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Aaron Vega
Aaron Vega (Democratic Party) was a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives, representing the 5th Hampden District. Vega assumed office on January 5, 2013. Vega left office on January 6, 2021.
Vega (Democratic Party) ran for re-election to the Massachusetts House of Representatives to represent the 5th Hampden District. Vega won in the general election on November 6, 2018.
Vega was first elected to the chamber in 2012.
Biography
Vega's professional experience includes owning a yoga studio with his wife, and working as a film editor.[1]
Committee assignments
2019-2020
Vega was assigned to the following committees:
- Export Development Committee (decommissioned)
- Cannabis Policy Joint Committee
- Higher Education Joint Committee
- Technology and Intergovernmental Affairs Committee, Vice Chair
2017 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2017 legislative session, this legislator served on the following committees:
| Massachusetts committee assignments, 2017 |
|---|
| • Children, Families and Persons with Disabilities Joint, Vice chair |
| • Higher Education Joint |
| • Labor and Workforce Development Joint |
| • Marijuana Policy Joint |
2015 legislative session
At the beginning of the 2015 legislative session, Vega served on the following committees:
| Massachusetts committee assignments, 2015 |
|---|
| • Personnel and Administration |
| • Public Service Joint |
| • Economic Development and Emerging Technologies Joint |
| • Children, Families and Persons with Disabilities Joint, Vice Chair |
2013-2014
At the beginning of the 2013 legislative session, Vega served on the following committees:
| Massachusetts committee assignments, 2013 |
|---|
| • Personnel and Administration |
| • Economic Development and Emerging Technologies Joint |
| • Higher Education Joint |
Sponsored legislation
Elections
2020
Aaron Vega did not file to run for re-election.
2018
General election
General election for Massachusetts House of Representatives 5th Hampden District
Incumbent Aaron Vega won election in the general election for Massachusetts House of Representatives 5th Hampden District on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Aaron Vega (D) | 99.6 | 10,199 |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.4 | 38 | ||
| Total votes: 10,237 | |||
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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Massachusetts House of Representatives 5th Hampden District
Incumbent Aaron Vega advanced from the Democratic primary for Massachusetts House of Representatives 5th Hampden District on September 4, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Aaron Vega | 100.0 | 2,778 |
| Total votes: 2,778 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
2016
Elections for the Massachusetts House of Representatives took place in 2016. The primary election took place on September 8, 2016, and the general election was held on November 8, 2016. The candidate filing deadline was June 7, 2016.
Incumbent Aaron Vega ran unopposed in the Massachusetts House of Representatives Fifth Hampden District general election.[2][3]
| Massachusetts House of Representatives, Fifth Hampden District General Election, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | |
| Democratic |  Aaron Vega Incumbent (unopposed) | |
| Source: Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth | ||
Incumbent Aaron Vega ran unopposed in the Massachusetts House of Representatives Fifth Hampden District Democratic Primary.[4][5]
| Massachusetts House of Representatives, Fifth Hampden District Democratic Primary, 2016 | ||
|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | |
| Democratic | Aaron Vega Incumbent (unopposed) | |
2014
Elections for the Massachusetts House of Representatives took place in 2014. A primary election was held on September 9, 2014, and a general election was held on November 4, 2014. The signature filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was June 3, 2014. Incumbent Aaron Vega was unopposed in the Democratic primary and was unopposed in the general election.[6]
2012
Vega won election in the 2012 election for Massachusetts House of Representatives Fifth Hampden District. He defeated incumbent Michael Kane in the September 6 Democratic primary and defeated Linda Vacon (R) and Jerome T. Hobert (G) in the general election, which took place on November 6, 2012.[7][8]
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Aaron Vega Incumbent |
60.8% | 9,545 | |
| Republican | Linda Vacon | 20.5% | 3,211 | |
| Green | Jerome Hobert | 18.7% | 2,939 | |
| Total Votes | 15,695 | |||
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
|---|---|---|
|
Aaron Vega |
66.1% | 1,947 |
| Michael Kane Incumbent | 33.9% | 999 |
| Total Votes | 2,946 | |
Campaign themes
2014
Vega's website highlighted the following campaign themes:[1]
Education
- Excerpt: "Fixing public education is the civil rights struggle of today. Our district has a 53%graduation rate and two level 4 schools. Finding solutions to this problem will be one of my top priorities as your state representative."
