Former state Senate president Harriette Chandler of Worcester will not seek reelection

Longtime Massachusetts state legislator and former Senate president Harriette Chandler said Wednesday she will not seek reelection.

Chandler, 84, has represented the Worcester area on Beacon Hill since 1995 — first as a member of the House of Representatives and then as a senator. She’s been a voice for major change throughout her career, breaking barriers herself and helping expand access to reproductive access and workers’ rights across the state.

At a press conference at Worcester City Hall, Chandler said there’s still much to accomplish but that it’s time for a fresh face to fill her seat.

“Knowing this community — it’s wealth of compassion, intelligence and experience — I know that the 1st Worcester District will be well served by whomever the voters choose later this year,” she said.

Before joining the House of Representatives, Chandler served three years as the first-ever woman on the Worcester School Committee. In 2001, she then became the first woman from Worcester elected to the state Senate.

Her list of legislative accomplishments is long. She helped pass laws guaranteeing women could stay at least 48 hours on a maternity ward after giving birth and expanded access to abortion and contraception. As Senate president in 2018, Chandler also presided over the “Grand Bargain,” which raised the state’s minimum wage gradually to $15 per hour, guaranteed a paid family and medical leave program and created a permanent sales tax holiday.

At the local level, Chandler’s been involved in the construction of new schools around Worcester to accommodate the city’s population growth in recent decades. And she’s helped secure funding for major projects, like the expansion of the Worcester Regional Transit Authority.

Local leaders quickly congratulated Chandler for her career achievements in response to her announcement Wednesday.

“I want to thank Senator Chandler for her decades of service to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts and to the City of Worcester,” Worcester Mayor Joseph Petty said in a press release. “As Harlee [Harriette] liked to joke, it’s a great irony that generations of powerful men have gone to Beacon Hill from the City of Worcester, but in the end a Jewish grandmother would be the one to have her portrait hang in the statehouse.”

State Rep. David LeBoeuf, who represents Worcester and Leicester, added “we’re losing a tremendous advocate for our district and an incredible state lawmaker.” He said he’s considering running for her seat.

Chandler said she’ll spend the rest of her term trying to protect student borrowers, expand healthcare for seniors and ensure an equitable recovery from the COVID-19 pandemic. Once her term ends, she’s not sure what she’ll do next other than spending more time with her family.

“I hope that whatever I do in the future will bring me the same source of accomplishment, comfort and feeling of achievement that I’ve had for these [nearly] 30 years in the Legislature,” she said.