James Arena-DeRosa
James Arena-DeRosa (Democratic Party) is a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives, representing the 8th Middlesex District. He assumed office on January 4, 2023. His current term ends on January 1, 2025.
Arena-DeRosa (Democratic Party) ran for re-election to the Massachusetts House of Representatives to represent the 8th Middlesex District. He won in the general election on November 5, 2024.
Biography
James Arena-DeRosa graduated from Xaverian Brothers High School.[1] Arena-DeRosa's career experience includes working as a freelance community advocate, the president and CEO of Foodshare, the director of public advocacy of Oxfam America, the New England director of the Peace Corps under the Bill Clinton administration, the northeast regional administrator for the United States Department of Agriculture Food and Nutrition Service under the Barack Obama administration, and the special assistant to the Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth.[1][2] Arena-DeRosa has been affiliated with the SEIU Local 285, the board and executive committee on policy of Mass Farmers Markets, the board of directors of Miracle Of Help Sierra Leone, Africa, the board of governors of the Dante Alighieri Cultural Society, the Sons of Italy Scholarship Commission, the Xaverian Brothers High School Alumni Association, and the Harvard-Radcliffe Alumni Association/Reunion Committee.[3]
Sponsored legislation
The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according to BillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.
Committee assignments
2023-2024
Arena-DeRosa was assigned to the following committees:
- Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture Joint Committee
- Community Development and Small Businesses Joint Committee
- Joint Committee on Emergency Preparedness and Management
- Public Health Joint Committee
Elections
2024
See also: Massachusetts House of Representatives elections, 2024
General election
General election for Massachusetts House of Representatives 8th Middlesex District
Incumbent James Arena-DeRosa won election in the general election for Massachusetts House of Representatives 8th Middlesex District on November 5, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ |  | James Arena-DeRosa (D) | 98.2 | 20,170 |
| Other/Write-in votes | 1.8 | 366 | ||
| Total votes: 20,536 | |||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Massachusetts House of Representatives 8th Middlesex District
Incumbent James Arena-DeRosa advanced from the Democratic primary for Massachusetts House of Representatives 8th Middlesex District on September 3, 2024.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | James Arena-DeRosa | 100.0 | 4,295 |
| Total votes: 4,295 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
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Endorsements
Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements for Arena-DeRosa in this election.
2022
See also: Massachusetts House of Representatives elections, 2022
General election
General election for Massachusetts House of Representatives 8th Middlesex District
James Arena-DeRosa defeated Loring Barnes in the general election for Massachusetts House of Representatives 8th Middlesex District on November 8, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | James Arena-DeRosa (D) | 65.0 | 12,916 |
 | Loring Barnes (R) | 35.0 | 6,947 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.1 | 10 | ||
| Total votes: 19,873 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for Massachusetts House of Representatives 8th Middlesex District
James Arena-DeRosa defeated Connor Degan in the Democratic primary for Massachusetts House of Representatives 8th Middlesex District on September 6, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | James Arena-DeRosa | 57.1 | 3,070 |
 | Connor Degan | 42.9 | 2,307 | |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.0 | 2 | ||
| Total votes: 5,379 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Republican primary election
Republican primary for Massachusetts House of Representatives 8th Middlesex District
Loring Barnes advanced from the Republican primary for Massachusetts House of Representatives 8th Middlesex District on September 6, 2022.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Loring Barnes | 99.8 | 1,524 |
| Other/Write-in votes | 0.2 | 3 | ||
| Total votes: 1,527 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Endorsements
To view Arena-DeRosa's endorsements in the 2022 election, please click here.
2014
Arena-DeRosa was running for election to the office of Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts. Arena-DeRosa was eliminated from contention by state party delegates prior to the Democratic primary on September 9, 2014.[4] The general election took place on November 4, 2014.
Campaign themes
2024
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
James Arena-DeRosa did not complete Ballotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey.
2022
James Arena-DeRosa completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Arena-DeRosa's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.
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James is the grandson of Italian immigrants who made their way to Boston through Ellis Island. James is a lifelong Democrat and Massachusetts resident. James has held on to the lessons from those he met, and from an early age decided that his calling was the pursuit of social and economic justice. His activism further nurtured by the brothers at Xaverian High School, James went on to graduate from Harvard with honors where he was involved in numerous Democratic campaigns. Since coming to Holliston in the early 1990s the Arena-DeRosa family has been very involved in the community. James served on the Holliston Finance Committee and chaired the Democratic Town Committee, for several years his wife directed the Holliston Senior Center, was involved with public schools, taught CCD at St. Mary’s, and has been a long-time member of the Celebrate Holliston Committee as well. James loves politics and engaging in public policy but also enjoys the quiet contemplation of his garden – leaning to his Italian roots growing tomatoes, basil, garlic, green beans, eggplant and raspberries (which were planted with his sons when they were young children). Staying connected to healthy and local food initiatives, James serves on the Mass Farmers Markets Board of Directors. James is also a die hard Red Sox fan and finally got to see them win in 2004
- As someone who both served as an elected local official and also advocated to the highest levels of government, I will stand with the leaders of Holliston, Hopkinton, Millis and Sherborn to help them meet community challenges including infrastructure, education and affordability for seniors and young adults.