Jobs
- Excerpt: "I support a two-fold strategy of promoting the growth small business in our city while at the same time working to attract large business to Western Mass, hand in hand with other local legislators."
Public safety
- Excerpt: "In addition to supporting the greatwork by the Holyoke Police Department, I will make sure that any successful program receiving statemoney remains funded. I will work to strengthen pre- and post-release programs to target repeat offenders."
Transportation
- Excerpt: "The PVTA is facing rate increases while the MBTA is being bailed out. We must invest in our regional public transportation system while embracing commuter rail."
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
Scorecards
A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.
Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.
Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states. To contribute to the list of Massachusetts scorecards, email suggestions to editor@ballotpedia.org.
2020
In 2020, the Massachusetts State Legislature was in session from January 1 to January 5.
- Legislators are scored on bills of interest to an organization that pledges "to make government more transparent, make fiscally responsible choices, and to hold the line on taxes."
- Legislators are scored on their votes on public interest issues.
- Legislators are scored on their sponsorship of legislation related to animal issues.
- Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues.
- Legislators are scored by the organization on votes that "can show the distinction between a progressive legislator, and everyone else."
- Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
2019
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2019, click [show]. |
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In 2019, the Massachusetts General Court was in session from January 2 through December 31.
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2018
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2018, click [show]. |
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In 2018, the Massachusetts General Court was in formal session from January 3 to July 31. The legislature was in informal session from August 1 to December 31.
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2017
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2017, click [show]. |
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In 2017, the Massachusetts General Court was in session from January 4 through November 15. The legislature held an informal session from November 16 to January 2.
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2016
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2016, click [show]. |
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In 2016, the Massachusetts General Court was in session from January 6 through July 31.
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2015
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2015, click [show]. |
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In 2015, the Massachusetts General Court was in session from January 7, 2015, through January 5, 2016.
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2014
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2014, click [show]. |
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In 2014, the Massachusetts General Court was in session from January 14 through August 1.
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2013
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2013, click [show]. |
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In 2013, the Massachusetts General Court was in session from January 2 to December 31.
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Personal
Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Vega and his wife, Debra, have three children.[9]
See also
- Massachusetts House of Representatives
- House Committees
- Joint Committees
- Massachusetts state legislative districts
- Massachusetts State Legislature
External links
- Search Google News for this topic
- Profile from Open States
- Biography from Project Vote Smart
- Legislative profile from Project Vote Smart
- Aaron Vega on Twitter
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 "vegaforholyoke," Official Campaign Website
- ↑ Massachusetts Secretary of State, "2016 State election candidates," accessed October 3, 2016
- ↑ Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth, "Election data lookup," accessed December 20, 2016
- ↑ Massachusetts Secretary of State, "2016 Primary Candidates (Democratic)," accessed June 20, 2016
- ↑ Secretary of the Commonweath of Massachusetts, "Massachusetts Election Statistics," accessed October 14, 2016
- ↑ Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth, "2014 State Primary Candidates," accessed September 9, 2014
- ↑ 2012 State Primary Candidate List, "Massachusetts Secretary of State," accessed June 26, 2012
- ↑ 2012 Massachusetts Secretary of State, Official 2012 Primary Results
- ↑ Project Vote Smart, "Biography," accessed June 2, 2014
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Michael Kane (D) |
Massachusetts House of Representatives Hampden 5 2013–2021 |
Succeeded by Patricia Duffy (D) |
