{"id":2723,"date":"2026-08-19T09:42:20","date_gmt":"2026-08-19T09:42:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/?p=2723"},"modified":"2026-08-19T09:42:20","modified_gmt":"2026-08-19T09:42:20","slug":"voters-are-ousting-longtime-incumbents-so-why-is-no-one-talking-about-richard-neal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/?p=2723","title":{"rendered":"Voters Are Ousting Longtime Incumbents. So Why Is No One Talking About Richard Neal?"},"content":{"rendered":"<div>\n<div>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<p>SPRINGFIELD, Mass. \u2014 Seven House Democrats have lost their seats to primary challengers this year. Rep. Richard Neal, the 77-year-old Massachusetts Democrat who was first elected in 1988, is not worried he will join them.<\/p><p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/?p=2718\">Nearly Half of Trump\u2019s Treasury Appointees Have Left<\/a><\/p><p>Neal has spent decades accumulating power, and, as the top Democrat on the Ways and Means Committee, he has been able to run the party\u2019s policy apparatus in the House. His campaign says he\u2019s donated or fundraised $5.5 million for competitive races to help Democrats win back the majority in November. And he remains confident that his longstanding ties to voters and his seniority \u2014 which is ultimately power in Congress \u2014 will make his September primary here against Jeromie Whalen, a 39-year-old public school teacher, an easy one for him to win.<\/p>\n<p>But as several of his Democratic colleagues recently discovered, seniority is not the political shield it once was, as voters this year have shown their willingness to toss out decades of accumulated experience. They have opted instead for generational change.<\/p><p>If he does lose? Establishment Democrats would have a hard time writing it off as just another cranky electorate showing an aging lawmaker the door. Neal\u2019s stamp on major Democratic legislation from his perch on Ways and Means has benefited Western Massachusetts to the tune of tens of millions of dollars. If voters decide that isn\u2019t worth preserving, the problem for the party gets bigger than age. It would suggest that the traditional bargain with voters \u2014 <i>keep sending me back and I\u2019ll accumulate power and money on your behalf<\/i> \u2014 may be breaking down.<\/p>\n<section>\n<div>\n<h2>\n<span>Trending<\/span>\n<\/h2>\n<\/div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<ul>\n<li>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-medium_large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Scott Bessent\" class=\"wp-image-1141\" height=\"512\" src=\"https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/6f812b10366ab03ee3f1e2ca4100bfc0-768x512.jpg\" width=\"768\" srcset=\"https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/6f812b10366ab03ee3f1e2ca4100bfc0-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/6f812b10366ab03ee3f1e2ca4100bfc0-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/6f812b10366ab03ee3f1e2ca4100bfc0.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div><h3>\n<span>\n                      Nearly Half of Trump\u2019s Treasury Appointees Have Left\n                    <\/span>\n<\/h3><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\">\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-medium_large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Buddy Carter\" class=\"wp-image-2681\" height=\"512\" src=\"https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/5cdc48ddaa1c956a9306396702c96302-768x512.jpg\" width=\"768\" srcset=\"https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/5cdc48ddaa1c956a9306396702c96302-768x512.jpg 768w, https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/5cdc48ddaa1c956a9306396702c96302-300x200.jpg 300w, https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/08\/5cdc48ddaa1c956a9306396702c96302.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 768px) 100vw, 768px\" \/><\/figure>\n<\/figure>\n\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div><h3>\n<span>\n                      Rep. Buddy Carter Emerges as a Dark Horse Candidate to Lead the FDA\n                    <\/span>\n<\/h3><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<picture>\n<img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"AfD Lead Candidate Ulrich Siegmund on the Campaign Trail\" class=\"Image\" data-image-size=\"standardStory\" height=\"220\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/static.notus.org\/dims4\/default\/b26cce6\/2147483647\/strip\/true\/crop\/7920x5280+55+0\/resize\/330x220!