- My wide breadth of experience prepares me for the vast array of policy issues facing the Commonwealth. I will continue to: Fight for affordable healthcare, protect the environment/incest in green technology, support local agriculture, collaborate with the business community, and ensure food security and justice for all.
- As a member of the Senior Executive Service, I have led a $12 billion government program during the Obama Administration. My leadership skills will connect the community to state and federal programs, help individuals meet their needs, and move the state forward during challenging times.
Many of my policy positions stem from two foundational ideas that have guided my career: everyone’s basic needs should be met, and people’s voices should be heard on the issues that touch their lives. If I can accomplish one thing on Beacon Hill in the coming years it will be to insist that small towns, local leaders, small businesses, workers, students, people of color, teachers, nurses, farmers, and all others have a voice when policymakers are debating public policy and setting a direction for the Commonwealth. For too long those with significant financial resources have leveraged and controlled too much of the agenda in the corridors of power and that must change.
I want to make positive change for my district and the state of Massachusetts. If I can accomplish one thing on Beacon Hill in the coming years it will be to insist that small towns, local leaders, small businesses, workers, students, people of color, teachers, nurses, farmers, and all others have a voice when policymakers are debating public policy and setting a direction for the Commonwealth.
Throughout high school and college, James worked 15-20 hours a week: pumping gas at his uncle’s gas station, working at the MGH lab, and enjoying a thriving disc jockey business until he decided to go help the farmworkers with Jerry Brown for $10 a day.
For us to move forward, Massachusetts must have a legislature and Governor's office that are more transparent.
There are many issues pertinent to Massachusetts. To name a few: Climate change, economic justice, reproductive freedom, racial justice, and voter suppression will be massive challenges we need to face together Nationwide but also as a state.
I believe my experience is one of my strongpoints that make me the most electable for this job. If elected, I will be working from day 1 onwards to get change done on Beacon Hill.
Yes, During my career I have endeavored to work with everyone, from leadership to those in the other party. I plan to stay true to my ideals but hope to be a bridge builder in the years ahead.
Our towns will miss the wonderful leadership provided by Representatives Carolyn Dykema and David Linsky. Both have emphasized to me the importance of providing local constituent services. Often a State Representative is the one person in government that a citizen can turn to for assistance. I pledge to serve in this role full time, make myself available for regular office house in each community, and maintain a rigorous constituent service program that will be responsive to individual consistent needs and help them navigate government bureaucracy as needed.
Compromise is desirable, but at the same time it will be my priority to ensure that small businesses, workers, students, people of color, teachers, nurses, farmers, and all others have a voice when policymakers are debating public policy and setting a direction for the Commonwealth. I intend to work with fellow Democratic legislators to address issues of concern across the Commonwealth and the country like climate change, economic justice, reproductive freedom, racial justice, and voter suppression.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
Scorecards
A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.
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2023
| To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2023, click [show]. |
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In 2023, the Massachusetts State Legislature was in session from January 4 to November 15.
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Personal
Note: Please contact us if the personal information below requires an update.
Arena-DeRosa and Lina, live in Holliston with their two sons, Anthony and Alessandro. Lina and James married in 1986 and took each other’s last name as both a cultural tradition and a sign of gender equity. Lina is a director for the Holliston Senior Center. Arena-DeRosa is a member of his community's Finance Committee, a Little League Coach and a photographer for Holliston High School's theater group.[1]
See also
2024 Elections
External links
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Candidate Massachusetts House of Representatives 8th Middlesex District |
Officeholder Massachusetts House of Representatives 8th Middlesex District |
Personal |
Footnotes
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 E-mail communication with Kristen Mathews, March 20, 2014
- ↑ LinkedIn, "James Arena-DeRosa," accessed April 18, 2023
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on August 3, 2022
- ↑ Cite error: Invalid
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| Political offices | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by Carolyn Dykema (D) |
Massachusetts House of Representatives 8th Middlesex District 2023-Present |
Succeeded by - |
