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Candidates Emerge in 4th Congressional District

By Michelle Murdock, Freelance Writer

Due to recent districting changes, Hopkinton is now part of the 4th Congressional District and will no longer be represented by Jim McGovern. With the decision of Barney Frank not to seek re-election already made, several candidates have recently declared their intent to run for his seat in the 4th Congressional District. One of those candidates is Sharon resident and Democrat Marty Farren.

Farren says he is not a career politician, will not give in to special interests, and his first and only priority is creating a better future for Massachusetts.

“I believe that we deserve better than what the Republicans in Congress are giving us,” said Farren. “This is the time for action. It is inexcusable that the Republican platform has shifted into a lockstep batter cry of inaction.”

As a Democrat, Farren says he will work with other members of Congress for a better tomorrow and will work to move past partisan differences to creating a real solution in the Massachusetts 4th District.

Farren is a Massachusetts native, grew up in and currently resides in Sharon, attended high school in Brookline and graduated cum laude from NYU with a degree in Computer Science. He now works as a tech industry consultant.

To date, three additional candidates have announced a run for the 4th District seat and another is considering, but not yet formally announced.

Democrat Jules Levine, a Brookline resident and a longtime faculty member at Boston University School of Law has announced his candidacy. He has addressed Occupy Boston at its encampment in Dewey Square and has been participating in two of its Working Groups, particularly on removing the influence of money from politics.

Democrat Herb Robinson, another Brookline resident seeking Barney Frank’s seat, describes himself as socially liberal and fiscally conservative. He is a first time politician and has worked for 30 years as an engineer and favors stimulus spending.

A third candidate, Republican Elizabeth Childs, is a practicing psychiatrist and another resident of Brookline. As a believer of competitive democracy, Childs, who declared her candidacy in July of 2011, says she welcomes the new entrants in the race.

And finally, media outlets are reporting that Joseph Kennedy III, the son of former US Representative Joseph P. Kennedy II and the grandson of Robert F. Kennedy, has been conducting polling on a potential run and is expected to announce his candidacy next week.