Public School Teacher Takes on Congressman Richard Neal

Jeromie Whalen seeks to primary long-term incumbent

Springfield, Mass  – Today, public school teacher Jeromie Whalen announced his campaign to challenge long-time incumbent Congressman Richard Neal to represent the people of Massachusetts's 1st Congressional District.

A proud product of Western Massachusetts, Whalen grew up in Belchertown, built a life with his wife in South Hadley, and earned three degrees, including most recently his Ph.D. in Mathematics, Science, and Learning Technologies, from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. He has spent over a decade teaching high school in the Pioneer Valley as a Communications and Media Production Teacher.

“I’m a public servant, not a politician,” said Jeromie Whalen. “And honestly, that’s exactly what we need right now: real people who you see everyday at the gas station, in the supermarket, at your kid’s basketball game, standing up and saying enough is enough - it’s time for a change.” 

Massachusetts's 1st Congressional District represents 83 towns and municipalities in Western and Central Massachusetts, including towns in Hampden, Hampshire, Worcester, and Berkshire counties. Neal, who has held the seat since 1989, once served as the Chair of the Ways and Means Committee. 

“I was just one year old when Neal was elected, and what have those 36 years given us? A man who is one of the highest recipients of corporate and PAC money in all of Congress, and a lack of leadership and innovation that’s brought the lowest approval rating for the Democratic Party in history. We need a new generation of leaders to step up and actually fight for working people, not just do the bidding of their corporate donors,” said Whalen. 

Whalen has a strong record of civic activism and has dedicated his career to helping future generations gain both the educational opportunities to succeed and the social skills to grow into caring, compassionate members of the community.

Previously, Whalen served as the Communications Director and building delegate for the Northampton Association of School Employees (NASE). He has also served as Vice President of the Board of Directors for Northampton Open Media. 

As an educator and community media advocate, Whalen led a team of students and other local volunteers in the Emmy-award winning production of “Young@Heart.” This Boston/New England regional award was given by the National Association of Television Arts and Sciences.

As an academic researcher, he has published numerous studies which have garnered over 1,800 scholarly citations on the impact of technology in the field of education, including examinations of emergency remote teaching and artificial intelligence. 

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For more information about the campaign to elect Jeromie Whalen to Congress, visit whalenforcongressma.com, or follow along on Facebook, X, Instagram,YouTube, or TikTok.