An energetic, visionary, and proven leader, Eric Lesser will partner with our next Governor to make sure she is the most successful in the country. Together, they will work on the biggest issue our state faces: the skyrocketing cost of living. Eric has a plan to fix our broken transportation system, build more housing, create better jobs, protect our environment, and make our state more affordable and equitable.
Eric understands that Massachusetts has so much going for it. But despite our Commonwealth’s considerable advantages, it’s harder and harder to live here. It’s too expensive – housing is out of control, transportation is unreliable, and childcare costs are crushing families. Meanwhile, small pockets of our state boom while entire regions are left behind. Our current situation doesn’t work: it creates skyrocketing prices and gridlock in some places, and vacuums jobs and opportunity from others.
Since he was first elected to office in 2015, Eric has made economic development and, specifically, bringing economic opportunity to the forgotten corners of the state his top priority.
As Senate Chair of the Gateway Cities Caucus, Eric has spent time in all 26 of the Commonwealth’s Gateway Cities – the midsize urban areas that anchor local economies – to help these places solve their many challenges and unlock their potential. Gateway cities were once the hubs of the Massachusetts manufacturing sector and Eric is working to bring their economies into the future.
As the Senate Chair of the Manufacturing Caucus, Eric wants to work alongside businesses and start-ups who are making things in Massachusetts; our state could become an indispensable producer for the products of the future: wind turbines, solar panels, and medical equipment.
As Senate Chair of the Joint Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies, Eric led the high-stakes negotiations that created the 2018 and 2020 Economic Bond Development Bills. The 2018 bill invested hundreds of millions of dollars in infrastructure, housing, workforce development, and supporting startups in entrepreneurs. The 2020 bill was crucial for guiding the Massachusetts economy through COVID-19. It allocated funds to community development, small business recovery, broadband expansion, neighborhood revitalization, vocational and career training, and higher education.
Eric has been a tireless champion for vocational education. Massachusetts could emerge as a leader in high-tech manufacturing, but we lack the high-skilled labor we need to keep growing. Our state could create 7,000 jobs just by closing waitlists at vocational schools, so Eric has fought to give them more spots for incoming students and more funding for paid apprenticeships so no young person with the desire to learn is stuck on a waitlist.
Eric has delivered tens of millions of dollars for our Gateway Cities, on projects ranging from building new housing to funding Boys and Girls Clubs.
Eric chaired the Future of Work Commission, bringing government, business, and labor leaders to the table to develop a long-term vision for jobs, innovation, and economic development in our Commonwealth. In 2022, the commission issued a report that outlines the challenges and opportunities before us: automation, remote work, climate change, and more. To guide Massachusetts into the 21st century, we will need to reimagine education for fast-changing and high-tech careers, build transportation networks that accommodate hybrid workers, and make child and elder care flexible enough for all families to participate and succeed.
Eric has worked to continue the development of our state’s red-hot biotech sector, leading negotiations for the 2018 Life Sciences Bond Bill. The bill continues our state’s strategy of long-term investments, incentivizing the creation of high-paying jobs and supporting educational initiatives that will develop a workforce capable of staffing them.