Next week, two Worcester state legislators will square off against one another for a central Massachusetts Senate seat in the Nov. 7 election.
Republican Rep. Peter Durant is set to run against Democrat Rep. Jonathan Zlotnik for the Hampshire and Worcester-based Senate seat most recently held by former Democratic Sen. Anne Gobi.
Gobi left the seat in May to take on a new role as Rural Affairs Director in Gov. Maura Healey’s administration.
Durant won the GOP nomination after besting fellow Republican Bruce Chester, of Gardner, during the Oct. 10 special primary election. The night of the election Durant told the Boston Herald that it was, “statistically impossible” for Chester to close the gap in votes, according to unofficial election data.
Some of the key issues Durant’s campaign focuses on are lowering taxes, lowering housing costs and immigration issues.
The latter has been a heavy focus for Durant in recent months. As the Bay State’s emergency shelter system nears its capacity, the GOP lawmaker has criticized Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey, a Democrat, for allowing the crisis to get “out-of-hand,” the Herald reported.
Zlotnik ran unopposed during the special primary.
Zlotnik told the Athol Daily News that his two main reasons for running were due to his ability to work with the state senate and his willingness to work across party lines.
For the state House Democrat, economic development is one of his main priorities, along with public education, infrastructure and transportation, according to the Athol Daily News.
Zlotnik told the news outlet that those issues are the ones his constituents have been talking to him the most about and, “as a result, that’s what I’ve put most of my effort into,And those are the same issues I’m talking about in this Senate campaign,” he said.
Infrastructure, climate resiliency and preparedness, housing “are all very much interrelated,” he added.
For Massachusetts Republicans, the upcoming Nov. 7 election represents an opportunity to gain more political power in the state Senate, the Herald reported. There are only three GOP senators in the Massachusetts Senate – Sens.Ryan Fattman, Worcester/Hampden, Patrick O’Connor, Plymouth/Norfolk and Bruce Tarr, Essex/Middlesex.
“We would expect going into November, that the district will support the Republican nominee. Obviously, we’ll be working to get the message out and communicate with voters,” Massachusetts GOP leader Amy Carnevale told the Herald. “But we are optimistic headed into November that we’ll be adding to our ranks in the state Senate.”
