Deep Democracy 3.0 Strategy & Listing Criteria Organizations & Endorsement Criteria
MASSACHUSETTS
Eunice Zeigler
July 2022
Massachusetts State Senate 1st Essex District (Haverhill, Lawrence, Methuen)
Eunice Zeigler is a first-generation Haitian American woman, a Methuen City Councilor, a municipal finance professional, and an artist running for State Senate in the Merrimack Valley’s newly redrawn First Essex District. Councilor Zeigler has a long record of public service in the Merrimack Valley, and has served in all three cities in the district. In addition to her work as a City Councilor in Methuen, she currently works as the Director of Advancement at the YWCA of Northeastern Massachusetts in Lawrence, and she previously served as Financial Compliance Manager for the City of Haverhill. Zeigler is an alumna of University of Massachusetts Lowell (BA and Master’s) and Boston University’s Questrom School of Business, and her experience in the state university system would make her a valuable ally for public higher education in the legislature.
POLICY
Eunice Zeigler describes her top three priorities as “education, opportunities for families, and infrastructure,” and connects each to the unique needs and obstacles facing the three Gateway Cities in her district.
Education: Councilor Zeigler is focused on fully funding the Student Opportunity Act and embedding more perspectives from students, parents, and teachers in education decision-making. These issues are particularly important in Lawrence, which has been in receivership for a decade, depriving students, families, and teachers of control over the direction of the system.
Opportunities for Families: Zeigler served as director of the Family Self-Sufficiency Program in the Lowell Housing Authority, and her approach to family opportunity relies on creating resources for financial literacy. She is also focused on paid family leave.
Infrastructure: Zeigler is particularly focused on the structure of public transportation in the Merrimack Valley, which receives state support. The three cities in the district are not well-connected by existing bus routes, and there are few one-seat connections. She will work on expanding state support for operational planning for public regional transportation in the Merrimack Valley.
DEEP DEMOCRACY DYNAMICS
This newly redrawn district is one of only a handful of pickup opportunities for progressive candidates of color in the state legislature this year. Given high-profile losses for progressive women of color in last year’s Lawrence mayoral race and Juana Matias’s loss in the 2018 CD3 primary, there are few high-profile progressive women of color in Northeastern MA Gateway City politics right now. Eunice Zeigler’s campaign is a chance to fill this void, expanding a power base that can boost down-ballot candidates in future cycles.
CAMPAIGN TEAM AND THE FIELD
The district is currently represented by Diana DiZoglio, who is running for Auditor rather than seeking reelection. Eunice Zeigler is one of three candidates for the newly opened State Senate seat in the newly redrawn First Essex—the other two candidates are Lawrence City Councilor Pavel Payano and Lawrence attorney Doris Rodriguez.
Councilor Zeigler has earned vital support from unions, including the Massachusetts AFL-CIO, the Lawrence Teachers Union, and several other local unions. She has also earned endorsements from progressive organizations including Mass Alliance and the Collective PAC, which focuses on electing Black candidates.
Councilor Zeigler has also received endorsement commitments from the Mayor of Methuen, four Methuen City Council colleagues, and several Lawrence School Committee members, and is in ongoing endorsement conversations with elected officials in Haverhill.
FUNDRAISING & OPPORTUNITIES FOR GIVING
The Eunice Zeigler campaign has raised roughly $37,000 to date through June 30th and carried a balance of roughly $12,000 forward from her municipal account. She currently leads the field with $35,000 on hand, and plans to invest in mail and hire paid staff for GOTV. Donate