\/quality\/90\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fk2-prod-aji.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F22%2Ff2%2Fcfd80b4e4283a5cf684bee95ea9e%2Fap26212444721177-copy.jpg\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.notus.org\/dims4\/default\/b26cce6\/2147483647\/strip\/true\/crop\/7920x5280+55+0\/resize\/330x220!\/quality\/90\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fk2-prod-aji.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F22%2Ff2%2Fcfd80b4e4283a5cf684bee95ea9e%2Fap26212444721177-copy.jpg 1x,https:\/\/static.notus.org\/dims4\/default\/35d7390\/2147483647\/strip\/true\/crop\/7920x5280+55+0\/resize\/660x440!\/quality\/90\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fk2-prod-aji.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F22%2Ff2%2Fcfd80b4e4283a5cf684bee95ea9e%2Fap26212444721177-copy.jpg 2x,https:\/\/static.notus.org\/dims4\/default\/d4ff28a\/2147483647\/strip\/true\/crop\/7920x5280+55+0\/resize\/990x660!\/quality\/90\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fk2-prod-aji.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F22%2Ff2%2Fcfd80b4e4283a5cf684bee95ea9e%2Fap26212444721177-copy.jpg 3x\" width=\"330\"\/>\n<\/picture>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div><h3>\n<span>\n                      Germany\u2019s Far-Right Is On the Rise. The Implications Are Global.\n                    <\/span>\n<\/h3><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<li>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<div>\n<picture>\n<img decoding=\"async\" alt=\"Byron Donalds\" class=\"Image\" data-image-size=\"standardStory\" height=\"220\" loading=\"lazy\" src=\"https:\/\/static.notus.org\/dims4\/default\/abb457c\/2147483647\/strip\/true\/crop\/1861x1241+0+0\/resize\/330x220!\/quality\/90\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fk2-prod-aji.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F70%2F8d%2F15e100c54996a7cf2ed6b77cb51f%2Fbyrondonalds.png\" srcset=\"https:\/\/static.notus.org\/dims4\/default\/abb457c\/2147483647\/strip\/true\/crop\/1861x1241+0+0\/resize\/330x220!\/quality\/90\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fk2-prod-aji.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F70%2F8d%2F15e100c54996a7cf2ed6b77cb51f%2Fbyrondonalds.png 1x,https:\/\/static.notus.org\/dims4\/default\/276f3df\/2147483647\/strip\/true\/crop\/1861x1241+0+0\/resize\/660x440!\/quality\/90\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fk2-prod-aji.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F70%2F8d%2F15e100c54996a7cf2ed6b77cb51f%2Fbyrondonalds.png 2x,https:\/\/static.notus.org\/dims4\/default\/51f8ad5\/2147483647\/strip\/true\/crop\/1861x1241+0+0\/resize\/990x660!\/quality\/90\/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fk2-prod-aji.s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com%2Fbrightspot%2F70%2F8d%2F15e100c54996a7cf2ed6b77cb51f%2Fbyrondonalds.png 3x\" width=\"330\"\/>\n<\/picture>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div><h3>\n<span>\n                      Rep. Byron Donalds Received Mercy After Two Arrests. Now, He\u2019s Making Sentences Tougher For D.C. Youth.\n                    <\/span>\n<\/h3><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/section>\n<p>Neal isn\u2019t even entertaining the possibility.<\/p><p>\u201cLet\u2019s put this way:\u2029I think there\u2019s a tendency for challengers in congressional elections to want the public to come to believe that history started on the day they were born,\u201d he told me in a recent interview. Previous challengers have \u201creally been unable to fracture, nevermind break\u201d his longstanding relationships in the district.<\/p><p><b>* * *<\/b><\/p><p>Massachusetts\u2019 1st Congressional District is easy to characterize as a deep-blue seat of liberal college enclaves ripe for progressive insurgency. On the ground it\u2019s more complicated. The district includes Springfield and its working-class, post-industrial neighborhoods, struggling former mill towns and rural farming communities. There is considerable wealth here, but also deep poverty and communities hollowed out by the opioid epidemic.<\/p><p>Neal\u2019s ability to secure funding for the district has been key to his success even when the headwinds have been bad for incumbents.