A key legislative race in Massachusetts is garnering national attention as both parties look to wrest control of a swing seat in the state Senate where Democratic incumbent Susan Moran is retiring.
The race, which is Republicans’ first chance to flip the seat in four years, has attracted the attention of former Obama adviser David Plouffe, whose nephew is running for the Democratic nomination. The race is likely to be one of the most competitive state legislative races of the 2024 cycle.
Plouffe has appeared alongside state Rep. Dylan Fernandes throughout the election cycle, and he even hosted a fundraiser earlier this month in Woods Hole, Massachusetts.
Plouffe is well-known among Democratic circles after managing Barack Obama’s 2008 presidential campaign as well as being the president’s senior adviser during his reelection bid. Plouffe now serves as a top adviser for Vice President Kamala Harris’s presidential campaign.
Fernandes also benefits from the backing of key Democratic leaders in the state, including Gov. Maura Healey and former state Senate President Therese Murray. The pair have also campaigned and appeared at fundraising events for Fernandes throughout the cycle.
Fernandes is running unopposed in the Democratic primary but is set to face a tough race come November. Two Republicans are running for the party’s nomination, including state Rep. Mathew Muratore and Kari MacRae.
The state primary to determine which candidate will challenge Fernandes is on Tuesday.
Democrats are in good shape in the Bay State as the party holds control of all nine House seats and both Senate seats. The party holds supermajorities in both the state House and Senate.
However, Republicans are looking to chip away at that power in the state Senate, with eyes locked on Moran’s seat. Republicans managed to flip a vacant Democratic seat in the state Senate in 2023, so the party is hoping to build on that momentum by defeating Fernandes in November.
Elsewhere on the ballot, Republican voters are set to choose their nominee to challenge Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-MA), who was first elected in 2012 when she defeated Republican incumbent Scott Brown. Warren handily won reelection in 2018, defeating her GOP challenger by 24 percentage points.
Warren is now running for a third term, and the seat is expected to favor Democrats. The nonpartisan Cook Political Report has rated the seat as Solid Democrat.
Republican voters will also have an opportunity to choose their candidate to face Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-MA), who is running for a 12th term in the House. Lynch is running unopposed in the Democratic but will face a challenge from whoever emerges from the GOP primary.
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Running in the primary includes videographer Rob Burke, healthcare worker Jim Govatsos, and bar owner Daniel Kelly.
The race is not considered to be competitive, with the district being rated D+15 by the Cook Political Report.