John Barrett III
John Barrett III (Democratic Party) is a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives, representing the 1st Berkshire District. He assumed office on November 15, 2017. His current term ends on January 6, 2027.
Barrett (Democratic Party) is running for re-election to the Massachusetts House of Representatives to represent the 1st Berkshire District. He declared candidacy for the Democratic primary scheduled on September 1, 2026.[source]
Biography
Barrett served as the mayor of North Adams for 26 years.[1]
Committee assignments
2025-2026
Barrett was assigned to the following committees:
2023-2024
Barrett was assigned to the following committees:
- House Ethics Committee, Chair
2021-2022
Barrett was assigned to the following committees:
- Federal Stimulus and Census Oversight Committee (decommissioned), Vice chair
- House Post Audit and Oversight Committee
- House Ways and Means Committee
- Municipalities and Regional Government Joint Committee
- Ways and Means Joint Committee
2019-2020
Barrett was assigned to the following committees:
- Labor and Workforce Development Joint Committee
- Ways and Means Joint Committee
- Municipalities and Regional Government Joint Committee
- House Post Audit and Oversight Committee
- House Ways and Means Committee
Sponsored legislation
The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according to BillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.
Elections
2026
See also: Massachusetts House of Representatives elections, 2026
General election
The primary will occur on September 1, 2026. The general election will occur on November 3, 2026. General election candidates will be added here following the primary.
Democratic primary
Democratic primary for Massachusetts House of Representatives 1st Berkshire District
Incumbent John Barrett III (D) and Andrew Fitch (D) are running in the Democratic primary for Massachusetts House of Representatives 1st Berkshire District on September 1, 2026.
Candidate | ||
 | John Barrett III | |
| Andrew Fitch | ||
| ||||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Endorsements
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2024
See also: Massachusetts House of Representatives elections, 2024
General election
General election for Massachusetts House of Representatives 1st Berkshire District
Incumbent John Barrett III won election in the general election for Massachusetts House of Representatives 1st Berkshire District on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | John Barrett III (D) | 99.3 | 17,785 |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.7 | 131 | ||
| Total votes: 17,916 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Massachusetts House of Representatives 1st Berkshire District
Incumbent John Barrett III advanced from the Democratic primary for Massachusetts House of Representatives 1st Berkshire District on September 3, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | John Barrett III | 99.3 | 3,380 |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.7 | 23 | ||
| Total votes: 3,403 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
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Endorsements
Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Barrett in this election.
2022
See also: Massachusetts House of Representatives elections, 2022
General election
General election for Massachusetts House of Representatives 1st Berkshire District
Incumbent John Barrett III won election in the general election for Massachusetts House of Representatives 1st Berkshire District on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | John Barrett III (D) | 98.7 | 12,787 |
| Other/Write-in votes | 1.3 | 167 | ||
| Total votes: 12,954 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Massachusetts House of Representatives 1st Berkshire District
Incumbent John Barrett III defeated Paula Kingsbury-Evans in the Democratic primary for Massachusetts House of Representatives 1st Berkshire District on September 6, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | John Barrett III | 71.5 | 4,818 |
 | Paula Kingsbury-Evans | 28.5 | 1,918 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.1 | 4 | ||
| Total votes: 6,740 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
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2020
See also: Massachusetts House of Representatives elections, 2020
General election
General election for Massachusetts House of Representatives 1st Berkshire District
Incumbent John Barrett III won election in the general election for Massachusetts House of Representatives 1st Berkshire District on November 3, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | John Barrett III (D) | 99.2 | 16,055 |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.8 | 134 | ||
| Total votes: 16,189 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Massachusetts House of Representatives 1st Berkshire District
Incumbent John Barrett III advanced from the Democratic primary for Massachusetts House of Representatives 1st Berkshire District on September 1, 2020.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | John Barrett III | 99.4 | 6,635 |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.6 | 41 | ||
| Total votes: 6,676 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
2018
General election
General election for Massachusetts House of Representatives 1st Berkshire District
Incumbent John Barrett III won election in the general election for Massachusetts House of Representatives 1st Berkshire District on November 6, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | John Barrett III (D) | 98.6 | 12,209 |
| Other/Write-in votes | 1.4 | 176 | ||
| Total votes: 12,385 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Massachusetts House of Representatives 1st Berkshire District
Incumbent John Barrett III advanced from the Democratic primary for Massachusetts House of Representatives 1st Berkshire District on September 4, 2018.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | John Barrett III | 100.0 | 3,997 |
| Total votes: 3,997 | |||
| = 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. | ||||
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2017
A special election for the position of Massachusetts House of Representatives First Berkshire District was called for November 7, 2017. A primary election was held on October 10, 2017. The filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was September 5, 2017.[2]
The seat became vacant on June 17, 2017, when Gailanne Cariddi (D) died from cancer.[3]
John Barrett III defeated Lisa Blackmer, Stephanie Bosley, and Kevin Towle in the Democratic primary. Christine Canning was unopposed in the Republican primary.[4] Barrett defeated Canning in the special election.[5]
| Massachusetts House of Representatives, First Berkshire District, Special Election, 2017 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic |  John Barrett III |
73.4% | 4,976 | |
| Republican | Christine Canning | 21.8% | 1,479 | |
| Other | All others | 3.6% | 243 | |
| Other | Blank votes | 1.2% | 81 | |
| Total Votes | 6,779 | |||
| Source: Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts | ||||
| Massachusetts House of Representatives, First Berkshire District Democratic Primary, 2017 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes | ||
|
John P. Barrett, III |
42% | 2,274 | ||
| Stephanie J. Bosley | 31.3% | 1,694 | ||
| Lisa Hall Blackmer | 18.3% | 990 | ||
| Kevin M. Towle | 8.4% | 452 | ||
| All others | 0% | 1 | ||
| Blank votes | 0% | 1 | ||
| Total Votes | 5,412 | |||
| Source: Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts |
||||
Campaign themes
2026
Ballotpedia survey responses
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2024
John Barrett III did not complete Ballotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey.
