Two Democrats are engaged in a spirited race for an open State Senate seat in Western Massachusetts.
Jake Oliveira, a State Representative from Ludlow, and Sydney Levin-Epstein of Longmeadow, a former Congressional aide, are hoping to succeed Eric Lesser, the four-term Democratic State Senator who is giving up the seat in a quest to become lieutenant governor.
Levin-Epstein, 27, likes to tell how she grew up behind the counter of the sporting goods store her parents owned in Hadley until a national chain came along and put the family store out of business. She left western Massachusetts to pursue a career, which has included working in Washington D.C. for U.S. Rep. Richard Neal and U.S. Senator Ed Markey.
“I am running to serve as our next state senator to help build communities where people who want to stay can stay.” Levin-Epstein said at the beginning of a debate produced by Focus Springfield Community Television.
Oliveira, 36, stresses what he says is a 20-year record of public service going back to when as a high school student he was a member of Ludlow Town Meeting, followed by 12 years on the local school committee. He was elected to the Massachusetts House in 2020.
“I am the only candidate running in this race that combines the experience up on Beacon Hill with the experience of a local elected official to hit the ground running for this district on day one,” Oliveira said.
Redrawn after the 2020 census, the senate district consists of all or part of 13 municipalities including roughly the eastern one-quarter of the city of Springfield. It stretches from Longmeadow to Belchertown in Hampshire County and east to Warren in Worcester County.
The winner of the primary, which concludes voting on September 6th, will face Republican William Johnson, a business owner and former Granby Selectboard member, in the November election.
When it comes to issues, there is not much daylight between Levin-Epstein and Oliveira. They both support East-West Rail, and say they’ll pursue policies to protect family farms, grow the local economy, and boost the housing stock.
“I believe it is imperative that we increase the amount of subsidies that are provided for both senior housing and additionally to make sure that we have mixed income housing available,” Levin-Epstein said.
Oliviera said the many vacant mill buildings in the district could be readapted as housing.
“ I’m proud as a legislator to have voted and secured dollars including $2 million to put in place affordable housing at the Ludlow Mills complex in the town of Ludlow, right along the Chicopee River, right over the border from Indian Orchard,” he said.
The Supreme Court decision to overturn Roe vs. Wade has thrust abortion rights front and center in many of this year’s election contests.
Levin-Epstein said she’ll write legislation to crackdown on what she said are deceptive practices at crisis pregnancy centers that aim to dissuade women from having an abortion.
“Having had personal experience going to centers like this where you can be misguided, not given the option and opportunity to understand what is fully available to you, is a fundamental flaw in the ability in which we are regulating women’s health centers across Massachusetts,” she said.
The Planned Parenthood Advocacy Fund endorsed Oliveira.
“I am the only candidate who has actually taken a vote to expand abortion care here in Massachusetts, as well as gender-affirming care,” Oliveira said.
While their race has been issue-focused and largely free of acrimony, there were some testy exchanges during a debate last month on Focus Springfield Community Television.
Levin-Epstein accused Oliveira of intimidation tactics that included door-knocking at her parent’s house. He alleged her supporters had swiped his campaign literature off doorknobs in the district.
“Part of this campaign is about actually getting out and meeting voters and that is what you do,” Oliveira said about his door-to-door canvassing efforts.
In rebuttal, Levin-Epstein said “while I appreciate you mansplaining how to run a field program and if literature was taken, I do apologize.”
State campaign finance records, as of the end of July, showed Levin-Epstein raised over $90,000 and Oliveira’s campaign had taken in almost $53,000.
