| Carl M. Sciortino, Jr. | |
|---|---|
| Member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives from the 34th Middlesex district |
|
| Incumbent | |
| Assumed office January 2005 |
|
| Preceded by | Vincent Ciampa |
| Personal details | |
| Born | July 6, 1978 |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Residence | Medford, Massachusetts |
| Alma mater | Tufts University |
| Website | electcarl.org |
Carl M. Sciortino, Jr., commonly known as Carl Sciortino, is an American politician from Massachusetts. A Democrat, he is a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives representing the 34th Middlesex district. The district includes parts of Medford and Somerville.
Contents |
Sciortino was first elected to the house in 2004, defeating sixteen-year incumbent Democrat Vincent Ciampa in a bitter contest. The 34th Middlesex district is heavily Democratic and the primary election is the key contest. In 2004, Sciortino defeated Ciampa in the Democratic primary by just 93 votes – 51% to 49%. Ciampa, an opponent of same-sex marriage, faced Sciortino, who is openly gay.[1]
Having defeated Ciampa in the primary, Sciortino faced no Republican opponent in the general election; his being the only name on the ballot. However, Ciampa launched a write-in campaign to hold on to his seat, triggering a rematch of the primary election fought just months earlier. Ciampa received 4,254 write-in votes but Sciortino, with 8,889, defeated him by more than two-to-one.
In the General Court, Sciortino serves as Vice Chair of the Joint Committee on Transportation. He also serves on the House Ways & Means Committee and the Joint Committee on Health Care Financing.
A graduate of Tufts University, Sciortino is one of seven openly LGBT members of the Massachusetts General Court, alongside Representatives Sarah Peake (D–Provincetown), Kate Hogan (D–Stow), Cheryl Coakley-Rivera (D–Springfield), Liz Malia (D–Jamaica Plain) and Denise Andrews (D–Orange), as well as Senator Stan Rosenberg (D–Amherst).[2][3] His campaigns have been supported by both MassEquality and the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund.
In April 2008, Somerville Alderman Bob Trane announced his intention to challenge Sciortino in the Democratic primary. Both Trane and Sciortino collected the necessary number of signatures to qualify for the ballot but several pages of Sciortino's nomination papers disappeared from his State House office before he had handed them in to the Secretary of State's office.[4] As a result, Sciortino's name did not appear on the Democratic primary ballot, where Trane was listed as the sole candidate. Nevertheless, Sciortino mounted a write-in and sticker campaign, managing to win renomination with 2,678 votes (55 percent) to Trane's 2,217 (45 percent).[5]
On 2 November 2010, Sciortino was reelected as the representative for the 34th Middlesex District in the Massachusetts House of Representatives. He stated that, "education reform will...continue to be a priority of [his]" over the coming two year term, along with the Green Line extension to the Medford/Somerville area. Sciortino received 74% of the vote in the 2010 election, defeating independent opponent Richard Cannava.[6]
|
||||||||||||||||||||