Hong Net

This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.

Hong Net

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Democratic Party

Elections and appointments

Last election

September 3, 2024

Education

Bachelor's

University of Massachusetts Amherst, 1992

Personal

Religion

Buddhist

Profession

City council member

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Personal Facebook

Personal Twitter

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Hong Net (Democratic Party) ran for election to the Massachusetts House of Representatives to represent the 11th Essex District. He lost in the Democratic primary on September 3, 2024.

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

Biography

Hong Net earned a bachelor's degree from the University of Massachusetts Amherst in 1992. His career experience includes working as a city council member.

Elections

2024

See also: Massachusetts House of Representatives elections, 2024

General election

General election for Massachusetts House of Representatives 11th Essex District

Sean Reid won election in the general election for Massachusetts House of Representatives 11th Essex District on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Sean Reid (D)	96.2	11,228
		Other/Write-in votes	3.8	438

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 11,666
= 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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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Massachusetts House of Representatives 11th Essex District

Sean Reid defeated Hong Net in the Democratic primary for Massachusetts House of Representatives 11th Essex District on September 3, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Sean Reid	54.1	1,778
	Submit photo	Hong Net	45.9	1,508
		Other/Write-in votes	0.0	1

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 3,287
= 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.

Endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Net in this election.

2018

See also: Massachusetts House of Representatives elections, 2018

General election

General election for Massachusetts House of Representatives 11th Essex District

Peter Capano won election in the general election for Massachusetts House of Representatives 11th Essex District on November 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Peter Capano (D)	97.9	8,948
		Other/Write-in votes	2.1	191

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 9,139
= 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 11th Essex District

Peter Capano defeated Drew Russo and Hong Net in the Democratic primary for Massachusetts House of Representatives 11th Essex District on September 4, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Peter Capano	47.9	1,842
	Submit photo	Drew Russo	37.0	1,423
	Submit photo	Hong Net	15.2	583

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 3,848
= 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

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

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

My name is Hong Net. I have been a resident of Lynn for 26 years with my wife Thavra and children Anna and William. I bought my first home in Lynn in 2004 and am still living in the same house ever since. I am a Cambodian "Killing Fields" survivor and former refugee from Thailand. I came to America alone at the age of 15 with nothing but a plastic bag and an x-ray of my broken arm. I have been a Lynn City Councilor-At-Large for seven years, a Child Support Enforcement Specialist at the Massachusetts Department of Revenue for 27 years, and a business partner at the Rainbow Adult Day Health Care for six years. I graduated from the University of Massachusetts in Amherst with a bachelor's degree in Political Science in 1992. I have 30 years of experience in social work, education, and governmental leadership here in the United States and internally. I was asked by the Cambodian American National Development Organization and the United Nations Development Program to assist the newly democratic government of Cambodia in 1994. I worked daily with government ministers drafting their new constitution specifically with education development, public safety, and civil rights for three years. I also established a language school teaching English, French, Chinese, and Thai to 800 students in Phnom Penh. I am a former member of the board directors of the YMCA MetroNorth, RiverWorks Credit Union, Lynn Youth Street Outreach Advocacy, and delegate of the SEIU to North Shore Labor Council.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• I am running for State Representative for the 11th Essex District representing the people of West Lynn and Nahant because I believe I can bring a fresh outlook to the legislature. There are many important issues facing the district and I want to add my voice and experience to the current delegation to help achieve the best solutions. I will continue to ensure the prosperity and safety of the district by advocating for adequate funding for public safety to combat gang and drug activities, promote policies to set responsible gun control laws, and to police and fire departments for staff levels and equipments as well as to unarmed response team.
• I am running for State Representative for the 11th Essex District representing the people of West Lynn and Nahant because I believe I can bring a fresh outlook to the legislature. There are many important issues facing the district and I want to add my voice and experience to the current delegation to help achieve the best solutions. I will continue to ensure the prosperity and safety of the district by advocating for adequate funding for public education to build new schools and update current buildings to reduce class size, as well as supporting educational programs that encourage careers like engineering, biotech, robotic, and medicine.
• I am running for State Representative for the 11th Essex District representing the people of West Lynn and Nahant because I believe I can bring a fresh outlook to the legislature. There are many important issues facing the district and I want to add my voice and experience to the current delegation to help achieve the best solutions. I will continue to ensure the prosperity and safety of the district by advocating for adequate funding for environmental to enhance policies protecting our environment with green energy project incentive, to protect natural wildlife lands, and create policies that reduce noise pollution and toxic emissions from air traffic and automobiles.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I believe that the government serves us best when the policies we make accurately represent the needs and concerns of all our residents within our district.

