State Sen. Eldridge Will Face 2022 Challenge From Wayland Republican

WAYLAND, MA — A Wayland Republican will challenge state Sen. Jamie Eldridge in the November election, according to campaign filings.

Wayland resident Anthony Christakis filed papers on April 27 to run as a Republican for the seat. Christakis' campaign chair is Tony Boschetto, who ran and won a Wayland Select Board seat in 2013. Christakis works as a project manager for MassDOT, according to his LinkedIn page.

Even if Eldridge wins in November, the 2022 election will trigger a political change. After the 2020 Census, the lines of Eldridge's Worcester and Middlesex District have shifted east. Right now, the district represents an area from Westborough north to Ayer, and the southern half of Sudbury.

But after the November election, the district will shift east and include all of Sudbury and Wayland, plus Marlborough, Southborough, Hudson, Acton, Littleton, Boxborough, Harvard and Ayer.

Christakis will be facing an uphill battle against Eldridge, who has been a state lawmaker for 20 years, first serving in the state House. Eldridge last faced a Republican challenger — Margaret Busse — in 2018, and bested her with 65 percent of the vote. Eldridge also faced Republican challengers in 2016, 2012 and 2010, and won each race with more than half of all votes.

Christakis is also at a fundraising disadvantage. He's raised just $148 between April and May, while Eldridge had more than $180,000 on hand at the end of April, according to state records.

With neither a Republican nor a Democratic primary in September, Eldridge and Christakis will face off in the general election on Nov. 8. The filing deadline for statewide candidates passed on May 31.