SPRINGFIELD, Mass. (WGGB/WSHM) – We’re just hours away from the 2024 presidential election and here’s what some of the local candidates had to say as they made a final push to get votes.

Democratic Congressman Richard Neal has represented the district for more than a decade, but his opponent Nadia Milleron is running as an independent and tells us it’s time for a change in Washington.

Meanwhile, Republican Kelly Pease is fighting to keep his seat in Hampden’s 4th Ward against Westfield City Councilwoman and Democrat Bridget Matthews-Kane.

Millions of people across the United States will go to the polls on Tuesday to vote for the next president of the United States. However, there are other names on the ballot as well.

Congressman Richard Neal will face independent candidate Nadia Milleron for Massachusetts’ 1st Congressional District.

Neal has held that position since 2013.

“I have truly delivered for the people of Western and Central Massachusetts, coupled with the fact that, with legislative achievement after achievement, I was able to be approved as Chairman of the Ways and Means Committee,” said Congressman Richard Neal, (D) Massachusetts.

Western Mass News spoke with his opponent Nadia Miller on Monday and she tells us she decided to take on the longtime politician after her experience as a voter in the district.

Milleron says she didn’t feel she was cared for by Neal’s office.

“My main goal is to be totally responsive. In the district we have 770,000 people, like any other congressional office, and each office receives about 30,000 calls for help, so we have to be able to respond and many offices respond, it just happens that, in my experience, our office with Richard Neal it is the worst in terms of responsiveness of any office on Capitol Hill that I have ever been in,” said Nadia Milleron, an independent congressional candidate.

Meanwhile, Hampden’s 4th District House seat is also up for grabs. Incumbent Republican Rep. Kelly Pease will face his rival, Westfield City Councilwoman Democratic candidate Bridget Matthews-Kane.

Matthews-Kane tells us that if she manages to win that House seat, one thing she hopes to address is affordability for those in the Commonwealth, particularly when it comes to the high cost of home insurance.

“I hear a lot of this from older people: They’ve paid off their mortgage, they know how much their taxes have increased, but they know their home insurance has increased at a significantly faster rate. So, I did some research. It seems like that’s something we can address in the state legislature,” said Matthews-Kane, (D) candidate for Hampden’s 4th House District seat.

Meanwhile, Republican and current Hampden 4th District Representative Kelly Pease says he will continue to work on hot-button issues, including congestion near Masspike Exit 41 in Westfield.

“I think we need to continue to push that forward. A lot of people ask “what’s wrong with Blandford leaving?” I haven’t heard anything from the DOT about it after the people of Blandford voted against it, but that doesn’t mean we can’t continue to look at it in the future. future,” said Rep. Kelly Pease, (R) Hampden 4th District.

Be sure to stick with Western Mass News both on-air and online for election updates!

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