It's Official: Petty In For State Senate Run

WORCESTER, MA — Worcester Mayor Joseph Petty officially kicked off his 2022 state Senate campaign on Wednesday, about three weeks after the six-term mayor filed paperwork to run for Harriette Chandler's seat.

Petty kicked off his campaign with a short video explaining his run and an announcement in the Politico Massachusetts newsletter. In a series of tweets Wednesday, Petty said he decided to run after working in government during the COVID-19 pandemic.

"As Worcester’s Mayor, the pandemic helped shed light on the many limitations of municipal government. That’s why I want to head to Beacon Hill: To bring resources back to this district and together, find impactful solutions to these limitations faced by all of us in Central Mass," he tweeted.

Politico reported Petty has already been endorsed by Worcester School Committee members Molly McCullough and Jermaine Johnson, plus West Boylston Select Board Vice Chair Barur “Raj” Rajeshkumar and Boylston Selectman Jamie Underwood. Chandler's 1st Worcester District Senate seat covers six communities, including Worcester, Northborough, Berlin, Boylston, West Boylston and Bolton.

Petty will have at least one opponent heading into the September Democratic primary. Robyn Kennedy, an executive at the YWCA of Central Massachusetts, launched her campaign one week ago at Elm Park in Worcester.

Kennedy has been endorsed by District 5 Councilor Etel Haxhiaj, and has received a donation from School Committee member Sue Mailman.

Petty enters the race with about $49,000 in his campaign account, mostly left over from his mayoral run in 2021. Kennedy had raised about $4,500 by the end of February, according to state records.

Chandler — the first woman to hold the 1st Worcester District Senate seat — announced her retirement after more than two decades in January. State Rep. David LeBoeuf had been seen as a possible candidate for the seat, but he has since decided to run for reelection in 2022.