Northampton resident Jo Comerford to run as a write-in candidate for Rosenberg’s vacant seat

The former campaign director of activist organization MoveOn has entered the race for former state Sen. Stanley Rosenberg’s seat.

Jo Comerford, who is running as a write-in candidate for the Democratic primary, tweeted early Tuesday morning that the day marked “Day 1” of her campaign to represent the Hampshire, Franklin, Worcester district in the Massachusetts Senate.

Comerford, 54, of Northampton has lived in the Pioneer Valley for around 20 years, when she re-located to the area after receiving her Master of Social Work degree. She worked as the director of the western Massachusetts American Friends Service Committee for years, then as director of programs at the Food Bank of Western Massachusetts, and later as executive director of the National Priorities Project. For the past four years, Comerford has been a campaign director for MoveOn. She and her wife, Ann Hennessey, have two children.

Rosenberg, D-Amherst, resigned earlier this month after the Senate Ethics Committee determined that he had failed to protect the Senate from the behavior of his now-estranged husband, Bryon Hefner.

Rosenberg resigned from the Senate after the filing deadline to get on the ballot for this year’s primary election. Chelsea Kline, an educator, women’s rights advocate and Northampton Democrat, is the only candidate who will appear on the primary ballot on Sept. 4. An effort by Northampton Mayor David Narkewicz to extend the deadline was rejected by the state.

Among her priorities, Comerford includes quality public education from pre-K to college and free public higher education, accessible and affordable health care, including Paid Family and Medical Leave, renewable energy policies that address the climate crisis and create economic opportunity as well as economic development and innovation grounded in a living wage, adequately funded regional transit authorities, East-West Rail, affordable housing, and food security — that relies on and supports our local agriculture and local businesses, according to her Facebook page.