Voters in Holyoke and part of Chicopee are deciding Tuesday whether to give Democratic state Rep. Pat Duffy a fourth term representing the 5th Hampden District, or to hand the seat to independent challenger José Candelario Gonzalez, a Holyoke paraprofessional who served as a student senator in college. Both candidates have centered their campaigns on public-school funding, even as they diverge on which levers to pull to get there.
A Democratic Incumbent Completing Her Third Term
Duffy is completing her third term in the seat and is seeking a fourth, according to WAMC Northeast Public Radio. She also serves as vice chair of the Massachusetts Joint Committee on Cannabis Policy, a role she has pointed to, along with her work securing aid for the district despite federal headwinds, as a point of pride, per the same report. Sources differ on exactly when her tenure began — The Reminder reports she has represented the district since January 2021, while MassLive reports she has held the seat since 2020.
Duffy advanced to the general election after defeating Democratic primary opponent Dori Dean, according to WAMC. MassLive's unofficial returns from the Sept. 1 primary showed Duffy leading Dean 3,027 votes to 795 in Holyoke and 166 to 49 in Chicopee. During that primary campaign, Dean told the outlet that the top concerns she heard from voters while going door to door were road conditions, including in Chicopee, and public safety.
Affordability And Federal Uncertainty Top Voter Concerns
On the trail this fall, Duffy said affordability is a concern voters consistently raise with her while campaigning door to door, according to WAMC. She also described hearing from voters about changes in the federal government, telling The Reminder that two prevalent concerns among constituents revolve around affordability and shifting federal conditions. Duffy said voters feel Massachusetts government has their protections in mind amid that uncertainty, and that the state can help by ensuring access to healthcare and vaccines, per WAMC.
Duffy has made school funding central to her pitch for a fourth term, prioritizing maintaining and possibly growing funding levels for Holyoke and Chicopee schools, according to WAMC. Speaking to the New England News Collaborative, she said her top priorities include continuing to push the legislature and governor for more public-school funding, and that if reelected she would keep seeking workforce-development funding to create job opportunities for residents. She has also said she would advocate for the release of a $7.5 million bond authorization she secured for Combined Sewer Overflow mitigation, The Reminder reported.
A Paraprofessional Challenger Running On School Funding Reform
Candelario Gonzalez, an independent challenger who lives on High Street in Holyoke, is campaigning on a platform that reaches beyond education into housing affordability, government accountability, healthcare and public safety, as detailed in his interview with The Reminder. He is a former Holyoke schoolteacher who now works as a paraprofessional in the district, according to the New England News Collaborative, and Massachusetts OCPF records list him as a paraprofessional working at Holyoke Public Schools, per WAMC.
His education platform calls for reforming Chapter 70 funding to distribute school dollars more equitably and for keeping state education funding responsive to inflation, The Reminder reported. He has also floated building up summer job-training programs for teenagers, according to the New England News Collaborative. In interviews with other outlets, Candelario Gonzalez identified school funding and additional aid for the 5th Hampden District as priorities, and he indicated to The Reminder that he would emphasize more on-the-ground community engagement if elected.
WAMC reported that multiple attempts to reach Candelario Gonzalez through a campaign-associated phone number went unanswered. The Reminder's Oct. 26 profile of the race, published as early voting got underway ahead of the Nov. 3 election, laid out both candidates' positions in detail.
A Historically Lopsided District
The 5th Hampden District has leaned heavily toward Duffy in recent cycles. The Massachusetts Elections Division's PD43+ system lists her winning 97.3% of the vote in the 2022 general election and 99.5% in 2024. The district includes Holyoke and part of Chicopee, according to WAMC, though other outlets have described the Chicopee portion differently — The Reminder referred to it as one ward in Chicopee, while MassLive described it as including parts of Chicopee.
