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Nichole Mossalam

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Nichole Mossalam
Image of Nichole Mossalam
Elections and appointments
Last election

September 3, 2024

Personal
Religion
Muslim
Profession
Nonprofit director
Contact

Nichole Mossalam (Democratic Party) ran for election to the Massachusetts House of Representatives to represent the 35th Middlesex District. She lost in the Democratic primary on September 3, 2024.

Mossalam completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Nichole Mossalam attended the University of Utah. Her career experience includes working as a nonprofit director.[1]

Elections

2024

See also: Massachusetts House of Representatives elections, 2024

General election

General election for Massachusetts House of Representatives 35th Middlesex District

Incumbent Paul Donato Sr. won election in the general election for Massachusetts House of Representatives 35th Middlesex District on November 5, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Paul Donato Sr.
Paul Donato Sr. (D)
 
96.8
 
14,995
 Other/Write-in votes
 
3.2
 
494

Total votes: 15,489
Candidate Connection = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Massachusetts House of Representatives 35th Middlesex District

Incumbent Paul Donato Sr. defeated Nichole Mossalam and Zayda Ortiz in the Democratic primary for Massachusetts House of Representatives 35th Middlesex District on September 3, 2024.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Paul Donato Sr.
Paul Donato Sr.
 
54.6
 
3,278
Image of Nichole Mossalam
Nichole Mossalam Candidate Connection
 
35.6
 
2,137
Image of Zayda Ortiz
Zayda Ortiz Candidate Connection
 
9.7
 
583
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.1
 
6

Total votes: 6,004
Candidate Connection = 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 Mossalam in this election.

2022

See also: Massachusetts House of Representatives elections, 2022

General election

General election for Massachusetts House of Representatives 35th Middlesex District

Incumbent Paul Donato Sr. won election in the general election for Massachusetts House of Representatives 35th Middlesex District on November 8, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Paul Donato Sr.
Paul Donato Sr. (D)
 
98.9
 
10,474
 Other/Write-in votes
 
1.1
 
112

Total votes: 10,586
Candidate Connection = 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 35th Middlesex District

Incumbent Paul Donato Sr. defeated Nichole Mossalam in the Democratic primary for Massachusetts House of Representatives 35th Middlesex District on September 6, 2022.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Paul Donato Sr.
Paul Donato Sr.
 
50.4
 
3,036
Image of Nichole Mossalam
Nichole Mossalam
 
49.6
 
2,986
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.0
 
2

Total votes: 6,024
Candidate Connection = 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.

2020

See also: Massachusetts House of Representatives elections, 2020

General election

General election for Massachusetts House of Representatives 35th Middlesex District

Incumbent Paul Donato Sr. won election in the general election for Massachusetts House of Representatives 35th Middlesex District on November 3, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Paul Donato Sr.
Paul Donato Sr. (D)
 
97.7
 
16,744
 Other/Write-in votes
 
2.3
 
397

Total votes: 17,141
Candidate Connection = 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 35th Middlesex District

Incumbent Paul Donato Sr. defeated Nichole Mossalam in the Democratic primary for Massachusetts House of Representatives 35th Middlesex District on September 1, 2020.

Candidate
%
Votes
Image of Paul Donato Sr.
Paul Donato Sr.
 
55.6
 
5,250
Image of Nichole Mossalam
Nichole Mossalam
 
44.3
 
4,188
 Other/Write-in votes
 
0.1
 
10

Total votes: 9,448
Candidate Connection = 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.

Campaign themes

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Candidate Connection

Nichole Mossalam completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Mossalam's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