<\/p><p>\u201cRichie has always maintained a close relationship with the district,\u201d said a source close to the Neal campaign. \u201cYou won\u2019t catch him sleeping \u2026 but more than that, Richie\u2019s a liberal. Like I think some people on the left want to run a campaign against a Blue Dog but Richie is a pro-labor, pro-worker, pro-Social Security Democrat, and he\u2019s been rock solid on that.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Neal has only had a handful of primary challengers and even fewer competitive ones. His last real challenge was in 2020 against the young, progressive mayor of Holyoke, Alex Morse, who was backed by Justice Democrats. Justice Democrats spent mightily against Neal, and he still won by double digits.<\/p><p>Confidence from those past wins has carried into this cycle. The lawmaker says comparisons between losing incumbents are the result of the \u201cnational media\u201d looking for a narrative where there isn\u2019t one. But some of the similarities between losing incumbents are difficult to ignore.<\/p><p>Rep. Diana DeGette (D-Colorado), a nearly 30-year veteran of the House, <span><u>lost her June primary<\/u><\/span> to 29-year-old democratic socialist Melat Kiros. DeGette had handily won her primary in 2022 and didn\u2019t even field a challenger in 2024. Rep. John Larson (D-Connecticut) was <span><u>ousted last week<\/u><\/span> after 14 terms in the House by Luke Bronin, the 47-year-old former mayor of Hartford. Before this year, Larson hadn\u2019t faced a Democratic primary challenger since his first race for Congress, 28 years ago.<\/p><div>\n<\/div><p>DeGette and Larson essentially made the same bet Neal is making now: that voters would value their seniority more than they wanted someone new. Both, like Neal, spent decades building organizations and relationships in their districts. Both argued that their seniority would position them for powerful committee posts if Democrats win the House in November.<\/p><p>Neal isn\u2019t promising voters that his seniority <i>could<\/i> translate into power. He has already had it and wielded it plenty on their behalf.<\/p><p>\u201cI\u2019ve authored major legislation that has benefited people. I brought back billions of dollars to the state of Massachusetts \u2014 not millions, not tens of millions, <i>billions<\/i> of dollars,\u201d he said. \u201cI mean, I wrote the American Rescue Act with [Nancy] Pelosi, if you look at the Butch Lewis Act on the pension front \u2026 I mean, these are the things that clearly are breaking through.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s interesting to me that the Inflation Reduction Act is the most consequential environmental legislation in American history and it came out of the Ways and Means Committee when I was chairman \u2014 $412 billion worth of tax credits, and it\u2019s working,\u201d he added.<\/p><p><b>* * *<\/b><\/p><p>The Democratic Party\u2019s existential crisis over age is especially prevalent this election cycle. Of the Democratic incumbents who have lost, five were over the retirement age.<\/p><p>Enter Whalen, whospends his days driving around in a bright yellow Toyota Cargo Van from 1988 \u2014 the same year Neal was first elected to Congress \u2014 that looks like it\u2019s held together with Scotch tape, and bears the license plate \u201cVANANA.\u201d His lawn signs match the van\u2019s yellow paint; a billboard over Interstate 91 instructs voters to \u201ctrust the man with the yellow van.\u201d<\/p><p>Whalen often likes to say that he\u2019s been alive almost as long as Neal has been in office. His staff skews young too: His communications director, Joey Pisani, is entering his junior year of college and only just turned 20 years old. Whalen is attempting to visit and knock on doors in all 83 municipalities before the election, which means a lot of time in the van.<\/p><div>\n<\/div><div>\n<\/div><p>\u201cThe other day when I was driving, Metallica\u2019s \u2018Ride the Lightning\u2019 came on,\u201d he said. \u201cI go, \u2018Has Richie ever heard this song? Does Richie know who Metallica is?\u2019 It\u2019s just something small but like, is Richie plugged into society? Not just pop culture, but is he plugged into society and concerns and issues in any way that would be something where he would understand what\u2019s happening out here?\u201d<\/p><p>On paper, Whalen reads as engineered in a lab to attract the national groups that have spent years trying to dislodge entrenched Democrats. He supports \u201cMedicare for All,\u201d wants to abolish Immigration and Customs Enforcement and refuses corporate PAC money (his primary critique of Neal is that his fundraising is driven almost entirely by PAC money). Justice Democrats, which did not respond to a request for comment, <span><u>once called Neal<\/u><\/span> \u201cthe epitome of a corporate Democrat.