Rob DeMarco, a former town-wide member of the Winthrop Town Council, has announced his intention to challenge state Senator Lydia Edwards for the legislative seat she has held since 2022, citing a determination to fight immigration and the state’s 3A housing law.

Mr DeMarco plans to run as a Republican against the incumbent Democrat for a seat she won with nearly 70 percent of the vote in 2024 against Jeanna Marie Tamas, also of Winthrop and also a vocal critic of US immigration levels and of the town’s compliance with the 3A law.

Mr DeMarco acknowledged he faces long odds against Senator Edwards in a state where both incumbents and Democrats fare disproportionately well. Yet he said he sees his prospects as boosted by the Winthrop Town Council election this past November, in which voters overwhelmingly chose candidates opposing compliance with 3A rules for Winthrop.

“We know what the town wants” with regard to 3A, Mr DeMarco said in outlining his plan to campaign around the issue that has left Winthrop persistently divided even as the rest of the state appears to have reached a basic level of peace with it.

Political entry

Mr DeMarco, a lifelong Winthrop resident and a 1994 graduate of Winthrop High School, lost an initial bid for a town-wide seat on the Town Council in 2017. The corporate recruiter and customer service specialist was then appointed to the post two years later after the 2017 winner, Michael Lucerto, vacated the seat to move out of town. Mr DeMarco then won his own four-year term unopposed in November 2021, collecting about two-thirds of the votes cast in the race.

He did not run for re-election last year, saying he believes in term limits and did not want to challenge Kurt Millar when Mr Millar announced his intention to seek the seat. Mr Millar, also a critic of the 3A law, won the town-wide council seat with nearly 59 percent of the vote against Celeste Ribiero Hewitt.

Senator Edwards, an attorney, served four years on the Boston City Council before being elected in 2022 to represent the state Senate district that covers Winthrop, Revere, East Boston and some downtown sections of Boston. Her overwhelming 2024 victory was notably tighter in Winthrop, which represents about 15 percent of the district. Yet even there, she collected 55 percent of the vote against Ms Tamas.

One other candidate, Jonathan Boakarie of Boston, also has announced his intention to run in this year’s race for the Edwards seat, describing himself in social media postings as bringing a particular focus on the conditions facing low-income minority residents of Boston.

Winthrop precedent

Mr DeMarco said he enters the race taking some comfort from his belief that the contest could be won with an overwhelming victory in Winthrop. For that, he cites the example of attorney Joseph Boncore’s capture of the seat in 2016 following Mr Boncore’s nomination that year with 26 percent of the district’s overall vote – including 56 percent of the Winthrop ballots – in a seven-way Democratic primary race. The seat is obtainable “if you win Winthrop big and you lose everything else,” Mr DeMarco said.

And Mr DeMarco talked in an interview of increasing his chances in Boston’s North End by promoting the idea that the city should allow the restaurants there to place some small tables for diners on the sidewalks.

Senator Edwards declined to discuss the campaign, saying she first wanted to see who would be entering the contest. Mr Boakarie did not respond to requests for comment.

The 3A law requires most cities and towns in eastern Massachusetts to add zones allowing multifamily housing. Winthrop could comply by merely rezoning areas of town that already have multifamily units. Senator Edwards has spoken positively of 3A and its intent, and has firmly supported the idea of Winthrop complying with it.

Long 3A battle

As a member of the Winthrop Town Council, Mr DeMarco repeatedly joined with colleagues in refusing to comply with 3A, calling it a moment to fight housing growth in the town. He also explained his opposition to 3A in part by accusing the state of Massachusetts of hypocrisy in what he describes as its rejection of federal law on immigration and the Trump administration’s implementation of it. The Massachusetts governor, Maura Healey, has moved to restrict the ability of federal immigration agents to operate in various locations, including schools and courthouses, though without suggesting actions that involve a violation of law.

Mr DeMarco said he expected that ongoing court battles over 3A will last “for a long time” and he acknowledged that reality would mean costs to the town. For an ultimate resolution to the 3A matter, he cited promises by Republican gubernatorial candidate Brian Shortsleeve to overturn the 3A law as soon as he takes office next year. The 3A law, however, was passed overwhelmingly by the state legislature in 2021, and Governor Healey is shown in polling to be far ahead of Mr Shortsleeve and all other challengers.

Amid his discussion of the state Senate race, Mr DeMarco offered effusive praise for Senator Edwards. “Let me be clear: I like Lydia a lot – she is a great person, she has served our country, I have nothing but the utmost respect for her,” he said, referencing her ongoing service in the Massachusetts Army National Guard. “We just have significant policy differences.”

He also acknowledged some personal struggles in the past couple of years, including “self-medicating.” The Town Council considered expelling him during this time because he missed so many meetings. But, he said, “I came out of it,” adding, “I’m in great shape now.”