Democrat Steven Tolman May Give Up Senate Seat For Presidency of AFL-CIO

Sen. Steven Tolman may give up his sentate seat if he wins the post as Presidency of AFL-CIO of Massachusetts Labor Union - a cause close to his heart.

Should Tolman leave the senate, a vacancy would be left in the district, which includes Watertown, Belmont, parts of Cambridge and several areas of Boston: Allston, Brighton, the South End and Back Bay.

The Brighton Democrat said that if he wins the post he would give up his Senate seat, according to the State House News Service. The move would end an elected career that led him to the inner circle of the Senate leadership. He currently serves as Senate President Therese Murray’s assistant majority leader.

Tolman, who represents the Second Suffolk and Middlesex District, told the State House News Service that he has been involved in the labor movement for decades.

“This is a critical juncture for the labor movement in Massachusetts and in our nation. My whole life – when I started working the railroad at 18 years old and got elected president of my local – my whole life has been about the labor movement,” Tolman, 56, told the News Service. “I’ve been inspired by great labor leaders, including my dad. For me, this is like a coming home.”

The vote for the AFL-CIO president is scheduled for October.