Field growing for Central Mass. special election to replace Sen. Anne Gobi

The contest to fill the Worcester and Hampshire District seat in the state Senate is now up to four candidates with the addition of a Spencer Libertarian and contenders were spurred on in July by a collective $28,000 in political donations.

The seat has been open since Sen. Anne Gobi resigned June 4, but voters must wait until Oct. 10 to cast ballots in the party primaries, followed by a general election Nov. 7, under a timeline set by Senate leadership.

Libertarian Janel Holmes, who lives in Spencer near the Paxton town line, organized a campaign account at the end of July. No bank statement information has yet been reported.

The lone Democrat in the race, Rep. Jonathan Zlotnik of Gardner, brought in more than $7,300 in July, spent $4,280, and ended the month with more than $47,000 in his campaign coffers. A list of individual donors to Zlotnik's campaign in July was not available on the Office of Campaign and Political Finance website Tuesday.

Republican Bruce Chester of Gardner, a retired U.S. Army officer, started the month with just $208 in his account, raised $4,756, and after expenses closed out July with a balance over $2,000. A thousand dollars of Chester's fundraising haul came from Newton real estate developer Steven Snider, according to campaign finance data.

Rep. Peter Durant, a Spencer Republican, brought in the most money last month — just shy of $16,000. After spending $9,000, he ended July with more than $19,000 on hand. Durant's top donors, giving $1,000 each, included former gubernatorial candidate Chris Doughty and Michael Valanzola, who ran against Gobi when she first sought the Senate seat in 2014.

"I believe that our momentum is due to my clear opposition to Beacon Hill's latest anti-Second Amendment legislation and my work on the problem of illegal immigrants flooding into the Commonwealth," Durant wrote in a press release about his fundraising levels. "When I am door knocking, I am hearing from many upset voters on the direction our state is heading. They know that we need more balance in the Senate."

As Durant looks to jump to the Senate, his wife, former Rep. Kate Campanale, filed paperwork July 21 stating her intent to run for his seat in the House of Representatives.

This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette: Field for special election to replace Anne Gobi in Senate is growing