U.S. Rep. Richard Neal (D-Springfield) is a well-known name in Massachusetts. Nadia Milleron is not, and as a candidate for the 1st Congressional District, she is outraged by that.
“Fifty percent of the district doesn’t know that I’m running,” Milleron told Reminder Publishing on Oct. 8, five weeks before the election where voters will choose between Milleron and Neal, an 18-term incumbent.
Since announcing her candidacy at the beginning of the year, Milleron has made the case that she is independent of any political party and, if elected to the U.S. House of Representatives, would be beholden only to her constituents. She has described her opponent as out of touch with the residents in the district and concerned with large donations from health insurance companies and other special interests.
As for Neal, he has not spoken much about Milleron, instead touting his legislative record and the funding he has brought to Western Massachusetts, including $108 million for the East-West Rail project in 2023.
Milleron’s campaign has garnered media attention, with articles in several Western Massachusetts newspapers and even The New York Times.
“Yes, I have gotten some press, but not adequate enough to inform the electorate,” said Milleron, who has spent $57,000 per month on television ads in addition to her campaign’s radio advertising. “I don’t have the capacity to inform the voters,” she said.
She continued, “It’s a problem with the way the secretary of [the commonwealth] runs elections. All they need to do is just list the names of the candidates along with the seats they’re running for,” she said. “Then, any responsible person would look up the people who are running.”
Milleron contacted Secretary of the Commonwealth William Galvin’s office about the issue. She said, “I was told, ‘Well, you have to campaign.’”
From Milleron’s perspective there is a gulf between incumbents and members of the public that want to run for office for the first time. Overcoming the lack of awareness of her candidacy requires an enormous amount of resources.
According to the Federal Elections Commission, since beginning her campaign in January, Milleron has raised $74,859 and spent $33,459, leaving her $41,400 with which to mount a final push for the 1st Congressional District.
Between his Madison Political Action Committee and individual donors, Neal raised $2.43 million in this campaign cycle and spent $2 million. There is $3.91 million remaining in his campaign.
Milleron questioned Neal’s use of his son’s public relations firm, Brendan Neal Strategies, at a cost of $4,630 per month. While she acknowledged it was not illegal, she said Neal could be spending his campaign funds in a way that benefits his constituents.
“The district has needs,” she said. “If you have $4 million in your war chest, you can use that toward helping the people in your district.” She suggested hiring people to run programs that focus on issues, such as the opioid crisis, and making that part of the campaign.
“The way he has spent his campaign money, it describes his relationship with his district. He’s not engaged,” she shared.
Neal has stated that he is campaigning for Vice President and presidential candidate Kamala Harris and has not had time to campaign for himself.
Meanwhile, in the last few weeks of the campaign, Milleron said her team is planning three town hall-style events to speak with voters.
If Milleron fails to win the seat, she said she would run “again and again.”
Reminder Publishing reached out to Neal’s campaign, but did not hear back by press time.