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>But the national cavalry isn\u2019t running to Whalen. Neal\u2019s victory in 2020 was so decisive, no one has really bothered to try and take him out since.<\/p><p>Now Whalen thinks the district is open to an alternative. While hisname ID is likely extremely low, his consistent social media presence has racked up hundreds of thousands of views in the last three months. His campaign is extremely proud of its ground game, citing more than 50,000 voters reached according to internal data. Lawn signs don\u2019t vote, but Whalen signs have been out everywhere since April, where Neal\u2019s only just started cropping up in August. Through Whalen\u2019s travels around the district, he says the Neal true believers just aren\u2019t out here.<\/p><p>\u201cWhen knocking doors, the most resounding message I\u2019ve heard is, \u2018It\u2019s time.\u2019 Richard Neal\u2019s base has always been an older generation of voters, and that base has dwindled as people have passed away, retired to Florida or moved elsewhere,\u201d Whalen said.<\/p><p>Those who are still here, he says, \u201cbelieve it\u2019s time to pass the torch.\u201d<\/p><p>Voters at his events say as much.<\/p><p>\u201cI\u2019m just not happy with the status quo,\u201d said Claire Murphy, 72, a former Neal voter at a Whalen event. \u201cIt\u2019s just time for some new blood.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Her husband, Bob, interjected.<\/p><p>\u201cLook, we can say \u2018Thank you for serving the community, thank you for serving the government, but it\u2019s time for him to hang it up,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s time for new ideas and younger blood.\u201d<\/p><p>Whalen campaigns almost exclusively in T-shirts, shorts and hiking boots but is not above a costume. For a Fourth of July parade in East Longmeadow, he donned a full Uncle Sam getup to run down the route.<\/p><p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/?p=2712\">Trump\u2019s Anti-Fraud Crusade Casts a Long Shadow Over Minnesota Governor\u2019s Race<\/a><\/p><div>\n<\/div><p>Whalen had been thinking about a run since Donald Trump was reelected in 2024. He saved up some money and took a leave of absence from his public school job so he could make campaigning his fulltime gig \u2014 his wife works in finance in New York to support them, traveling back and forth most weeks, something he readily acknowledges is something most people can\u2019t do. In February 2025, tragedy struck Whalen\u2019s family when his older brother Chris died by suicide. Six months later, Whalen announced his campaign.<\/p><p>\u201cI made a commitment in the classroom a long time ago to make the world a better place, and now I am making a commitment to my brother\u2019s legacy to do the same,\u201d he said.<\/p><p>He approaches campaigning with the energy of a golden retriever puppy, but things shift when he talks about Chris and the toll severe mental illness can take.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cAt the center of everything is joy,\u201d he resolves, wiping tears away. \u201cI think that\u2019s the biggest influence that you can have on the world is just making it a better place, aside from legislation, aside from any governmental procedures or protocol.\u201d<\/p><p>A thousand people showed up for the wake, Whalen says, something he\u2019s reminded of almost daily when people bring up his brother as he knocks on doors in the district.<\/p><p>Joy and legacy might be the touchstones for his campaign approach, but the dynamics of the race hinge around something more concrete: money.<\/p><p>Neal is heading into the final weeks of the primary with roughly $4 million and has already spent around $350,000 on mailers, television and digital advertising \u2014 about $100,000 more than Whalen has raised during the entire campaign.<\/p><div>\n<\/div><p>Whalen argues that money isn\u2019t destiny, especially in a cheap media market with no public polling.<\/p><p>\u201cLook, AOC beat Joe Crowley and only raised $300,000 and that was in <i>New York City<\/i>,\u201d Whalen stressed in an interview during a day of canvassing.<\/p>\n<p>Talking about money also gives Whalen the opportunity to make his favorite Neal criticism. Only a fraction of Neal\u2019s fundraising this year comes from small-dollar donors, and more than half of his money this cycle comes from PACs, according to Federal Election Commission data analyzed by <span><u>OpenSecrets<\/u><\/span>.