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Leaders

Eric Lesser

Senator / Longmeadow, MA

Eric P. Lesser was elected to the Massachusetts Senate on November 4, 2014. He represents nine communities in the First Hampden & Hampshire District, proudly serving Western Massachusetts as one of the youngest members of the State Senate.

Senator Lesser has quickly earned a reputation as one of the hardest working public servants in the Commonwealth. During his first term in office, Senator Lesser helped pass significant new laws related to substance abuse treatment and prevention, job training, and promotion of tourism and the arts.

Lesser’s legislative agenda focuses on the fight for greater economic opportunity and quality of life for Western Massachusetts, with initiatives around high-speed rail, a high-tech economy, job training, and innovation in government. Elected at the age of 29, Senator Lesser also spearheads the Senate’s agenda on millennial issues, including technology policy, student debt, and greater youth engagement in public affairs.

Senator Lesser holds several leadership positions in the Legislature. He is Senate Chair of the Joint Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies, Senate Vice-Chair of the Joint Committee on Financial Services, Senate Vice-Chair of the Joint Committee on Transportation, and Senate Chair of the Joint Legislative Manufacturing Caucus, the Gateway Cities Caucus, and the Libraries Caucus. 

Prior to becoming a state Senator, Lesser worked in the Obama White House, first as Special Assistant to Senior Adviser David Axelrod, and later as Director of Strategic Planning for the President’s Council of Economic Advisers. Lesser began as a young aide on President Obama’s historic 2008 presidential campaign, traveling to 47 states and six countries with then-Senator Obama and his senior team. Lesser has been described as “the face of the promised Obama political generation” by the New York Times.

Lesser has a law degree from Harvard Law School, a bachelor’s degree in government from Harvard College, and is a member of the Massachusetts Bar. He holds a number of national recognitions, including a Rodel Fellowship in Public Leadership at the Aspen Institute, and Co-Chair’s the Futuree of Work Initiative at NewDEAL, a national network of pro-growth, progressive state and local elected officials. He also sits on the Advisory Board of the Student Borrower Protection Center, a new advocacy group for student loan borrowers, and teaches workshops on campaigns, elections, and public policy at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government. He is a term member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

 Lesser lives in Longmeadow, just blocks from where he grew up, with his wife, Alison, two young daughters, Rose and Nora, and family dog Cooper.

Eric Lesser’s Ideas

Addressing the impacts of the cliff effect in Massachusetts

Problem We know people are working harder and harder but not getting ahead. This problem is particularly salient for our large numbers of low-wage workers […]

Equity & Opportunity, Jobs and Entrepreneurship | Eric Lesser | Senator | Longmeadow, MA

High-Tech Business Investor Tax Credit

Problem Smaller cities throughout Massachusetts have experienced much slower economic recoveries from the recession, making it harder for entrepreneurs in these areas to successfully launch […]

Jobs and Entrepreneurship | Eric Lesser | Senator | Longmeadow, MA

Advanced Manufacturing Pilot Program

Problem Over the next 10 years, more than 44,000 jobs in the precision manufacturing sector will go unfilled in Massachusetts, due to a lack of […]

Jobs and Entrepreneurship | Eric Lesser | Senator | Longmeadow, MA

Creating Empowerment School Zones

Problem While Massachusetts consistently ranks first in education when compared to the rest of the country, there are still many schools and school districts that […]

Education | Eric Lesser | Senator | Longmeadow, MA

Veterans Training Crosswalk

Problem Time and again, servicemembers reentering the civilian workforce find that their military credentials do not entirely align with civilian requirements for a similar job. […]

Jobs and Entrepreneurship | Eric Lesser | Senator | Longmeadow, MA

Latest News

  • NewDEAL CEO Debbie Cox Bultan's Op-ed in RouteFifty: Roe is Gone. States and Localities Must Protect Reproductive Rights

    By Debbie Cox Bultan, CEO, NewDEAL JUNE 27, 2022 05:14 PM ET   COMMENTARY | The 50-year era of Roe v. Wade has ended. We need […]

    READ MORE

  • Rebecca Perkins Kwoka Opinion in the Concord Monitor: Climate change is our generation’s make-or-break moment

    By Rebecca Perkins Kwoka Rebecca Perkins Kwoka is a state senator representing NH’s 21st District. She is a member of NewDEAL’s national network of state […]

    READ MORE

Recent News

NewDEAL CEO Debbie Cox Bultan’s Op-ed in RouteFifty: Roe is Gone. States and Localities Must Protect Reproductive Rights

June 28, 2022
By Debbie Cox Bultan, CEO, NewDEAL JUNE 27, 2022 05:14 PM ET   COMMENTARY | The 50-year era of Roe v. Wade has ended. We need […]
https://newdealleaders.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/06/Debbie_pic.jpg 906 764 Jordan Smith https://newdealleaders.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/logo-tnd-300x74.png Jordan Smith2022-06-28 14:04:372022-06-28 14:04:37NewDEAL CEO Debbie Cox Bultan’s Op-ed in RouteFifty: Roe is Gone. States and Localities Must Protect Reproductive Rights

Rebecca Perkins Kwoka Opinion in the Concord Monitor: Climate change is our generation’s make-or-break moment

June 27, 2022
By Rebecca Perkins Kwoka Rebecca Perkins Kwoka is a state senator representing NH’s 21st District. She is a member of NewDEAL’s national network of state […]
https://newdealleaders.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/05/perkins-kwoka.jpg 1116 1116 Jordan Smith https://newdealleaders.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/logo-tnd-300x74.png Jordan Smith2022-06-27 16:25:312022-06-27 16:25:31Rebecca Perkins Kwoka Opinion in the Concord Monitor: Climate change is our generation’s make-or-break moment

NewDEAL Statement on Supreme Court Opinion Overturning Roe v Wade 

June 24, 2022
For Immediate Release:                                                                 June 24, 2022                                                                          Contact: Jonathon Dworkin (NewDEAL), 202-660-1340 x5, jonathon@newdealleaders.org   NewDEAL Statement on Supreme Court Opinion Overturning Roe v Wade  Washington, […]
https://newdealleaders.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/06/Roe-ruling-02.png 833 833 Jordan Smith https://newdealleaders.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/11/logo-tnd-300x74.png Jordan Smith2022-06-24 15:22:162022-06-24 15:34:30NewDEAL Statement on Supreme Court Opinion Overturning Roe v Wade 

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