2022
John Barrett III did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.
2020
John Barrett III did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.
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 scorecards, email suggestions to editor@ballotpedia.org.
Below you can find the scorecards found for the Massachusetts General Court in 2025.
- Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance — 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."
- Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals — Legislators are scored on their sponsorship of legislation related to animal issues.
- The Freedom Index — Legislators are scored on their adherence to the limited government principles of the U.S. Constitution.
Below you can find the scorecards found for the Massachusetts General Court in 2024.
- Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance — 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."
- Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals — Legislators are scored on their sponsorship of legislation related to animal issues.
- National Federation of Independent Business — Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues.
- Progressive Massachusetts — Legislators are scored by the organization on votes that "can show the distinction between a progressive legislator, and everyone else."
Below you can find the scorecards found for the Massachusetts General Court in 2023.
- Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance — Legislators are scored on bills related to transparency, fiscal responsibility, and holding the line on taxes.
- Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals — Legislators are scored on their sponsorship of legislation related to animal issues.
- The American Conservative Union — Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.
Below you can find the scorecards found for the Massachusetts General Court in 2022.
- Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance — Legislators are scored on transparency and tax-related issues.
- Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals — Legislators are scored on their sponsorship of legislation related to animal issues.
- National Federation of Independent Business — Legislators are scored on bills related to business issues.
- Progressive Massachusetts — Legislators are scored on votes that differentiate progressive lawmakers.
Below you can find the scorecards found for the Massachusetts General Court in 2021.
- Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance — Legislators are scored on transparency and tax-related issues.
- Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals — Legislators are scored on their sponsorship of legislation related to animal issues.
- Progressive Massachusetts — Legislators are scored on votes that identify progressive legislators.
- The American Conservative Union — Legislators are scored on conservative issues.
Below you can find the scorecards found for the Massachusetts General Court in 2020.
- Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance — Legislators are scored on transparency and fiscally responsible bills.
- Massachusetts Public Interest Research Group — Legislators are scored on public interest issues.
- Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals — Legislators are scored on animal-related sponsorships.
- National Federation of Independent Business — Legislators are scored on business issues.
- Progressive Massachusetts — Legislators are scored on progressive-priority votes.
- The American Conservative Union — Legislators are scored on conservative issues.
Below you can find the scorecards found for the Massachusetts General Court in 2019.
- Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance — Legislators are scored on transparency and taxation-related issues.
- Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals — Legislators are scored on animal-related legislation sponsorship.
- Progressive Massachusetts — Legislators are scored on progressive-priority votes.
- The American Conservative Union — Legislators are scored on conservative issues.
Below you can find the scorecards found for the Massachusetts General Court in 2018.
- Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance — Legislators are scored on transparency and taxation-related bills.
- Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals — Legislators are scored on animal-related legislation sponsorship.
- Planned Parenthood Advocacy Fund of Massachusetts — Legislators are scored on reproductive health legislation.
- Progressive Massachusetts — Legislators are scored on progressive-priority votes.
- The American Conservative Union — Legislators are scored on conservative issues.
See also
2026 Elections
External links
|
Officeholder Massachusetts House of Representatives 1st Berkshire District |
Personal |
Footnotes
- ↑ Mass Live, "Former North Adams Mayor John Barrett sworn in to Massachusetts House," November 15, 2017
- ↑ Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, "Special State Election First Berkshire Representative District," accessed June 29, 2017
- ↑ The Berkshire Eagle, "DeLeo: House still mourning, plans pending for election to replace Rep. Gailanne Cariddi," June 19, 2017
- ↑ Candidates were compiled in communication with the Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts on September 6, 2017
- ↑ MASS Dems, "Massachusetts Democrats Celebrate Barrett Primary Win," accessed October 10, 2017
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by - |
Massachusetts House of Representatives 1st Berkshire District 2017-Present |
Succeeded by - |