I'm a mother of three young children, an interfaith and non-profit leader, and come from a working-class union background. I lived through childhood homelessness, survived breast cancer, and understand what it is like to live with a chronic illness and the crushing medical expenses that follow. I understand the needs of working families trying to make ends meet with ever-rising inflation, jobs that pay too little, and laws that don't help enough. My husband and I came to Malden nine years ago with our first son, and have had two more children since. We love living in a place where people have different backgrounds and where new residents live side by side with families that go back generations. It's clear to us that they share so many of the same concerns and work together to strengthen our cities. I'm an experienced non-profit and faith leader, current member and former chair of the Malden Disability Commission, and community organizer who believes in an inclusive and collaborative leadership style. I've worked across our cultural, generational, and political divides by establishing a record of collaboration to find common-sense solutions. As a Muslim woman, I'm no stranger to how the ignorance of others puts up barriers to keep us out. If elected, I would be the first Muslim person person to serve in the person to serve in the Massachusetts State House. Not only that, but I would be the first woman to ever represent the District.
  • As a proud mom of three young kids who attend our public schools, we must deliver on our promise of a world-class education for our children and crucial support systems for families. We'll strengthen our teacher's unions and give educators and paraprofessionals the support they deserve, fully fund the Student Opportunity Act by 2027, make higher education more accessible by making it free for as many students as possible, enforce the cap on Charter Schools & ensure they abide by the same administrative rules as public schools concerning public records and procurement requirements for recruiting & retaining students to better reflect the community, and support the the collective bargaining rights of public employees.
  • All residents must live without fear of exorbitant rent prices or eviction. Far too many families left with little option but to move from the only community they have known. Having experienced homelessness as a kid, I know what it’s like to worry about where you’ll rest your head. We will ensure generations of residents can stay here & young people can afford to lay down roots near their families, cut red tape so residents can upgrade their homes, stabilize & cap rent to keep our families rooted, Introduce a Tenant Bill of Rights that puts residents and small, local landlords first, and expand property tax credits for veterans and families. To increase housing supply, all new development projects must be brought to life with union labor.
  • Since the COVID pandemic, mental health crises have ballooned out of control. In searching for help for our family, I have seen how overburdened these services have become with waiting lists for help reaching upwards of two years. In supporting other families in crisis, I have become aware that in addition to lack of family resources, DCFS is past its capacity and unable to properly care for the many at-risk youth in their care. I have met many residents who work in public health and mental health that echo these concerns. When we give our residents the resources they need, from the bottom up we will see families able to stabilize themselves and the support systems will uplift communities that have been left behind.
Removing ALL barriers to reproductive healthcare and expanding access to doula and postpartum care, defending LGBTQIA+ rights and expanding access to gender-affirming resources, pushing for public votes and adherence to Open Meeting Law at the state level, furthering climate justice and long-term sustainable solutions for our roads with local union labor, identify new revenue streams such as the Global Intangible Low-Taxed Income (GILTI) tax, which could generate up to $450 million a year, and expanding the rights of all union workers - from teachers, to ride share drivers, to home health aides.
My philosophy of public service centers on the willingness to listen, ability to be coolheaded and collaborative, and greeting everyone with warmth and kindness - no matter the political ideology. Elected officials should put honesty before a personal agenda, transparency over secrecy, and residents before all else.

I am running to uplift members of the community who will finally be able to have leadership that they see themselves reflected in. I am running for those who wish to be heard and deserve a seat at the table. I am running for those who have felt ignored and disenchanted by the political process due to the lack of transparency and corruption in government. Beyond the importance of representation, it is necessary to remind our neighbors that they have agency over the votes they cast and the decisions that are made in government. Before a politician or a candidate, I am an activist at my core. I believe that the combination of working within the traditional political structures as well as a career of advocacy in marginalized communities allows me and staff with the same experiences to maintain a true grassroots, bottom-up philosophy when it comes to addressing the needs of the district.
It's not enough to simply show up for photo opportunities and public appearances - we must walk the walk to live up to what it means to hold this office. Much of public service is working behind the scenes with a personal touch and picking up the phone when someone calls. It is knowing how to be intentional and collaborative no matter the issue, and committing oneself to listening first. It is spending your days in your community working with residents on the ground to bring shared goals to life.
I lived through childhood homelessness, survived breast cancer, and understand what it is like to live with a chronic illness and the crushing medical expenses that follow. When I aged out of my parents' health plan, it was Planned Parenthood that provided me with the medical care and birth control I needed to treat these conditions and preserve my fertility. Even still we had difficulty starting our family and were blessed to have access to fertility treatments and IVF. In having difficult pregnancies, I saw firsthand the deficiencies and prejudice towards women from marginalized communities, which almost resulted in my death during the birth of my first child.

