Framingham Democratic Committee Headlines Local Primary Ballot

FRAMINGHAM - Voters across Massachusetts will be taking to the polls on Super Tuesday, March 5, for the presidential primary election. However, some Framingham voters will also be tasked with choosing residents to comprise the Framingham Democratic Committee (FDC).

Two different groups of local officials and leaders have been formed to represent the 35-member group, which was created to support and promote the Democratic Party at the local, state, and national levels. In turn, only registered Democrats in the city along with independent voters who request a Democratic Party ballot will be able to cast their votes on the FDC matter.

The ballot displays the pair of coalitions aptly named Group 1 and Group 2. A sample ballot, including all the names of the candidates up for the FDC, can be found by clicking here.

Voters are not required to adhere to choosing one group or the other; residents can choose up to 35 candidates from either group. Former State Representative and Senator David Magnani is listed on the ballot as a non-group candidate, and voters may choose him alongside either group or any combination of other officials.

Group 1 includes 34 candidates, including State Representative for the 7th Middlesex District Jack Patrick Lewis, City Councilors Tracey Bryant, Adam Steiner, Brandon Ward, and Leslie White Harvey, as well as former City Councilor Cesar Stewart-Morales, School Committee member William LaBarge, and Yvonne Spicer, the former mayor of Framingham. On their website, Group 1 contends that they are the more experienced and united group for Framingham Democrats to rally around. They state they are on the ballot to “advance democracy in our community and country” through their coalition.

Meanwhile, 24 people comprise Group 2. That group includes 6th Middlesex District State Representative Priscila Sousa, At-Large City Councilor George King, former State Representative and City Councilor John Stefanini, School Committee members Jessica Barnhill and Adam Freudberg, along with former City Councilor Michael Rossi and Chair of the city’s Strategic Initiatives and Financial Oversight Committee (SIFOC) Mary Kate Feeney. Labeling themselves as the city’s “Democrats for change,” Group 2’s website maintains that the FDC’s leadership has not properly provided platforms to new voices within the party. The smaller of the two groups on the ballot claims they are leaving 11 spots open to “welcome new people” to the committee.

The deadline to register to vote in the Massachusetts primary is Saturday, February 24. Early voting in Framingham also begins that day. The deadline to register for a mail-in ballot is Tuesday, February 27 at 5 p.m.