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The following was submitted by Rep. Kate Lipper-Garabedian:
Kate Lipper-Garabedian, a state representative, education attorney, former teacher, and mom announced Feb. 25 that she is running for state Senate for the 5th Middlesex District.
On Feb. 24, current state Sen. Jason Lewis announced he will not seek re-election, creating an open seat in this year’s September Primary and November General Elections.
Lipper-Garabedian has represented the 32nd Middlesex District (Malden, Melrose, and Wakefield) in the House of Representatives since March 2020. Prior to that, she served as a Melrose City Councilor At-Large, first elected in 2017.
She also worked as the Chief Legal Counsel at the Massachusetts Executive Office of Education and as a public middle school teacher.
“Today, I am officially declaring my candidacy for state Senate for the 5th Middlesex District,” Lipper-Garabedian said. “Sen. Lewis has been an incredible leader throughout his time in the state Legislature, ushering through historic legislation that meaningfully benefits families across the Commonwealth. Over the last six years, as state representative, I have been privileged to partner with him to deliver resources and responsive constituent services to our communities while collaborating on transformative legislation that makes Massachusetts a national leader on so many of the issues about which we care deeply.”
She continued, “We are at a defining moment in our nation’s history, one that demands bold, effective leadership in a state that serves as a beacon of hope for a fractured nation. I come to this moment as someone who believes passionately in the mandate of government to make life better for individuals and families, someone who listens carefully and works hard for her constituents, and someone whose experience in state and local government ensures that she will get things done for the 5th Middlesex District.
“I will stand firm in upholding the basic pillars of our democracy and protecting reproductive freedom, our immigrant neighbors, and healthcare access,” she said. “I will champion laws and investments that address our affordability challenges, support our schools and protect our kids, honor our veterans and older adults, and maintain our climate resiliency and environmental stewardship efforts.”
As state representative, Lipper-Garabedian serves as Chair of the House Committee on Ethics and formerly served as Vice Chair on the Joint Committee on Elder Affairs for two sessions.
Since first being elected in 2020, she has led on many important pieces of legislation, including sponsoring the new state laws on nursing home and assisted living residence reforms, tax relief for renters, and campaign funds for childcare expenses.
The House of Representatives has passed her bills on financial literacy for K-12 students and the Location Shield Act. And she has been a vocal advocate for increased early education and childcare funding and universal K-12 school meals, the most significant tax relief reform in a generation, investments in the state’s economic competitiveness and housing production, and efforts to protect democratic foundations and constitutional rights through legislative action at the State House.
Lipper-Garabedian also has secured more than $3.33 million dollars in earmarks for her district in the last two fiscal years alone.
After graduating from Harvard Law School, Lipper-Garabedian served as a judicial clerk on the First Circuit, U.S. Court of Appeals, and spent more than five years as a senior policy and legal advisor supporting states, school districts, colleges, and nonprofits focused on improving the U.S. education system.
She brought that national lens as well as her earlier professional experience as a seventh-grade public school English and reading teacher to her work as the Chief Legal Counsel to the Massachusetts Secretary of Education, working on the Student Opportunity Act, early college initiatives, and consumer protections for college students and faculty, among many matters.
As both a city councilor and state representative, Lipper-Garabedian has prided herself on responsive constituent services, personally assisting residents with over 1,000 annual constituent cases, developing a variety of resources across multiple audio and visual platforms, spearheading community events, and remaining deeply involved in community issues from small to large.
Lipper-Garabedian, a Melrose resident, is the proud mother of two school-aged boys.
The 5th Middlesex District includes the cities of Malden and Melrose and the towns of Reading, Stoneham, Wakefield, and Winchester.
