MALDEN, MA — State Rep. Kate Lipper-Garabedian is currently leading the race for the Democratic nomination for the Fifth Middlesex state Senate District in the Massachusetts primary, according to The Associated Press.
Lipper-Garabedian received 10,444 votes as of 10 p.m. Tuesday night, compared with 2,293 for Carey McDonald and 1,469 for Ryan O'Malley with more than 49 percent of precincts reporting.
The race was for an open seat after State Sen. Jason Lewis announced earlier this year that he would not seek reelection following nearly 12 years representing the district.
Lipper-Garabedian has represented the 32nd Middlesex District in the House of Representatives since 2020 after previously serving on the Melrose City Council. She earned a bachelor's degree in English and history from the University of Virginia and a law degree from Harvard Law School. Her career prior to joining the Legislature included working as a judicial clerk on the First Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals and as chief legal counsel at the Massachusetts Executive Office of Education. She also previously worked as a public school teacher.
McDonald was first elected to an at-large seat on the Malden City Council in 2021 and currently serves as chair of the council's Finance Committee. They previously worked as a legislative aide in the Ohio House of Representatives and earned a bachelor's degree in economics from Pomona College before studying organizational leadership at Wheelock College. McDonald has pointed to their work on Malden's Climate Action Plan, Affordable Housing Trust Fund and Community Electricity program during the campaign while emphasizing housing, clean energy, child care and healthcare affordability.
O'Malley has represented Ward 4 on the Malden City Council since first being elected in 2015 and is serving his sixth consecutive term. A lifelong Malden resident and Malden High School graduate, O'Malley attended the College of the Holy Cross before earning a law degree from Boston College Law School. He has centered his campaign around increasing state funding for public education and has also called for state lawmakers to be subject to the same Open Meeting and Public Records laws that apply to local governments.
The Fifth Middlesex District includes Malden, Melrose, Reading, Stoneham and Wakefield, along with Precincts 1, 2, 3 and 8 in Winchester.
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