Joshua Tarsky
Joshua Tarsky (Democratic Party) is a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives, representing the 13th Norfolk District. He assumed office on January 1, 2025. His current term ends on January 6, 2027.
Tarsky (Democratic Party) ran for election to the Massachusetts House of Representatives to represent the 13th Norfolk District. He won in the general election on November 5, 2024.
Biography
Joshua Tarsky served in the U.S. Army from 2004 to 2010. Tarsky joined the Massachusetts National Guard in 2020 and has been serving as a judge advocate general. He earned a bachelor's degree from Yale University, a graduate degree in education from Harvard University, and a law degree from Suffolk University. His career experience includes serving as assistant principal at Sandwich High School and as principal at Holbrook Middle-High School.[1][2]
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.
Committee assignments
2025-2026
Tarsky was assigned to the following committees:
- House Global Warming and Climate Change Committee
- Municipalities and Regional Government Joint Committee
- Public Service Joint Committee
- Veterans and Federal Affairs Joint Committee
Elections
2024
See also: Massachusetts House of Representatives elections, 2024
General election
General election for Massachusetts House of Representatives 13th Norfolk District
Joshua Tarsky defeated William Dermody in the general election for Massachusetts House of Representatives 13th Norfolk District on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | Joshua Tarsky (D) | 61.2 | 15,180 |
| William Dermody (Unenrolled) | 38.4 | 9,520 | ||
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.4 | 108 | ||
| Total votes: 24,808 | |||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Massachusetts House of Representatives 13th Norfolk District
Joshua Tarsky defeated Patrick Gatto, Kenneth Ruetenik, and Bhuren Harish Patel in the Democratic primary for Massachusetts House of Representatives 13th Norfolk District on September 3, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Joshua Tarsky | 49.8 | 2,742 |
| Patrick Gatto | 37.2 | 2,048 | ||
| Kenneth Ruetenik | 10.5 | 577 | ||
| Bhuren Harish Patel (Write-in) | 2.2 | 119 | ||
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.4 | 20 | ||
| Total votes: 5,506 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Endorsements
Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Tarsky in this election.
Campaign themes
2024
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Joshua Tarsky did not complete Ballotpedia's 2024 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.
See also
2024 Elections
External links
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Candidate Massachusetts House of Representatives 13th Norfolk District |
Officeholder Massachusetts House of Representatives 13th Norfolk District |
Personal |
Footnotes
| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Denise Garlick (D) |
Massachusetts House of Representatives 13th Norfolk District 2025-Present |
Succeeded by - |
