The state Democratic Party was criticized in May for sharing office space with Neal since he is involved in a contested primary against two Democrats.
U.S. Rep. Richard Neal greets Democratic Senate hopeful Elizabeth Warren as she arrives in Springfield by train ahead of the state Democratic Convention in June, where Warren officially received the party's nomination to take on Republican U.S. Sen. Scott Brown. (Staff Photo by John Suchocki) More politics news
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As this weekend marks the beginning of the last 100 days of the election season, Democrats across the state are taking to the streets to register people to vote and rally support against Republican contenders.
And as Mass. Gov. Deval Patrick makes an appearance in Pittsfield, U.S. Rep. Richard Neal will canvass in the East Forest Park neighborhood of Springfield on behalf of his campaign and that of Democratic U.S. Senate candidate Elizabeth Warren.
Starting at 10 a.m., Neal will walk the neighborhood around his and Warren's joint campaign headquarters on Island Pond Road, shaking hands and introducing himself to voters.
Neal is facing fellow Democrats Bill Shein and Andrea Nuciforo Jr. in his bid to represent the newly drawn 1st Congressional District in Massachusetts. No Republican challengers have emerged in that contest meaning that whoever wins the Sept. 6 primary election becomes the presumptive congressman for the new district, which includes all of Berkshire County, most of Hampden County and parts of Hampshire, Franklin and Worcester Counties.
Warren, a Harvard Law School professor and the former chair of the Congressional Oversight Panel in charge of the Troubled Asset Relief Program following he financial crisis of 2008, is challenging Republican U.S. Sen. Scott Brown, who is aiming to win his first full six-year term.
Both Brown and Warren will appear at the annual Lowell Folk Festival on Saturday, although several hours apart.
After it was announced in May that Neal is sharing office space with Warren and the state Democratic party, Shein called the agreement "inappropriate" since Neal is involved in a contested primary against two other Democrats.
Neal, at the time, said he offered the space to the other groups in an effort to benefit Democrats in the district.
While Shein fielded questions from the MassLive.com readers on Wednesday, the other aforementioned candidates will all be participating in similar live chats on the website.
The schedule is as follows:
- Former State Sen. Andrea Nuciforo Jr.- Monday, July 30 at noon
- U.S. Rep. Richard Neal, D-Springfield- Wednesday, Aug. 1 at 2 p.m.
- Democratic U.S. Senate hopeful Elizabeth Warren- Friday, Aug. 3 at 1:30 p.m.
- Republican U.S. Sen. Scott Brown- To be announced
To submit questions ahead of time, send an email to rrizzuto@repub.com with "LiveChat Question" in the subject line followed by the appropriate candidate's name.