Senator Eric P. Lesser Served 2015 - 2022 Democrat - First Hampden and Hampshire

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 in his fourth term in the State Senate. Senator Lesser has fought for expanded passenger rail service since his first days in office, pushing for service from Boston to Springfield to transform and economically develop the region.

Lesser's legislative agenda focuses on the fight for greater economic opportunity and quality of life for Western Massachusetts, with initiatives around passenger rail, education, job training, innovation, and most recently, economic recovery and reinvestment in response to the COVID-19 pandemic. As lead negotiator for An Act Enabling Partnerships for Growth, Senator Lesser was instrumental in the passage of the 2021 Economic Development Bonding Bill, providing over $627M in relief to businesses, families, and communities during the COVID-19 pandemic. The relief package signed into law also included a Student Loan Borrower Bill of Rights, establishing protections for nearly one million borrowers in the Commonwealth, and historic zoning reform to alleviate the housing crisis and encourage construction of new housing.

Senator Lesser holds several leadership positions in the Legislature. He is Senate Chair of the Joint Committee on Economic Development & Emerging Technologies, Chair of the Senate Committee on Ethics, and Senate Vice-Chair of the Joint Committee on the Judiciary. Senator Lesser is also a member of the Senate Committee on Ways and Means, Joint Committee on Transportation, Joint Committee on Health Care Financing; and was appointed to the Joint Committee on COVID-19 and Emergency Preparedness and Management in the 2021-22 session.

Senator Lesser is also involved with several caucuses and holds leadership positions as Senate Chair of the Joint Legislative Manufacturing Caucus, the Gateway Cities Caucus, and the Libraries Caucus as well as Senate Co-Chair of the Food Systems 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 White House 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 a law degree from Harvard Law School, a bachelor’s degree in government from Harvard College, and is a member of the Massachusetts Bar and Federal District of Massachusetts Bar. He holds a number of national recognitions, including a Rodel Fellowship in Public Leadership at the Aspen Institute, and Co-Chairs the Future of Work Initiative at NewDEAL, a national network of pro-growth, progressive state and local elected officials. Senator Lesser sits on the Advisory Board of the Student Borrower Protection Center and teaches workshops on campaigns and policy-making at Harvard’s Center for Public Leadership and Institute of Politics. He also worked seven seasons as a script consultant for the HBO comedy ​VEEP. ​He is a term member of the Council on Foreign Relations.

Lesser lives in Longmeadow with his wife, Alison, and two young daughters, Rose and Nora.