Kate D. Campanale (born circa 1986) is an American politician from Massachusetts. She was a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives from 2015–2019. On March 1, 2022, Campanale announced her candidacy for Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts, losing the primary election to Leah Cole Allen.[1] If she was elected, Campanale would have directly followed Karyn Polito as being the second female former State Representative from Worcester County to be elected as Lieutenant Governor.

Kate Campanale
Member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives
from the 17th Worcester district
In office
January 7, 2015 – January 2, 2019
Preceded byJohn Binienda
Succeeded byDavid LeBoeuf
Personal details
Borncirca 1986 (age 37–38)
Worcester, Massachusetts, U.S.
Political partyRepublican
SpousePeter Durant
EducationSweet Briar College (BA)
WebsiteCampaign website

Early life

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Campanale was born in Worcester, Massachusetts and is the daughter of John and Debbie Campanale. Her older sister is Jennifer. Campanale grew up in Leicester, Massachusetts, and graduated from Leicester High School.[2][3][4]

Education

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In 2007, Campanale earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in Business Management from Sweet Briar College in Sweet Briar, Virginia.[5][3]

Career

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Campanale began her legislator career as a Staff Assistant to the Legislative & Regulatory Department of Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation. She was a Business Development Coordinator at Tutor Perini Corporation, where she worked on multi-million dollar construction proposals.[3]

Campanale is a former legislative aide and a substitute teacher. She served as the District Liaison to Peter Durant, a politician.[3]

On November 4, 2014, at age 28, Campanale won election with 50.2% of the votes and became a Republican member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives for District 17 Worcester, defeating Doug Belanger , who received 49.7% of votes. In January 2015, Campanale was sworn into office.[6][7][8][5][9][2] In November 2016, as an incumbent, Campanale won the election and continued serving District 17. She defeated Moses S. Dixon with 54.4% of the votes to Dixon's 45.3%.[2][8][5]

In 2018, Campanale sought a seat in Register of Deeds for Worcester District without success. In the Republican Primary Election, she defeated Kevin J. Kuros with 67.4% of the votes. In the General Election, Campanale was defeated by Kathryn A. Toomey with 51.8% of the votes compared to Campanale's 48.2%.[8][5]

On March 1, 2022, Campanale announced her candidacy for Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts, running with businessman Chris Doughty of Wrentham, son of conservative William H. Doughty. Campanale would lose the 2022 republican primary to Leah Cole Allen, with Allen carrying 52.3% of the votes to Campanale's 47.7%.[10]

Campanale has expressed interest in running for the Worcester and Hampshire district seat in the Massachusetts Senate in the wake of the news that incumbent Democrat Anne Gobi will resign in June to take over as the state's Director of Rural Affairs.[11]

Personal life

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Campanale lived in Leicester, Massachusetts[5] before moving to Spencer, Massachusetts. She is married to state senator Peter Durant.[12]

Awards

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  • Outstanding Service Award. Presented by Office of Policy & External Affairs.[3]
  • 2018 WBJ 40 Under 40 award. Named by Worcester Business Journal.[4]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "Leah Cole Allen wins GOP nod for lieutenant governor". www.wbur.org. Retrieved 2022-12-31.
  2. ^ a b c Semon, Craig S. (November 9, 2016). "Rep. Kate Campanale eyes next move after victory in 17th Worcestor district". telegram.com. Retrieved December 15, 2019.
  3. ^ a b c d e "Kate Campanale Massachusetts State Representative". enlightenedwomen.org. Retrieved December 15, 2019.
  4. ^ a b "40 Under Forty: Kate D. Campanale, 32". wbjournal.com. August 20, 2018. Retrieved December 15, 2019.
  5. ^ a b c d e "Kate Campanale's Biography". Vote Smart. Retrieved December 15, 2019.
  6. ^ "MassLive – Massachusetts State Representative Election Results 2014". masslive.com. Retrieved 25 November 2014.
  7. ^ Bird Jr., Walter (November 5, 2014). "Election 2014 in Worcester yields change in one district, while others hold on to their seats". worcestermag.com. Retrieved December 15, 2016.
  8. ^ a b c "Kate D. Campanale (R)". electionstats.state.ma.us. 2018. Retrieved December 16, 2019.
  9. ^ "Doug Belanger". massalliance.org. Retrieved December 15, 2019.
  10. ^ "Results: 2022 Mass. statewide primary races". www.wbur.org. Retrieved 2022-11-07.
  11. ^ "Kate Campanale Considering Run For Massachusetts Senate". NewBostonPost. Retrieved 27 May 2023.
  12. ^ Lisinski, Chris (February 4, 2022). "Debate forced Rep. Peter Durant to prove COVID vaccination status at Massachusetts State House". State House News Service. Retrieved 1 January 2024.
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