Steve Pemberton, Framingham Resident, Challenges U.S. Sen. Markey

FRAMINGHAM, MA — A second challenger has entered the race against Democratic Massachusetts U.S. Sen. Edward Markey, and he's a Framingham resident. Steve Pemberton announced his candidacy on Tuesday and said he is running "for the unseen, unchosen and those seeking change."

Pemberton, 52, is a New Bedford native and chief human resource officer at the Framingham-based technology company, Workhuman. Pemberton is also a published author, writing a memoir about his tumultuous upbringing in the foster care system. His book was also made into a movie. He was taken from his biological parents at the age of 3 and placed in an abusive foster home. Pemberton describes his mother as a single-mom losing a battle with alcoholism and his father as largely absent who eventually became a victim of gun violence.

Pemberton is the second primary challenger to run for Markey's seat. Brookline labor attorneyShannon Liss-Riordan announced her campaign in May. Sen. Ed Markey has been in Congress since 1976.

Much of Pemberton's campaign centers around his upbringing and the neighbors and community members who supported him. "How is it that I’m here today? Not because I’m an exception, but because this is what happens when a Commonwealth rises up to protect the most vulnerable among us," Pemberton said in his campaign announcement on Twitter, "We deserve leaders who understand the human toll of failed policies and the cost of willful indifference inflicted upon our working families and our most vulnerable citizens. I understand these threats because I have lived them, stared them down, and overcome them."

Pemberton graduated from Boston College in 1989 and after graduation, worked as an admissions counselor at the University of Massachusetts Dartmouth. He also received a master’s degree in sociology from Boston College and an Honorary Degree in 2015.

Before working for Framingham's Workhuman, Pemberton worked as a senior executive at companies such like Walgreens and Monster.com. In 2015, he was appointed by Tom Perez, President Barack Obama’s labor secretary, to a federal advisory committee on improving employment participation among people with disabilities.

In his campaign video, Pemberton says his campaign will focus on income inequality, student loan debt, and access to quality health care. He also noted that only eight African-Americans have been elected to the U.S. Senate, pushing in his video that he could offer a new perspective on persistent issues.

Pemberton had been bouncing back and forth between Framingham and Chicago for work, moving his family to Illinois in 2011, but according to the Globe, he bought a house in Framingham this past May.