Framingham Teen To Challenge Spilka For Senate Seat

A Framingham High teen, 17, announced Sunday night he will challenge Karen Spilka for her senate seat.

Jake Binnall, 17, a Republican has pulled papers to run for state senator for the Second Middlesex and Norfolk District, which represents Framingham, Ashland, Holliston, Hopkinton, parts of Natick, parts of Franklin, and Medway. Sen. Spilka has held the seat since 2005.

Binnall, who will not turn 18 until May, told Framingham Patch he “believes that it is time for his generation to have a voice on Beacon Hill, and he is determined to be that voice.”

His candidacy is historic, as he would be the youngest state senator in the country, if elected.

Binnall, who is currently Framingham High’s senior class president, is running because he “believes that there needs to be more balance on Beacon Hill, new leadership, more accountability for our elected officials, a higher focus on education, and there needs to be an end to reckless spending.”

The election is in November 2016. If need be, there would be a primary election in September.

Arguing that “many of today’s bills and proposals will have a large impact on [his] generation’s future, yet [they] have no voice on Beacon Hill advocating for [them],” Binnal said he ”firmly believes that it is time we elect a leader that represents the future of the Commonwealth, and who will advocate for
responsible, commonsense ideas that will make Massachusetts a better place for all.”

Binnall is a member of the Framingham High class of 2016.

He has yet to decide where he will attend college in the fall.

“I have no committed to a college yet, but this certainly has an impact on my decision,” Binnall told Patch Sunday night. “There is not much precedent to guide me either. There is only one 18 year old elected official in the country, and she attends school at the same time. My plan is to speak with my admissions representative from each school I am accepted into, and ask what we can do to work it out. It is entirely possible to both attend school and be in the legislature, and I plan on doing what it takes to make it work.”

Binnall said he is running because he believes “the decisions being made today gave an impact on my future, and there is no voice in the Senate for my generation. I want to be that voice, and I want to be a part of the discussion.”

“I have a deep concern for my future because of the reckless decisions being made by incumbents in the state legislature that, to some extent, have no accountability. I want to provide the voters of 2nd Middlesex and Norfolk a choice between a new voice of balance and responsibility and the status quo. I believe our district deserves a senator that is going to fight for our future and work with our Governor, not against him. I believe I am that person,” Binnall said to Patch.

If elected, his top three issues to focus on would be “fiscal responsibility, education (obviously), and local aid.”

In regards to education, Binnall said he wants to “focus on standardized testing within our schools, school funding, and spark a conversation about student stress levels across the district.”

Binnall told Patch he wants “to ensure that students across the district have access to the same quality of education as anywhere else in the State, and I want to ensure that our students are mentally and physically healthy.”

Binnall, who has been class president since April 2013, also serves as one of two student representatives to the Framingham School Committee, since June of 2015.

He attended the Harvard Forum for Leader Initiative in November 2014, a conference for high school students, aspiring to be leaders.

In 2014, he was also Framingham’s nominee for the Hugh O’Brien Youth Leadership program.

Last year, Framingham Selectmen appointed him to the Community Development Committee.

“I am incredibly disappointed with the lack of accountability on Beacon Hill,” Binnall told Patch. “I want to at least spark a conversation about youth engaging in government.”

Binnall said “When faced with a decision between a typical, spend­ more tax­ more candidate and a candidate focused on lowering taxes, investing in education, and ending the reckless spending on Beacon Hill, they chose the latter. They chose to vote Republican. Now, in 2016, we can proudly say that very same Governor is the most popular governor in the country, and that is because he has not been afraid of focussing on the issues that matter: jobs, schools, and balance. Without balance, we end up with the reckless system we currently have.”

Binall said he “believes our district deserves a Senator that is going to fight for our future, and work with our Governor, not against him.”

Spilka, a Democrat who lives in Ashland, is also the chair of the senate’s ways and means committee.

In August of 2015, Binnall founded and still chairs the Teenage Republicans of Massachusetts.

Since July of 2014, he has been vice chair of the New England Federation of Teenage Republicans.

In 2014, