Oliveira wins state Senate seat representing 12 communities

Date: 11/9/2022

GREATER SPRINGFIELD – After all the votes were cast and the majority of state election results had rolled in, state Rep. Jacob Oliveira declared victory in his bid to be the state senator for the Hampden, Hampshire and Worcester District.

The district consists of Belchertown, East Longmeadow, Granby, Hampden, Longmeadow, Ludlow, Palmer, South Hadley, Warren and Wilbraham. Six precincts in Chicopee and nine precincts in Springfield are also constituents of that district.

Oliveira will have served one term in the state House of Representatives when he takes office in January 2023, having been elected to the Seventh Hampden Massachusetts House District in 2020.

His opponent was Bill Johnson, a small business owner and Granby native. Each candidate spent over a decade in municipal government, with Oliveira having served 12 years on the Ludlow School Committee and Johnson spending 15 years as a Granby selectman.

Johnson watched election results come in with about 150 supporters and volunteers at his watch party at The Whiskey Barrel in South Hadley. Johnson owns The Johnson Groups of towing and auto body service providers. His campaign’s talking points largely focused on Johnson’s experience as a working-class businessperson and his desire to bring that experience to Boston. He has previously stated, “Less government is good government.”

As the polls were closing, Johnson told Reminder Publishing, “It’s up to the voters. I feel good, but you never know.” If he were to lose the election, he said, “I’ll keep living my life.” He said his sons will take the reins of The Johnson Group, no matter the race’s outcome. “I ran because I honestly feel Beacon Hill could use someone with my background,” he said, but added that he has a consulting business and several ways he serves the local community.

“We’ve run a good campaign. I think we’ve run a clean campaign, I tried to stick to the issues,” he said.
Johnson thanked his volunteers and supporters, “That’s all I can say. I’m humbled by the support.”

When asked what Johnson would have brought to Boston, supporter Jeffrey Sottler said he would be “reasonable, to be able to cross the aisle. He understands business and he understands politics. He does what he says.”

Kim Myers, one of Johnson’s employees said, “I hope Bill wins. I think he’d do a great job. He’s a great boss and a good person.”

Johnson’s nephew, Wesley Johnson, said he was staying positive as the results trickled in. “We had lots of good feedback. I think people are waking up,” he said.

At 8:30 p.m., Johnson announced that he had won Ludlow by 415 votes. Winning Oliveira’s hometown boosted the hopes of Johnson’s supporters. At 8:45 p.m., the results showed a split of 53 percent for Oliveira to Johnson’s 47 percent, but just over an hour later, the gap had widened to an insurmountable 62 percent of the vote going to Oliveira against 38 percent for Johnson.

Dan Zwirko, who serves as the Longmeadow Select Board clerk, shared, “I’ve known Jake since 2008. He was advocating in the state House as a School Committee member ... The district may be new, but he’s certainly not a stranger. He’s built relationships, not just here, but in Boston. And he’s brought money back to the district.”

Around 10:30 p.m., Oliveira declared, “I am proud to say I will be the next state senator.” Although Johnson had yet to concede, Oliveira was ahead by 5,000 votes with only Longmeadow, Hamden and Warren left to report their tallies. Longmeadow soon called in, increasing Oliveira’s lead to 6,700 votes.
Thanking his supporters, volunteers and family, Oliveria pledged to be “a voice for the 12 communities in this district, but a voice that’s unified.” He said the Western Massachusetts delegation needed to work together because it is not as large as other delegations.

State Rep. Brian Ashe said of Oliveira’s win, “I’m thrilled personally and professionally. I know it’s going to be easy to work with him. Jake can talk to someone about anything, from homelessness to the millionaire’s tax,” Ashe said, referring to a question appearing on the ballot that would raise taxes on earnings over $1 million per year.

Reflecting on the 10-month campaign, Oliveira said, “It was a positive campaign. There was definitely a difference of opinion on how things should be done in the district. I really think that our campaign was focused on the issues that affect the people in the 12 communities I’m going to serve.”

He continued, “I think I have a better understanding of the role of the legislature. I think my opponent tried to nationalize the race. You know, [Johnson] talked a lot about inflation, but the legislature doesn’t really have direct control over that. We don’t have the Federal Reserve. We don’t set rates.”

When Oliveira won the primary election in September, he touted plans to push funding for education, broadband access, water and sewer infrastructure and transportation, including east-west rail, a planned train service connecting Boston and Pittsfield, with stops in Worcester, Springfield and other cities and towns along the way.

Oliveria will meet with outgoing state Sen. Eric Lesser and state Sens. Jo Comerford and Anne Gobi in the coming days to discuss the work they had begun in towns that will be part of the Hampden, Hampshire and Worcester District. His number one priority, however, will be “utilizing federal infrastructure money and Inflation Reduction Act money and making sure it’s invested here in Western Massachusetts.”