Carl Sciortino
Encyclopedia
Carl M. Sciortino, Jr., commonly known as Carl Sciortino, is an American politician
from Massachusetts
. A Democrat
, he is a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives
representing the 34th Middlesex
district. The district includes parts of Medford
and Somerville
.
, faced Sciortino, who is openly
gay
.
Having defeated Ciampa in the primary, Sciortino faced no Republican
opponent in the general election; his being the only name on the ballot. However, Ciampa launched a write-in campaign to hold on to his seat, triggering a rematch of the primary election fought just months earlier. Ciampa received 4,254 write-in votes but Sciortino, with 8,889, defeated him by more than two-to-one.
, Sciortino serves as Vice Chair of the Joint Committee on Transportation. He also serves on the House Ways & Means Committee and the Joint Committee on Health Care Financing.
A graduate of Tufts University
, Sciortino is one of seven openly LGBT
members of the Massachusetts General Court
, alongside Representatives Sarah Peake
(D–Provincetown
), Kate Hogan
(D–Stow
), Cheryl Coakley-Rivera
(D–Springfield
), Liz Malia
(D–Jamaica Plain
) and Denise Andrews
(D–Orange
), as well as Senator Stan Rosenberg (D–Amherst
). His campaigns have been supported by both MassEquality and the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund
.
extension to the Medford/Somerville area. Sciortino received 74% of the vote in the 2010 election, defeating independent opponent Richard Cannava.
Politics of the United States
The United States is a federal constitutional republic, in which the President of the United States , Congress, and judiciary share powers reserved to the national government, and the federal government shares sovereignty with the state governments.The executive branch is headed by the President...
from Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
. A Democrat
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
, he is a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives
Massachusetts House of Representatives
The Massachusetts House of Representatives is the lower house of the Massachusetts General Court, the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It is composed of 160 members elected from single-member electoral districts across the Commonwealth. Representatives serve two-year terms...
representing the 34th Middlesex
Middlesex County, Massachusetts
-National protected areas:* Assabet River National Wildlife Refuge* Great Meadows National Wildlife Refuge* Longfellow National Historic Site* Lowell National Historical Park* Minute Man National Historical Park* Oxbow National Wildlife Refuge...
district. The district includes parts of Medford
Medford, Massachusetts
Medford is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, in the United States, on the Mystic River, five miles northwest of downtown Boston. In the 2010 U.S. Census, Medford's population was 56,173...
and Somerville
Somerville, Massachusetts
Somerville is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, located just north of Boston. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 75,754 and was the most densely populated municipality in New England. It is also the 17th most densely populated incorporated place in...
.
2004 election
Sciortino was first elected to the house in 2004, defeating sixteen-year incumbent Democrat Vincent Ciampa in a bitter contest. The 34th Middlesex district is heavily Democratic and the primary election is the key contest. In 2004, Sciortino defeated Ciampa in the Democratic primary by just 93 votes – 51% to 49%. Ciampa, an opponent of same-sex marriageSame-sex marriage in Massachusetts
Same-sex marriage in the U.S. state of Massachusetts began on May 17, 2004, as a result of the Supreme Judicial Court of Massachusetts ruling in Goodridge v. Department of Public Health that it was unconstitutional under the Massachusetts constitution to allow only heterosexual couples to marry...
, faced Sciortino, who is openly
Coming out
Coming out is a figure of speech for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender people's disclosure of their sexual orientation and/or gender identity....
gay
Gay
Gay is a word that refers to a homosexual person, especially a homosexual male. For homosexual women the specific term is "lesbian"....
.
Having defeated Ciampa in the primary, Sciortino faced no Republican
Republican Party (United States)
The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S...
opponent in the general election; his being the only name on the ballot. However, Ciampa launched a write-in campaign to hold on to his seat, triggering a rematch of the primary election fought just months earlier. Ciampa received 4,254 write-in votes but Sciortino, with 8,889, defeated him by more than two-to-one.
In the legislature
In the General CourtMassachusetts General Court
The Massachusetts General Court is the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The name "General Court" is a hold-over from the Colonial Era, when this body also sat in judgment of judicial appeals cases...
, Sciortino serves as Vice Chair of the Joint Committee on Transportation. He also serves on the House Ways & Means Committee and the Joint Committee on Health Care Financing.
A graduate of Tufts University
Tufts University
Tufts University is a private research university located in Medford/Somerville, near Boston, Massachusetts. It is organized into ten schools, including two undergraduate programs and eight graduate divisions, on four campuses in Massachusetts and on the eastern border of France...
