The race for the Democratic nomination for the 1st Franklin District seat in the House of Representatives was hard-fought, with Lora Wondolowski eking out a victory over Corinne Coryat by less than 100 votes.
While Coryat achieved victory in 10 of the 18 municipalities, Wondolowski ultimately pulled ahead with 4,355 votes across the district, 95 more than Coryat. Wondolowski secured notable victories in Greenfield, where she earned 328 more votes than Coryat, and Montague, where she beat Coryat by 155 votes.
After Heath and Shelburne submitted their results on Wednesday morning, with Coryat victorious in both towns, Colrain was the only town in the 1st Franklin District yet to report its results. With the candidates just a few dozen votes apart, a final tally remained in limbo well into Wednesday afternoon.
The Associated Press and the Boston Globe are reporting that Wondolowski won 174 votes in Colrain, while Coryat earned 113 votes. Repeated efforts by the Greenfield Recorder to reach Town Clerk Emma Coburn by phone, email and in person on Wednesday were unsuccessful.
The winner of the Democratic primary moves on to face Independent candidate Amy Lavallee in the general election in November in the race to fill a vacancy representing the 18 municipalities of the 1st Franklin District. Former Rep. Natalie Blais resigned in January to take a position at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.
Wondolowski, 56, is the current Greenfield City Council president and works as the director of advancement and communications at the Peace Development Fund, a foundation based in Amherst that supports social justice organizations across the state and country. She holds a bachelor’s degree in biology from the University of Illinois and a master’s degree in environmental science from Bard College. She is originally from Illinois and settled in Greenfield in 2003.
She ran with goals of tackling climate and affordability issues, particularly housing, as well as pushing for more rural equity, particularly increasing funding for rural schools.
Wondolowski won favor in the 1st Franklin District precincts in the city of Greenfield, where she garnered 844 votes compared to Coryat’s 516, as well as the towns of Ashfield, Leverett, Leyden, Monroe, Montague and Rowe. Colrain’s results from the Associated Press and the Boston Globe show Wondolowski as victorious in town.
“I’m incredibly humbled and honored to have earned the confidence of Democratic primary voters across the 1st Franklin District and to be your Democratic nominee for state representative,” Wondolowski said in an email. “This was an extraordinarily close race, and I am deeply grateful to every person who cast a ballot, opened their door, shared their story, volunteered, made a phone call, held a sign or believed in what we are building together. After months of traveling across this district and talking with thousands of our neighbors, this victory belongs to the incredible team and grassroots support behind this campaign. To everyone who put their trust in us: thank you. Throughout this campaign, we heard again and again about the challenges our communities need us to tackle — from rural school funding and housing availability and affordability to supporting our farms, protecting our environment, and making sure the voices of Franklin County are heard on Beacon Hill.”
She thanked Coryat for “putting herself forward,” running a “great campaign” and her “commitment to the people of Franklin County,” adding that she respects the “time, energy and heart” Coryat has dedicated to serving the district’s communities.
“Today, I’m filled with gratitude and excitement about what comes next. Tomorrow, we get back to work,” Wondolowski continued. “I look forward to earning the trust of voters across the district and, ultimately, serving Franklin County as a state representative who listens, brings people together, builds bigger and stronger coalitions, and never stops fighting for the communities we call home. Onward to November!”
According to data from the Office of Campaign and Political Finance, Wondolowski’s campaign had raised more money than Coryat’s as of primary day. Wondolowski has raised $32,980 and spent $18,468 on her campaign. Top donors include Leverett author Josh Goldstein, Deerfield Selectboard member Tim Hilchey, and Ben Markens, who chairs the Ashfield Finance Committee.
Other donors backing Wondolowski include Tara Brewster, vice president of business development and director of philanthropy at Greenfield Savings Bank; Montague Selectboard member Marina Goldman; state Rep. Susannah Whipps, I-Athol; and Mike McCusker of Buckland.
Coryat, 27, previously served as Blais’ chief of staff. While she continued working in the office after Blais’ resignation, she stepped down from the role earlier this summer. She grew up in Williamsburg and now lives in Deerfield. Coryat holds a bachelor’s degree in political science from Clark University and is set to complete a law degree by the end of the year.
She campaigned on a platform similar to Wondolowski’s, as well as a push for new, young leadership at the State House.
“Today, the voters of the 1st Franklin District made their choice, and while this is not the outcome we hoped for, I am incredibly proud of the campaign we built together,” Coryat said in an email. “I want to congratulate Lora Wondolowski on her victory and wish her success as the Democratic nominee for state representative. Representing these 18 communities is an extraordinary responsibility, one I wish her nothing but luck and success in. To everyone who believed in me and in this campaign: thank you.”
Coryat thanked her family, friends, her “incredible” campaign manager Lucy Postera “who stood beside [her] through every long day of this campaign,” and her supporters who knocked on doors, made phone calls, put up lawn signs, donated, hosted events and introduced her to neighbors.
“I ran because we believe deeply in the future of Franklin County,” Coryat said. “We believe our small towns deserve a strong voice. We believe our public schools are worth fighting for, our farms and forests are worth protecting, and our families, seniors and young people deserve the opportunity to build their futures here. And because we believe a new generation should step forward and take responsibility for the future of our communities. An election result does not change any of those things.”
Coryat said conversations on the campaign trail across 18 communities deepened her love for the region and her “belief in what we can accomplish together.”
“Public service has never been about a title for me. It is about helping people, strengthening our communities and leaving this place a little better than we found it,” she said. “So while tonight marks the end of this campaign, it does not mark the end of my commitment to Franklin County or to public service. I love this district with my whole heart. I am profoundly grateful for every person who placed their trust in me, and I will carry that trust, and everything this campaign taught me, wherever the road leads next.”
Coryat won the support of her town of Deerfield with 670 votes compared to Wondolowski’s 471. She also won Bernardston, Buckland, Charlemont, Conway, Hawley, Heath, Shelburne, Sunderland and Whately.
Coryat’s campaign has raised just over $23,300 and spent approximately $8,400. Top donors include Greg Garrison, president of Northeast Solar; Larry Langford, who chairs the Buckland Finance Committee; and Buckland resident Martha Thurber, chair of the Mohawk Trail Regional School District School Committee.
Other prominent donors backing Coryat include Northwestern District Attorney David Sullivan, Franklin County’s interim Sheriff Lori Streeter and Buckland Town Administrator Pam Guyette.
