Harvard’s State Rep. Jen Benson announced in a Dec. 19 letter to her constituents that she will be resigning from her position at the State House effective Jan. 8, 2020. After 11 years representing the 37th Middlesex District, Benson has accepted an offer to become the president of the Alliance for Business Leadership (ABL), which she described in her letter as “a progressive coalition of business leaders from across Massachusetts.”
In a separate statement, Benson said, “Serving the 37th Middlesex District has been the honor of a lifetime. I thank my constituents for putting their faith in me for 11 years and allowing me to represent them on Beacon Hill. I’m so proud of what we’ve accomplished together, and I’m looking forward to continuing to advocate for smart policy that improves people’s lives as I step into my new role at the Alliance for Business Leadership.”
Rep. Jen Benson speaks at the League of Women Voters Civics Cup competition in March 2019. (Photo by Isabel Barton)
During her tenure as a legislator, Benson was a strong advocate for economic growth and small business development and, in particular, championed carbon pricing with her signature legislation H.2810, “An Act to Promote Green Infrastructure and Reduce Carbon Emissions” (see the Nov. 15 Harvard Press, “Pollute more, pay more: Advocates make case for carbon pricing”). She was also the chair of the Joint Committee on Health Care Financing, where she oversaw health care spending for the commonwealth. Select Board Chair Alice von Loesecke told the Press that Benson was always a strong advocate for small towns like Harvard. Town Administrator Tim Bragan said, “whether she agreed or not,” Benson worked hard to ensure that home-rule measures passed by Town Meeting made it through the Legislature in a timely manner.
A special state primary election to fill Benson’s vacated seat will coincide with the March 3 presidential primary and will take place in the Bromfield cafeteria rather than the gym. Town Clerk Marlene Kenney reports that there will be an additional voting tabulator to process ballots for this dual election.
The winning candidates from the March 3 state rep primary will face off in a special election March 31, upping the number of elections in 2020 to six from the anticipated four. Early voting for the March 3 presidential and special state primaries will be offered at the town clerk’s office from Monday, Feb. 24, through Thursday, Feb. 27, from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., and until 7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 25. The last day for new voter registration is Wednesday, Feb. 12.
As of Dec. 31, two candidates had filed paperwork in hopes of filling Benson’s seat. One of the two hopefuls had her eye on the position long before Benson’s resignation. Republican Malena Chastain of Lunenburg filed her nomination papers with the state’s Office of Campaign and Finance on Sept. 24. The Lowell Sun reports that Chastain has received support from the Acton Republican Town Committee. The first Democrat to announce an intention to run following Benson’s resignation was Shirley Democratic Town Committee Chair Dina Samfield. Samfield has lived in Shirley for 16 years and has previously worked as an educational program coordinator, middle school science teacher, and correspondent for Nashoba Publishing.
How to run for state office
Interested in running for state office? The requirements to run for state representative are less stringent than those for the United States House of Representatives. To be eligible, you must be at least 18 years of age, a registered voter, a U.S. citizen, and a resident of the district for at least one year before the election date.
The deadline to submit signatures to the town clerk is 5 p.m., Jan. 21; at least 150 signatures are required to file official nomination papers with the office of Secretary of the Commonwealth William Galvin. All signatures must belong to voters registered in the district, be legible, and include the voter’s address where they are currently registered. Signers must also be either members of the candidate’s party or unaffiliated for their signatures to be certified for primary nomination papers. The secretary of the commonwealth’s website recommends collecting more than the 150 minimum required signatures to account for any that may be disallowed.
Candidates must also submit a receipt from the State Ethics Commission indicating that they have filed a Statement of Financial Interests. This receipt, along with the certified signatures and nomination paperwork, must be filed with the secretary of the commonwealth by 5 p.m., Jan. 28.
For state representative positions, the nomination filing dates are the same for candidates planning to run in the special primary as a party-affiliated candidate and for those who wish to run in the special election as a nonparty candidate. (For U.S. Senate and House elections, nonparty candidates are granted additional time to gather signatures.) Those seeking to run with a party affiliation in the March 3 special primary must have been enrolled in their chosen party since at least Oct. 30, 2019 (90 days before the filing deadline with the secretary of the commonwealth). This affiliation must be proved by filing a certificate of party enrollment with the secretary of the commonwealth signed by at least three of the members of the Board of Registrars, whose current members include Marlene Kenney, Rosemary Theriault, Barbara Weiss, and Jacqueline Normand.
For further information, go to https://www.sec.state.ma.us/ele/elespec/specidx.htm.