, Sciortino is one of seven openly LGBT
LGBT
LGBT is an initialism that collectively refers to "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender" people. In use since the 1990s, the term "LGBT" is an adaptation of the initialism "LGB", which itself started replacing the phrase "gay community" beginning in the mid-to-late 1980s, which many within the...
members of the Massachusetts General Court
Massachusetts General Court
The Massachusetts General Court is the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The name "General Court" is a hold-over from the Colonial Era, when this body also sat in judgment of judicial appeals cases...
, alongside Representatives Sarah Peake
Sarah Peake
Sarah K. Peake is an American politician from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. A Democrat, she has served in the Massachusetts House of Representatives since 2007. She represents the Fourth Barnstable district, a Cape Cod district that includes her hometown of Provincetown. She previously served...
(D–Provincetown
Provincetown, Massachusetts
Provincetown is a New England town located at the extreme tip of Cape Cod in Barnstable County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 3,431 at the 2000 census, with an estimated 2007 population of 3,174...
), Kate Hogan
Kate Hogan
Kate Hogan is an American politician from Stow, Massachusetts. A Democrat, she is a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives representing the 3rd Middlesex district...
(D–Stow
Stow, Massachusetts
Stow is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 6,590 at the 2010 census.- History :Stow was first settled c. 1660 by Matthew Boon and John Kettell...
), Cheryl Coakley-Rivera
Cheryl Coakley-Rivera
Cheryl A. Coakley-Rivera is an American politician from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. A Democrat, she has served in the Massachusetts House of Representatives since 1999. She represents the Tenth Hampden district, centered on her hometown of Springfield...
(D–Springfield
Springfield, Massachusetts
Springfield is the most populous city in Western New England, and the seat of Hampden County, Massachusetts, United States. Springfield sits on the eastern bank of the Connecticut River near its confluence with three rivers; the western Westfield River, the eastern Chicopee River, and the eastern...
), Liz Malia
Liz Malia
Elizabeth A. "Liz" Malia is an American politician from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. A Democrat, she has served in the Massachusetts House of Representatives since March 1998...
(D–Jamaica Plain
Jamaica Plain, Massachusetts
Jamaica Plain is a historic neighborhood of in Boston, Massachusetts. Founded by Boston Puritans seeking farm land to the south, it was originally part of the city of Roxbury...
) and Denise Andrews
Denise Andrews
Denise Andrews is an American politician from Western Massachusetts. A Democrat, she is a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives representing the 2nd Franklin district. She was first elected in 2010 and took office on January 5, 2011. The 2nd Franklin district comprises six towns,...
(D–Orange
Orange, Massachusetts
Orange is a town in Franklin County, Massachusetts, United States. The population was 7,839 at the 2010 census. It is part of the Springfield, Massachusetts Metropolitan Statistical Area.Part of the town is included in the census-designated place of Orange....
), as well as Senator Stan Rosenberg (D–Amherst
Amherst, Massachusetts
Amherst is a town in Hampshire County, Massachusetts, United States in the Connecticut River valley. As of the 2010 census, the population was 37,819, making it the largest community in Hampshire County . The town is home to Amherst College, Hampshire College, and the University of Massachusetts...
). His campaigns have been supported by both MassEquality and the Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund
Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund
The Gay & Lesbian Victory Fund is an American political action committee dedicated to increasing the number of openly LGBT public officials in US political life.The Victory Fund was founded in 1991...
.
2008 election
In April 2008, Somerville Alderman Bob Trane announced his intention to challenge Sciortino in the Democratic primary. Both Trane and Sciortino collected the necessary number of signatures to qualify for the ballot but several pages of Sciortino's nomination papers disappeared from his State House office before he had handed them in to the Secretary of State's office. As a result, Sciortino's name did not appear on the Democratic primary ballot, where Trane was listed as the sole candidate. Nevertheless, Sciortino mounted a write-in and sticker campaign, managing to win renomination with 2,678 votes (55 percent) to Trane's 2,217 (45 percent).2010 election
On 2 November 2010, Sciortino was reelected as the representative for the 34th Middlesex District in the Massachusetts House of Representatives. He stated that, "education reform will...continue to be a priority of [his]" over the coming two year term, along with the Green LineGreen Line (MBTA)
The Green Line is a streetcar system run by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority in the Boston, Massachusetts area of the United States. It is the oldest line of Boston's subway, which is known locally as the 'T'. The Green Line runs underground downtown and on the surface in outlying...
extension to the Medford/Somerville area. Sciortino received 74% of the vote in the 2010 election, defeating independent opponent Richard Cannava.