A special election primary is being held on March 2 for the 19th Suffolk District of the Massachusetts House of Representatives. Valentino Capobianco, Alicia DelVento, Juan Jaramillo, and Jeffrey Turco are running in the Democratic primary. Paul Caruccio is unopposed in the Republican primary. The general election will take place on March 30.
The seat became vacant on Dec. 29, when Robert DeLeo (D) resigned to take a job at Northeastern University. DeLeo had represented the district since 1991.
Heading into the special election, Democrats have a 128-30 majority in the Massachusetts House with one independent member and one vacancy. Massachusetts has a divided government, and no political party holds a state government trifecta. A trifecta exists when one political party simultaneously holds the governor’s office and majorities in both state legislative chambers.
As of February, 27 state legislative special elections have been scheduled for 2021 in 16 states. Between 2011 and 2020, an average of 75 special elections took place each year.
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