Election 2018: Candidate Profile Of Becca Rausch

NEEDHAM, MA -- There are three candidates running for the State Senate seat that serves the Norfolk, Bristol and Middlesex District, which includes part of Attleboro, Franklin, Millis, Natick, Needham, Norfolk, North Attleborough, Plainville, Sherborn, Wayland, Wellesley and Wrentham.

Patch reached out to all of the candidates with a series of questions to help introduce voters to those candidates. This is the fourth in a series of candidate profiles we will publish leading up to the primaries in September and the general election in November.

Today we introduce readers to Needham's Becca Rausch, one of three Democrats running for the seat currently held by Republican Richard Ross. Rausch, 39, who is running against Jacqueline Katz of Norfolk and Wayland's Kris Aleksov. Rausch and husband Lior are parents to two young boys (both under five), and have a Goldendoodle named Bailey. She graduated with a BA from Brandeis University in 2001, received a JD from Northeastern University School of Law in 2004 and an LL.M from the University of California, Berkeley, in 2011.

Rausch is a Town Meeting member and has been since 2017 in Needham. She's been a licensed attorney for 14 years and a law school professor for two years.

Rausch's election website is here.

All of the candidates were asked the same questions. We are publishing their answers to selected questions as they were submitted to us, with some editing for space and style considerations.

The single most pressing issue facing our (board, district, etc.) is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it. Making government work for working families. I will advocate for universal health care, updated school funding, investment in transportation infrastructure, environmental justice, increased transparency, improved voting rights/access, family supports, and waste reduction.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post? I possess the skills and experience in both the state and local levels of government to be an effective voice for our shared values starting on my first day in office. I have been advocating for social justice, fairness, and equality my whole life. I have also earned every endorsement awarded in my race to date, including: Mass. Sierra Club, MassEquality, Mass-Care, Progressive Massachusetts, NAGE/SEIU Local 5000, Mass AFL-CIO, Run For Something, Blue Wave Crowdsource, MassNOW, the Massachusetts Women's Political Caucus, Moms Demand Action for Gun Sense in America (candidate distinction), Steve Grossman (former Mass. Treasurer and past chair of the DNC), Bill Bowles (former State Rep., Attleboro), and multiple local elected officials.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform:

- Health Care (universal access to affordable/quality health care, innovative and evidenced-based solutions to the opioid epidemic and addiction, women's health initiatives)
- Public Transportation (improved infrastructure, improved reliability, increased access)
- Supporting Families (affordable/accessible daycare and early child education, assistance for aging in communities of choice)
- Education (publicly funded full-day Kindergarten, STEAM education, K-8 recess, revised state funding formula)
- Voting Rights and Access (same-day registration, early voting, comprehensive upgrades to voter rolls)
- Civil Rights (protecting transgender rights and equality, passing the Safe Communities Act)
- Environment (green energy conversion and job creation, energy use disclosures and benchmark reports, publicly supported composting, plastic bag and straw use reduction)
- Information Accessibility and Data Privacy (stricter data privacy and security rules, net neutrality, meaningful public records appeals processes)
- Transparent and Accountable Government (easily accessible legislative voting records, culturally competent census awareness and implementation, improved state government information management/privacy/security)

What accomplishments in your past would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

I spent more than three years working for our state government, as the first ever Electronic Discovery Attorney for the MA Executive Office of Health and Human Services, the largest secretariat in the Commonwealth. I am also an elected member of my local legislative body, with direct experience hearing constituents, voicing their concerns, and advocating for change that makes our community stronger.

The best advice ever shared with me was ... Seize opportunities to learn and to add more tools to your toolbox.

Are you running to represent Wayland or Natick in the state legislature? Contact Charlene Arsenault at charlene.arsenault@patch.com for information on being featured in a candidate's profile and submitting campaign announcements to Patch.

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Photo of Becca Rausch submitted by the candidate