<\/p><p>\u201cThe money I\u2019ve raised is overwhelmingly going to other Democratic candidates and the DCCC, but I\u2019m not going to disarm,\u201d Neal said in defense. \u201cI had hundreds of thousands of dollars in outside money spent against me in the race against Morse.\u201d<\/p><p>Neal also brushes off Whalen\u2019s other big criticism: that he is not available in the district.<\/p><p>\u201cI mean, it\u2019s what every challenger says,\u201d he said. \u201cIt\u2019s the rhetoric that\u2019s embraced, and generally, there\u2019s not a lot of evidence to support it.\u201d<\/p><p><b>* * *<\/b><\/p><p>There\u2019s no public polling on the race, so the question of who has momentum is really a game of vibes. Nonpartisan district polling is practically nonexistent. In light of Larson\u2019s loss, some more attention has come Neal\u2019s way, especially as another generational fight plays out in the <span><u>Senate primary between<\/u><\/span> incumbent Sen. Ed Markey, 80, and Rep. Seth Moulton, 47.<\/p><p>A <span><u>new poll from UMass Amherst<\/u><\/span> showed Markey up significantly over Moulton, and voters seemed to not care about his age, with 91% of primary voters viewing his experience as an asset rather than a liability. But those aren\u2019t tea leaves Neal should read into all that much either, the poll\u2019s director, Tatishe Nteta, said.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Moulton-Markey race is a little different because the challenger is moderate and is sort of viewed in the most positive way as, um, ambitious,\u201d he said. \u201cI don\u2019t think those are the dynamics with Neal and Whalen. Senate primary voters in Massachusetts value progressivism over all else.\u201d<\/p><p>The Neal and Whalen race is ultimately a test of if people are going to be willing to give up the kind of \u201cpower, influence and bacon\u201d Neal has been able to wield, Nteta added.<\/p><p>The final stretch of the campaign will include a 30-minute debate on Aug. 26, after early voting has begun. Neal, meanwhile, is flexing his ability to show just how entrenched his support actually is.<\/p><div>\n<\/div><p>George Bruce, an 82-year-old Springfield resident, said he was asked to attend a recent African Community Festival, where Neal appeared and was flanked by dozens of Black community leaders, in 100-degree heat to show support for Neal because he\u2019s known Neal his \u201centire life.\u201d<\/p><p>\u201cHe never forgot where he came from, so no matter what color or creed you were, he was always there for us,\u201d Bruce said. \u201cRichie is a strong man, and I appreciate him.\u201d<\/p><p>Timothy Paul, a pastor and founder of a Springfield church, was the first to greet Neal at the festival.<\/p><p>\u201cWe\u2019re just here to help him because we remember what he\u2019s done for our community,\u201d Paul said. \u201cAnd we\u2019re going to help other people remember.\u201d<\/p><p>Neal has the money and the infrastructure and is projecting so much confidence, he\u2019s never uttered Whalen\u2019s name publicly, calling this reporter \u201cperceptive\u201d when it was pointed out to him.<\/p><p>\u201cI think that if one dresses up as a leprechaun, or dresses up as, uh, let\u2019s see, Uncle Sam, you\u2019re trying to create a sensation on social media and that is something that\u2019s generally not gonna get you elected to Congress,\u201d he said.<\/p><p>Read more <a href=\"https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/?p=2710\">White House\u2019s University Antisemitism Probes Had \u2018Predetermined\u2019 Outcomes, Whistleblowers Say<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Neal has been in office for nearly four decades \u2014 but in an under-the-radar primary, voters have to decide if the power he\u2019s accumulated is enough to reelect him.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2719,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2723","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-2026-election"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v27.6 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/product\/yoast-seo-wordpress\/ -->\n<title>Voters Are Ousting Longtime Incumbents. So Why Is No One Talking About Richard Neal? - Modern Home Journals<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/modernhomejournals.com\/?p=2723\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Voters Are Ousting Longtime Incumbents. 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