For over a decade, I have served our community in various ways, engaged in coalition building, and have also been a first line of defense for many marginalized communities predominately through the interfaith space. We have built a diverse community representing all walks of life, creating safe and welcoming spaces - empowering those who have been disadvantaged by society.

This changed a little in 2016, when the heightened political rhetoric led to the deliberate targeting and otherization of marginalized communities across the country.

My oldest son, who was eight at the time, came home from school crying. He told me how children at school “didn’t like Muslims”, and that when Trump was elected, “he’d get rid of us all.”

My heart broke. We had never felt our lack of representation more keenly than at that moment. I then realized that our community was being neglected within an entire sphere of influence - the political sphere. First, as a mama bear, and second as a Muslim woman, I had to do something. I stand before you today victorious in my battle against breast cancer and in remission, as a fighter, running for State Representative. These residents and my community rallied my spirit to continue to lift this torch.
Housing supply, school and family resources and funding, and climate-resilient infrastructure.
Issue-driven, not party-driven conversations are necessary to reach consensus and make the legislature effective again. I believe we all want expanded access to healthcare, transit, education, housing, and more, but we may not necessarily agree on how to get there. The first step to finding the solution is acknowledging what needs to be fixed. Once we have done that, we can maintain and open and collaborative dialogue with everyone at the table.
Medford City Council Vice President Kit Collins, Medford City Councillor At-Large Matt Leming, and Malden City Councillor At-Large Karen Colón Hayes.
1. Joint Committee on Children, Families, and Persons with Disabilities - As a person with a disability and a mother caring for a child with a disability, I have an upfront view of the gaps in services provided resulting in the lack of proper support.

2. Joint Committee on Mental Health, Substance Abuse, and Recovery - Since the start of the COVID pandemic and resulting shutdowns, mental health crises have ballooned out of control. In searching for help for our family, I have seen how overburdened these services have become with waiting lists for help reaching two years. In my role of supporting other families in crisis, I have become aware that in addition to a lack of resources for families struggling with mental health and addiction issues, DCFS is past their capacity and unable to properly care for the many at-risk youth in their care. This is an unsustainable and unacceptable situation.

3. Joint Committee on Education - Since the study and report on the identified funding issues with the Chapter 70 formula, our legislature has failed to take action on the necessary fixes. Instead, they have slapped ill fitting bandaids like the Student Opportunity Act, that have caused more problems than it has helped in my district. While the additional funding is welcome, the city contribution has been greatly overestimated. This has resulted in Medford having a $7 million budget gap which has caused drastic cuts and in Malden they have had to use their rainy day funds to meet their expected contribution to receive funding. If nothing changes, Malden will have emptied its rainy day fund in three years.
One of the many reasons I’m running is because we need a culture shift on Beacon Hill. The Massachusetts legislature is ranked as one of the least effective but it's also one of the most secretive in the entire country. This shields anyone and everyone in power from being honest with the people who elected them in the first place - us!

At the local level, residents are free to attend city government meetings and access all of the meeting minutes and materials that our Councilors see. The Open Meeting Law guarantees transparency and access to the policies that affect our lives. However, at the state level, this is not the case.

A major barrier to a healthy democracy in Massachusetts is the concentration of power in the hands of the House and Senate leadership, and the lack of transparency that upholds this status quo.

Medford and Malden have some of the most vocal and active neighbors who care deeply about making their voices heard when it comes to the issues affecting their lives. As your Representative, I want to ensure that this right extends beyond city meetings and online discussion boards and into maintaining a healthy Democracy at the state level. We cannot make legislative gains without welcoming more voices into the process.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

2022

Nichole Mossalam did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.

2020

Nichole Mossalam 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.


Nichole Mossalam campaign contribution history
YearOfficeStatusContributionsExpenditures
2024* Massachusetts House of Representatives 35th Middlesex DistrictLost primary$58,256 $0
2022Massachusetts House of Representatives 35th Middlesex DistrictLost primary$120,786 $0
2020Massachusetts House of Representatives 35th Middlesex DistrictLost primary$82,279 N/A**
Grand total$261,321 N/A**
Sources: OpenSecretsFederal Elections Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).
* Data from this year may not be complete
** Data on expenditures is not available for this election cycle
Note: Totals above reflect only available data.

See also


External links

Footnotes

  1. Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on July 18, 2024


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