State Rep. Angelo Puppolo (right) fist bumps Springfield City Councilor Gerry Martin after securing another term.
Reminder Publishing photo by Dennis Hackett
SPRINGFIELD — State Rep. Angelo Puppolo will remain in his seat in the 12th Hampden district after defeating challenger Michael Lachenmeyer in the Democratic primary on Sept. 1.
With the victory, Puppolo will continue to serve East Longmeadow, Monson, Springfield and Wilbraham.
Puppolo defeated Lachenmeyer with an unofficial tally of 4,136-2,304. Puppolo won each town except for Monson, where Lachenmeyer won with a 222-213 count. The results in East Longmeadow, Springfield and Wilbraham were 379-204; 2,109-950; and 1,435-928, respectively.
At a small gathering at Nathan Bill’s Bar & Restaurant, Puppolo said he was “overwhelmed and elated” with the results.
“I’m humbled at the support and confidence that the voters continue to have in me. I think the message that we have, the hard work that I do each and every day, delivering on constituent services, going to Boston, fighting to make sure we bring back not only every dollar, but to make sure that our area is represented in policy, represented on issues and really having a seat at the table,” he said.
Puppolo added that “there is no substitute for experience.”
“In these uncertain times, we need strong, consistent leadership that knows how to get the job done and can deliver real results,” he said. “The big victory that we had across the district I think speaks volumes of the work that I continue to do.”
He also highlighted some of his highest priorities in both in the coming session now that he has secured reelection.
“Constituent services is going to be a hallmark, it’s going to continue to be my hallmark, I continue to deliver for my constituents, but I think in terms of looking towards budget – we’ve got a lot of uncertainties with the budget – we’ve gotta make sure we shore that up, we’ve gotta do more for education, we’ve gotta do more for clean, green energy, but we’re not done yet with this session,” he said.
With the work still ongoing, this session has bills in conference committee, including an economic development bill, a healthcare bill and a supplemental budget.
About 50 people gathered at Christopher’s Tavern to support Lachenmeyer. Contingents came from several organizations the candidate has worked with, including Pioneer Valley Democratic Socialists of America and Neighbor to Neighbor.
With less than an hour to go before the polls closed, Lachenmeyer said he was not nervous. “All the work is done,” he said of campaigning.
Sasha Morsmith is an organizer with Pioneer Valley Democratic Socialists of America, which endorsed Lachenmeyer. Volunteers from the organization knocked on more than 2,000 doors in support of the candidate. She said the general impression from residents was that they felt that the Democratic party at all levels have put forth more centrist candidates in the past few years. She specifically mentioned former President Joe Biden, 2024 presidential candidate Kamala Harris, and more locally, Puppolo. “People are seeing that centrist solutions lead back to Trump,” she said.
“I’m so impressed with how dedicated Michael is,” said Morsmith. “When he shows up … he’s not just there to say hi to everybody. He takes on a volunteer role.” She said he is an example of “a new form of leadership.”
Lachenmeyer’s campaign manager, Joseph Bonilla, also spoke about his style of leadership. “He’s so passionate and calls out injustice. That’s why I joined his campaign.”
At 8:20 p.m., Lachenmeyer said, “The unofficial results are not looking good. He’s beaten me by about 1,000 votes.”
“I have no regrets about running. I still feel good. I created something beautiful in a year. I brought together a really great coalition,” Lachenmeyer said. “The incumbents need to know that they need to work for it. It’s not just going to be handed to them.” Referring to Puppolo, he said, “If he continues to face opposition from the left, he’ll move more to the left just because he has to.”
Puppolo also reflected on his time on the job so far.
“I love the job, and it’s humbling to see the strong results that we got, but at least I know we’re in the right direction,” he said.
As of press time, there is no Republican candidate so Puppolo will be unopposed in the general election in November.