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

N/A

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

"Given A Chance" The Success Story Of A Killing Fields Survivor by Hong Net. A book of memoir.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Transparency, honesty, integrity, accountability, care, and good listener.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

I am committed to serving the district I represent.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

Putting politics aside and doing the right things for all constituents.

What legacy would you like to leave?

A man with integrity and kind to everyone.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

When the Cambodian Prince Sihanouk visited a refugee camp in Thailand when I was 13 years old.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

A Sumer job at the child care center in South Hadley, Massachusetts in 1983.

What is your favorite book? Why?

Long Walk to Freedom because represents those who live under oppression but never lose hope to be free.

If you could be any fictional character, who would you want to be?

N/A

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

Imagine by John Lennon.

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

To stay alive when I was a child living in Cambodian and Thailand.

What do you believe is the ideal relationship between the governor and state legislature?

Keep communication channels open at all time. This helps the two branches of government resolve the issues and minimize the impact among them.

What do you perceive to be your state's greatest challenges over the next decade?

Budget shortfalls, housing crisis, and the influx of immigrants.

Do you believe that it’s beneficial for state legislators to have previous experience in government or politics?

Yes.

Do you believe it’s beneficial to build relationships with other legislators? Please explain your answer.

Yes, because I need their support to pass the bill for the benefit of my district.

Is there a particular legislator, past or present, whom you want to model yourself after?

My Representative Pete Capano.

Are you interested in running for a different political office (for example, the U.S. Congress or governor) in the future?

I am interested in running for U.S. Congress in the future.

Both sitting legislators and candidates for office hear many personal stories from the residents of their district. Is there a story that you’ve heard that you found particularly touching, memorable, or impactful?

Families broke apart from being deported their loved ones to their origin countries.

Tell us your favorite joke.

N/A

Should the legislature oversee or grant the use of emergency powers?

Yes.

What is the first bill you would introduce if elected?

Stricter gun laws.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

SEIU Local 509 and SEIU Mass State Council.

What committees interest you?

Ways and Means and Rules.

What are your views on financial transparency and government accountability?

The financial transparency and government accountability is acceptable, but there are always rooms for improvement.

Do you support or oppose changes to the current state ballot initiative process? If so, what kind of changes would you consider?

I support the current state ballot initiative 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.

Campaign finance summary

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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.

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Hong Net campaign contribution history

Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2024*	Massachusetts House of Representatives 11th Essex District	Lost primary	$17,669	$0
Grand total			$17,669	$0
Sources: OpenSecrets,  Federal 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

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Candidate

Massachusetts House of Representatives 11th Essex District

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Footnotes

[show]

Current members of the Massachusetts House of Representatives

Leadership

Speaker of the House:Ronald Mariano

Majority Leader:Michael Moran

Representatives

Barnstable, Dukes, and Nantucket District

Thomas Moakley (D)

1st Barnstable District

Chris Flanagan (D)

1st Berkshire District

John Barrett (D)

1st Bristol District

Michael Chaisson (R)

1st Essex District

Dawne Shand (D)

1st Franklin District

Natalie Blais (D)

1st Hampden District

Todd Smola (R)

1st Hampshire District

Lindsay Sabadosa (D)

