In a landslide victory, Democratic candidate Lora Wondolowski won the race to represent the 1st Franklin District in the House of Representatives by 9,219 votes.
Wondolowski bested Independent candidate Amy Lavallee in 17 of the 18 communities in the 1st Franklin District, including Ashfield, Bernardston, Buckland, Charlemont, Colrain, Conway, Deerfield, Hawley, Heath, Leverett, Leyden, Monroe, Montague, Rowe, Shelburne, Sunderland and the four Greenfield precincts located in the district. Lavallee, who relinquished her duties as Whately town clerk for the day to interim Assistant Town Clerk Jessica Murphy, claimed victory in Whately with 462 votes, 20 more than Wondolowski.
Overall, Wondolowski took the lead with 14,211 votes, while Lavallee earned 4,992. The Associated Press called the race in favor of Wondolowski at 12:46 a.m., with 82% of votes counted.
Wondolowski secured wide wins in Greenfield, where she pulled ahead by 1,971 votes, as well as Montague with 1,990 more votes than Lavallee, Sunderland with a margin of 871 votes and Leverett with a 813-vote margin. Deerfield marked a closer race between the two candidates, with Wondolowski pulling ahead by only five votes.
“I’m deeply humbled and honored to have earned the support and trust of the people of the 1st Franklin District to serve as their next state representative,” Wondolowski said in a statement Wednesday morning. “The overwhelming confidence that voters across our 18 communities have placed in me is something I don’t take lightly.”
She thanked the voters and her daughter Alice, adding, “I’m so proud to be your mom.” To the volunteers, supporters, families and friends who “gave so much of themselves” along her campaign trail, she said, “This victory belongs to you.”
“You knocked on doors, made phone calls, held signs, organized events and believed in what we could accomplish together,” Wondolowski continued. “I cannot thank you enough.”
The 1st Franklin District has gone without a representative on Beacon Hill since January, when former Rep. Natalie Blais resigned 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. Before the Peace Development Fund, she worked at the National Audubon Society, the League of Conservation Voters in Washington D.C. and the Massachusetts League of Environmental Voters.
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.
As the founding executive director of Leadership Pioneer Valley in Springfield, her last job before the Peace Development Fund, she encouraged community leaders to step into politics. In 2023, she decided to take her own advice and run for City Council — advice that came back to mind when she started her run for Blais’ empty seat.
On the campaign trail, Wondolowski focused on climate and affordability issues, particularly housing, and laid out her plans to push for the passage of the FARM Bill and more rural equity through increasing funding for rural schools.
Wondolowski’s win came after she earned the Democratic nomination in a tight primary race in September, securing 4,355 votes compared to opponent Corinne Coryat’s 4,260.
“For the past 11 months, our district has been without representation on Beacon Hill, and there is a lot of work to catch up on,” she said. “Our rural schools need fair funding, families need housing they can afford, our farmers and small businesses need our support, and our communities need someone who will listen and fight for them. I’ve talked to people in all 18 towns about the challenges they face and what matters most to them. Those conversations will guide the work I do as state representative. I’m ready to get to work to bring our communities’ voices to the State House and deliver for Franklin County.”
She thanked Lavallee “for running a positive and respectful campaign, and for having the courage to run,” adding that “the voters of this district had the opportunity to choose among strong, dedicated women who care deeply about their communities. That is something we should all be proud of.
“Throughout this campaign, I have said that I’m ready to work for Franklin County on Day 1 and bring people together. That wasn’t just a campaign slogan; it was a promise,” Wondolowski continued. “Today, we celebrate an overwhelming victory. Tomorrow, we begin the work of delivering for the people of the 1st Franklin District. Thank you, Franklin County. Let’s get to work.”
According to data from the Office of Campaign and Political Finance, Wondolowski’s campaign raised more than nine times as much as Lavallee raised.
Wondolowski’s campaign raised $43,921 and spent $34,461. Top donors include Northeast Solar; Markens Consulting; Deerfield Selectboard member Tim Hilchey; Leverett resident Joshua Goldstein; Northampton resident Alfred Griggs; Montague resident Laura Garrison; Ashfield resident Jennifer Markens; Greenfield resident Martin Moreinis; Francesca Berger, who lives in Saratoga, California; and Charles Knapp of Penngrove, California.
As the current Greenfield City Council president, Wondolowski plans to resign after the Dec. 16 council meeting. She said Precinct 8 residents will then submit letters of interest to join the council before the members will vote on who should fill the seat for Precinct 8, likely a couple months later. Based on the city charter, the members must elect the next president among the existing councilors at the next scheduled meeting after Dec. 16.
Lavallee, 50, works as the town clerk in Whately, where she grew up since the age of 12. Before she became an administrative assistant and the interim town clerk in 2023, Lavallee worked as a teacher and then pivoted to nursing school. After six years as an emergency department technician and three years in outpatient and urgent care, she decided to switch lanes to local government.
In the lead-up to the election, Lavallee stressed her roots in the region as a fourth-generation Whately resident, and her plans to represent the area and advocate for more rural equity through a nonpartisan approach.
“I got almost 5,000 votes. Do you have any idea how amazing that is?” Lavallee wrote in a Facebook post on Wednesday morning. “It was just myself and my husband doing this the whole time, with a handful of people out in the community who truly believed in me and spread the word. I had zero backing, zero playbook, zero money, zero big connections. In this vast district, I still managed to get almost 5,000. That’s incredible. I can’t be sad about that.”
In an earlier post on Tuesday night, Lavallee said that while the outcome of the election was not what she had hoped for, she added, “I am incredibly grateful for the experience and for everyone who believed in me along the way.”
She congratulated Wondolowski and wished her the best on Beacon Hill before thanking her family and the residents who voted for her.
“To the people who voted for me, thank you from the bottom of my heart. Every conversation, every encouraging word, every vote and every show of support reminded me why I decided to take this leap,” Lavallee said. “Putting myself out there and running as an Independent was something I believed in, and I am proud I did it. I met wonderful people, had meaningful conversations and gained experiences I will carry with me long after this election. Although this chapter looks different than I imagined, my love for our communities and the people who call them home hasn’t changed. I’m not going anywhere. Thank you for allowing me to be part of this journey. It truly meant more to me than you’ll ever know.”
Over the course of Lavallee’s campaign, she has raised $4,683 and spent $3,302. Top donors include Jonathan Lavallee of South Deerfield, Rodger Lavallee of Whately, Amy Lavallee herself, the Ashfield Rod & Gun Club and the Greenfield Republican Town Committee.
