Auburn Republican Paul Frost has won a 16th term representing the 7th Worcester District, fending off a challenge from Millbury Democrat Nicholas Lazzaro and independent Terry B. Dotson in a race where energy costs and affordability dominated the campaign trail. Lazzaro managed to flip Millbury itself, but the rest of the district carried Frost back to Beacon Hill for another two-year term.
Frost's win was confirmed in reporting from the Worcester Telegram, which covered the contest between the three candidates. The district, as described in earlier Telegram coverage of the Worcester County ballot, covers Auburn and Millbury along with parts of Charlton, Oxford and Leicester, though a separate Massachusetts Legislature district profile describes the boundaries somewhat differently, listing specific precincts in Auburn, Charlton, Leicester, Millbury and Oxford rather than full towns.
Unofficial results show just how split the district was. Lazzaro won his hometown of Millbury by a decisive 3,027 to 2,653 margin over Frost, while Frost turned around and won Oxford by a similarly comfortable 1,504 to 1,177 tally. Results for Auburn, Charlton and Leicester had not yet been publicly reported. Dotson pulled 410 votes in Millbury and 177 in Oxford, not enough to overtake either major-party rival.
Frost Leans on Experience and a Perfect Voting Record
Frost, who hails from Auburn, will return to Beacon Hill for another two-year term.
On the campaign trail, Frost prioritized affordability and touted his perfect roll call voting record along with a reputation for showing up for the district. He pushed to cut back on climate mandates as a way to address high energy costs, having opposed a 2024 clean energy bill.
Energy Costs Loom Large on Beacon Hill
Frost's focus on utility bills tracked with a statewide debate that has consumed the Legislature. In February, the Massachusetts House passed H 5151 by a 128-27 vote, according to WBUR. The bill sought to cut roughly $1 billion from the Mass Save program's marketing and administrative budgets and return 70% of alternative compliance payments to ratepayers through mid-2029, though it did not touch the state's binding mandate to cut greenhouse gas emissions 50% below 1990 levels by 2030. The same WBUR report noted that energy costs and affordability had become a central issue on Beacon Hill and in the 2026 governor's race.
Lazzaro's Campaign Falls Short
Lazzaro, a Democrat who served on the Millbury Select Board, campaigned on reducing utility costs and increasing school aid.
Lazzaro called Frost after 11 p.m. to concede and congratulate him on the win. Although Lazzaro won Millbury, he lost the overall race.
A Familiar Result Across Worcester County
The outcome echoes Frost's performance two years earlier, when he defeated Dotson and took 69% of the vote in the 2024 race for the same seat, according to The Gardner News, which reported that incumbents across Central Massachusetts generally held onto their seats that night. Frost's latest win came amid a broader 2026 cycle in which all 160 Massachusetts House seats and all 40 state Senate seats were on the ballot, with Democrats controlling both chambers heading into the election, per MassLive. Lawmakers elected this cycle, including Frost, serve two-year terms and will take office when the new legislative session begins in January 2027.