1st Middlesex District

Margaret Scarsdale (D)

1st Norfolk District

Bruce Ayers (D)

1st Plymouth District

Michelle Badger (D)

1st Suffolk District

Adrian Madaro (D)

1st Worcester District

Kimberly Ferguson (R)

2nd Barnstable District

Kip Diggs (D)

2nd Berkshire District

Tricia Farley-Bouvier (D)

2nd Bristol District

James Hawkins (D)

2nd Essex District

Kristin Kassner (D)

2nd Franklin District

Susannah Whipps (U)

2nd Hampden District

Brian Ashe (D)

2nd Hampshire District

Homar Gomez (D)

2nd Middlesex District

James Arciero (D)

2nd Norfolk District

Tackey Chan (D)

2nd Plymouth District

John Gaskey (R)

2nd Suffolk District

Daniel Ryan (D)

2nd Worcester District

Jonathan Zlotnik (D)

3rd Barnstable District

David Vieira (R)

3rd Berkshire District

Leigh Davis (D)

3rd Bristol District

Lisa Field (D)

3rd Essex District

Andy Vargas (D)

3rd Hampden District

Nicholas Boldyga (R)

3rd Hampshire District

Mindy Domb (D)

3rd Middlesex District

Kate Hogan (D)

3rd Norfolk District

Ronald Mariano (D)

3rd Plymouth District

Joan Meschino (D)

3rd Suffolk District

Aaron Michlewitz (D)

3rd Worcester District

Michael Kushmerek (D)

4th Barnstable District

Hadley Luddy (D)

4th Bristol District

Steven Howitt (R)

4th Essex District

Estela Reyes (D)

4th Hampden District

Kelly Pease (R)

4th Middlesex District

Danielle Gregoire (D)

4th Norfolk District

James Murphy (D)

4th Plymouth District

Patrick Joseph Kearney (D)

4th Suffolk District

David Biele (D)

4th Worcester District

Natalie Higgins (D)

5th Barnstable District

Steven Xiarhos (R)

5th Bristol District

Justin Thurber (R)

5th Essex District

Ann-Margaret Ferrante (D)

5th Hampden District

Patricia Duffy (D)

5th Middlesex District

David Linsky (D)

5th Norfolk District

Mark Cusack (D)

5th Plymouth District

David DeCoste (R)

5th Suffolk District

Christopher Worrell (D)

5th Worcester District

Donald Berthiaume (R)

6th Bristol District

Carole Fiola (D)

6th Essex District

Hannah Bowen (D)

6th Hampden District

Michael Finn (D)

6th Middlesex District

Priscila Sousa (D)

6th Norfolk District

William Galvin (D)

6th Plymouth District

Kenneth Sweezey (R)

6th Suffolk District

Russell Holmes (D)

6th Worcester District

John Marsi (R)

7th Bristol District

Alan Silvia (D)

7th Essex District

Manny Cruz (D)

7th Hampden District

Aaron Saunders (D)

7th Middlesex District

Jack Lewis (D)

7th Norfolk District

Richard Wells (D)

7th Plymouth District

Alyson Sullivan (R)

7th Suffolk District

Chynah Tyler (D)

7th Worcester District

Paul Frost (R)

8th Bristol District

Steven Ouellette (D)

8th Essex District

Jenny Armini (D)

8th Hampden District

Shirley Arriaga (D)

8th Middlesex District

James Arena-DeRosa (D)

8th Norfolk District

Edward Philips (D)

8th Plymouth District

Dennis Gallagher (D)

8th Suffolk District

Jay Livingstone (D)

8th Worcester District

Michael Soter (R)

9th Bristol District

Christopher Markey (D)

9th Essex District

Donald Wong (R)

9th Hampden District

Orlando Ramos (D)

9th Middlesex District

Thomas Stanley (D)

9th Norfolk District

Marcus Vaughn (R)

9th Plymouth District

Bridget Plouffe (D)

