Ben Downing Announces End to Massachusetts Gubernatorial Campaign

Former State Senator Ben Downing has announced that he is no longer running for Governor of Massachusetts. Downing sent out an announcement to his constituents and the media today saying that makes the announcement with a heavy heart.

Downings Statement in its entirety:

For everything, there is a season. For this campaign, that season has come to a close. Today, I am formally ending my bid to become the next Governor of Massachusetts.

I do so with a heavy heart, but also with hope, and gratitude beyond measure. Over the last 10 months, friends and neighbors, old and new, have opened their homes and hearts to my campaign. Together, we built a coalition that lifted up the voices of those too often ignored. We came up with real solutions to meet the challenges facing Massachusetts families and reshape our shared future. In a year that took a lot out of all of us, we grew stronger at the broken places. I have seen the best of Massachusetts, alongside the deep need for more urgent, empathetic leadership. I have learned and grown. For all of that, I cannot say thank you enough. Unfortunately, we simply do not have the financial resources to continue. While it’s painful to admit, that reality has brought this chapter to a close.

Just as my work and my responsibility as a citizen did not end when I term-limited myself in the Senate, the work of this campaign does not end today. Though my name will not be on the ballot next year, I will keep working for the principles that defined this campaign. Massachusetts is prosperous, but we must ask “for whom?” and reckon with the reality that the answer is for far too few. Massachusetts is innovative, but we must ask “to what end?” and reckon with the fact that we are falling far short on the defining issues of this generation—most notably the climate crisis. We have everything we need to solve the big problems facing us. It is not a single political party that stands in the way, but a culture of complacency that too often prioritizes the comfort of those in power over addressing the challenges of those in need. Until that dynamic changes, our work is not done and you’ll find me standing shoulder to shoulder with anyone striving to build a Massachusetts that works for everyone, everywhere.

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To everyone who made this possible - thank you. To the team who encouraged, inspired, and challenged me every single day, this was an incredible adventure. Thanks to you. To the friends, family, and supporters who fueled us over the last year, you were a constant source of strength in a year marked by uncertainty and change. And to Micaelah, thank you for being you and loving me, on the good days and the bad. I wouldn’t be able to do anything without you.

For now, I am off to chase Mac and Eamon. When they tucker themselves out, know I will be right there with you as we chase the Massachusetts we all want to live in, the Massachusetts we know is possible.

Downing says he remains committed to fighting for urgent empathetic leadership in Massachusetts.