations for Berkshire County can be found here.
In Pittsfield, early in-person voting ran from Aug. 24 to 30 at City Hall.
Nominations for U.S. Senator
Democrat: Elizabeth Warren (Cambridge)
Republican: Robert Antonellis (Medford,) Ian Cain (Quincy,) John Deaton (Swansea)
Incumbent Elizabeth Warren was inducted into the U.S. Senate in 2013. She is running for her third six-year term. In the 2023-2024 term, she sits on the Senate Committee on Armed Services, the Community on Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs, the Committee on Finance, and the Committee on Aging.
Her platform is about consumer protection, equitable economic opportunity, and the social safety net. Her proposed Ultra-Millionaire Tax focused on families with a net worth of more than $50 million, roughly the wealthiest 75,000 households. They would pay a 2 percent tax on every dollar of their net worth above $50 million and a 6 percent tax for every dollar above $1 billion.
John Deaton, a trial attorney, describes himself as a "Champion for other underdogs."
In his memoir "Food Stamp Warrior," he outlines the poverty, violence, and abuse that encompassed his upbringing and how he defied the odds, eventually becoming a judge advocate at a Marine Corps Air Station.
Deaton feels Warren's politics are extreme. Relating to immigration, he wants to secure the border, end so-called "catch and release," and reform the asylum process while expanding legal immigration.
He has been endorsed by the Berkshire County Republican Association after a visit to the Berkshires in August.
Ian Cain is a tech investor who is "tired of the status quo." His "Get Shit Done" agenda includes securing the border, investing in infrastructure, prioritizing public safety, "beating communist China," and supporting American families.
Robert Antonellis feels that the nation is being attacked by the "radical left" and says he has a plan to "win the culture war, end all the assaults on our common decency, and create a healthy sense of normalcy."
The winner of the Republican primary will vie against Warren in the general election.
3rd Berkshire Representative
Democrat: Leigh Davis (Great Barrington,) Jamie Minacci (Stockbridge,) Patrick White (Stockbridge)
Three Democrats are running to replace William "Smitty" Pignatelli after his decision to not run for re-election.
Leigh Davis is currently serving her second term on the Great Barrington Select Board, is chair of the housing subcommittee, sits on the Lake Mansfield Improvement Task Force and Community Preservation Committee, and serves as the Select Board liaison to the W.E.B. Du Bois Legacy Committee.
Her focus is on affordable housing and adequate public transportation, education and health care, addressing the climate crisis, and honoring veterans and seniors, among other issues. She has received a slew of endorsements from Progressive Mass, and local and state environmental organizations and unions.
Patrick White is a two-term Stockbridge Select Board member and is passionate about reducing the property tax burden, environmental stewardship, investing in infrastructure and education, housing solutions, and reconciling with the Mohican Nation, among other issues.
Jamie Minacci also is a Stockbridge Select Board member and has experience on the Conservation Commission, as a representative on the Berkshire Regional Transit Authority, and as a representative on the GN Regional Transportation Advisory Committee.
She would like the opportunity to serve her community on a larger scale and be the people's constituent service and wants to bring hope, prosperity, and a more equitable future to the community.
The winner will face off against Marybeth Mitts, a Lenox Select Board member who is running as an independent in the general election.
Senator for the Berkshire, Hampshire, Franklin, and Hampden Districts
Democrat: Paul Mark (Becket)
Republican: David Rosa (Dighton)
Paul Mark, formerly state representative, is running for his second term in the state Senate. Rosa, a veteran and retiree, has apparently run unsuccessfully in previous elections including for Congress.
Representative in Congress for the First Mass District
Democrat: Richard Neal (Springfield)
Richard Neal has served in Congress for 36 years and is running for his 19th term. Originally representative of the 2nd Mass, he was elected in 2013 to represent the 1st Mass after redistricting. From 2019 to 2022, he served as the chair of the Committee of Ways and Means, whose jurisdiction includes tax and revenue legislation. He is currently a ranking member.
Neal is a supporter of gun safety measures, clean energy, health-care access, immigration, and human rights.
Two independent candidates are challenging him in the general election, Nadia Milleron (Sheffield) and Anthony Celata (Medford).
Unopposed
Running unopposed in their primaries and with no other candidates so far on the general election ballot are John Barrett III (North Adams) for representative in the 1st Berkshire; Tricia Farley-Bouvier (Pittsfield) for representative in the 2nd District; Tara Jacobs (North Adams) for Governor's Council in the 8th District; Lisa A. Denault-Viale (Windsor) for Berkshire County clerk of courts; Patsy Harris (Hinsdale) for Central Berkshire register of deeds and Maria Ziemba (Adams) for Northern Berkshire register of deeds.
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