‘We’re not done yet’: Wondolowski rallies supporters for final campaign push in 1st Franklin District race

SOUTH DEERFIELD — With Election Day drawing near, Lora Wondolowski told her team of volunteers and supporters on Thursday that their work is not done yet.

“I need your support to get over the finish line,” the candidate seeking to represent the 1st Franklin District in the House of Representatives said at a “Unity Party” at Yankee Candle, held as a final campaign push ahead of the Nov. 3 election.

Wondolowski secured the Democratic nomination in a tight primary race in September, taking 4,355 votes over Democratic opponent Corinne Coryat’s 4,260. She now faces Independent candidate Amy Lavallee in the general election for a two-year term serving the 1st Franklin District, which includes 17 towns and some Greenfield precincts.

“It was challenging, you all know, 95-vote win,” Wondolowski said. “We did that together by knocking on doors every single day, while working full-time, while being a mom, while doing everything else, but I learned so much from everybody that I heard from.”

“Lora’s been doing a great job campaigning,” Deerfield Selectboard member Tim Hilchey said.

The event welcomed some of the region’s political powerhouses, including state Sens. Jo Comerford and Paul Mark, and Reps. Lindsay Sabadosa and Homar Gómez, as well as selectboard members, city councilors, school committee members and residents from across the 1st Franklin District.

“I’m really happy to be here with my great colleagues in the Legislature who are excited to welcome Lora as a teammate,” Comerford said. “In the 413, there aren’t very many of us, which is why we are stronger when we are together. And the 1st Franklin and Lora, as our representative, will be a really essential piece of the puzzle.”

Comerford said it’s a “wild time to be in government,” and elected officials are working to balance state goals of battling climate change and pushing for Massachusetts to be a leader in innovation, while at the same time navigating federal policy changes and protecting healthcare, gender-affirming care and immigrants. She said Wondolowski’s leadership will “be critical in this work.”

Mark said representing rural communities can be more difficult than urban regions, as you have to represent multiple towns rather than neighborhoods, but he feels Wondolowski is prepared for the job.

“That is a gigantic district, so having the help of your colleagues matters; having an engaged population definitely matters,” Mark said. “And then having a representative who is a great listener, is a great advocate, who I know is going to be a great partner. She’s already being a great partner.”

Wondolowski told attendees that her mother inspired her to pursue community service after she watched her serve as a Girl Scout leader and on the local parent-teacher organization, among other roles. In office, she said her top three priorities would be affordable housing, education, and protecting farms and the environment.

Francia Wisnewski, Wondolowski’s campaign manager, said that since Wondolowski announced her campaign in February, she has proven her commitment to serving the 1st Franklin District, and residents now have the opportunity to commit to Wondolowski.

“Lora shows up; she puts in the work,” said Wisnewski, who had mounted her own campaign seeking to represent the 1st Franklin District back in 2018.

Other volunteers said more campaigning is needed in the final stretch before the election, and added that the work won’t end after Nov. 3, but will continue as community members advocate for how they want to see legislators lead.

“We have a lot of work to do,” said Hannah Jarrell, director of artist and community engagement at Double Edge Theatre in Ashfield. “All of us, every single one of us. We look to our representatives here, to our senators. We speak up loudly. We fill rooms like this, and all of us are trying to face a fire hose of things that are important to us in terms of justice and equality, and taking care of our fellow citizens.”

In the final days before the election, Wondolowski said she and her campaign team will continue working to connect with voters.

“I want to thank all of the volunteers for putting your hearts and souls into all that we did in the primary, and we’re gonna keep going, because we’re not done yet,” Wondolowski said. “This campaign has been grassroots; it’s been about knocking on doors and talking to people, one voter at a time. That’s what’s really important.”