9th Suffolk District

John Moran (D)

9th Worcester District

David Muradian (R)

10th Bristol District

Mark Sylvia (D)

10th Essex District

Dan Cahill (D)

10th Hampden District

Carlos Gonzalez (D)

10th Middlesex District

John Lawn (D)

10th Norfolk District

Jeffrey Roy (D)

10th Plymouth District

Michelle DuBois (D)

10th Suffolk District

Bill MacGregor (D)

10th Worcester District

Brian Murray (D)

11th Bristol District

Christopher Hendricks (D)

11th Essex District

Sean Reid (D)

11th Hampden District

Bud Williams (D)

11th Middlesex District

Amy Sangiolo (D)

11th Norfolk District

Paul McMurtry (D)

11th Plymouth District

Rita Mendes (D)

11th Suffolk District

Judith García (D)

11th Worcester District

Hannah Kane (R)

12th Bristol District

Norman Orrall (R)

12th Essex District

Thomas Walsh (D)

12th Hampden District

Angelo Puppolo (D)

12th Middlesex District

Greg Schwartz (D)

12th Norfolk District

John Rogers (D)

12th Plymouth District

Kathleen LaNatra (D)

12th Suffolk District

Brandy Oakley (D)

12th Worcester District

Meghan Kilcoyne (D)

13th Bristol District

Antonio Cabral (D)

13th Essex District

Sally Kerans (D)

13th Middlesex District

Carmine Gentile (D)

13th Norfolk District

Joshua Tarsky (D)

13th Suffolk District

Daniel Hunt (D)

13th Worcester District

John Mahoney (D)

14th Bristol District

Adam Scanlon (D)

14th Essex District

Adrianne Ramos (D)

14th Middlesex District

Simon Cataldo (D)

14th Norfolk District

Alice Peisch (D)

14th Suffolk District

Rob Consalvo (D)

14th Worcester District

James O'Day (D)

15th Essex District

Ryan Hamilton (D)

15th Middlesex District

Michelle Ciccolo (D)

15th Norfolk District

Tommy Vitolo (D)

15th Suffolk District

Sam Montaño (D)

15th Worcester District

Mary Keefe (D)

16th Essex District

Francisco Paulino (D)

16th Middlesex District

Rodney Elliott (D)

16th Suffolk District

Jessica Giannino (D)

16th Worcester District

Daniel Donahue (D)

17th Essex District

Frank Moran (D)

17th Middlesex District

Vanna Howard (D)

17th Suffolk District

Kevin Honan (D)

17th Worcester District

David LeBoeuf (D)

18th Essex District

Tram Nguyen (D)

18th Middlesex District

Tara Hong (D)

18th Suffolk District

Michael Moran (D)

18th Worcester District

Joseph McKenna (R)

19th Middlesex District

David Allen Robertson (D)

19th Suffolk District

Jeffrey Turco (D)

19th Worcester District

Kate Donaghue (D)

20th Middlesex District

Bradley Jones (R)

21st Middlesex District

Kenneth Gordon (D)

22nd Middlesex District

Marc Lombardo (R)

23rd Middlesex District

Sean Garballey (D)

24th Middlesex District

David Rogers (D)

25th Middlesex District

Marjorie Decker (D)

26th Middlesex District

Mike Connolly (D)

27th Middlesex District

Erika Uyterhoeven (D)

28th Middlesex District

Joseph McGonagle (D)

29th Middlesex District

Steven Owens (D)

30th Middlesex District

Richard Haggerty (D)

31st Middlesex District

Michael Day (D)

32nd Middlesex District

Kate Lipper-Garabedian (D)

33rd Middlesex District

Steven Ultrino (D)

34th Middlesex District

Christine Barber (D)

35th Middlesex District

Paul Donato (D)

36th Middlesex District

Colleen Garry (D)

37th Middlesex District

Danillo Sena (D)

Democratic Party (134)

Republican Party (25)

Unenrolled (1)