A special election primary is being held on Dec. 14 for the First Suffolk & Middlesex District of the Massachusetts State Senate. Anthony D’Ambrosio and Lydia Edwards are running in the Democratic primary. No Republican candidates filed. The general election is scheduled for Jan. 11, and the winner of the special election will serve until January 2023.
The seat became vacant on Sept. 9 when Joseph Boncore (D) resigned to become CEO of the Massachusetts Biotechnology Council.
Heading into the special election, Democrats have a 36-3 majority in the Massachusetts Senate with one vacancy. Massachusetts has a divided government where neither party holds a trifecta. The Republican Party controls the office of governor, while the Democratic Party controls both chambers of the state legislature.
To date, 10 state legislative special elections have been scheduled for 2022 in seven states. So far in 2021, 66 state legislative special elections have been scheduled for 2021 in 21 states. Between 2011 and 2020, an average of 75 special elections took place each year. Massachusetts held 42 state legislative special elections from 2011 to 2020.
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