Former State Sen. Ben Downing launches campaign for Massachusetts governor, says leadership to tackle state’s big challenges is ‘sorely lacking’
Updated Feb 08, 2021;
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Former State Sen. Ben Downing, who opted not to seek reelection in 2016 and has worked in the solar energy industry in the years since, announced Monday he is running to become the Bay State’s next governor, seeking to address the effects of the coronavirus pandemic, racial inequality and climate change.
Downing, a Pittsfield native who now lives in East Boston, was elected to the state Senate in 2006 at age 24. The Democrat represented Western Massachusetts in the Legislature for 10 years before stepping down to take an executive leadership role at Nexamp, a renewable energy company.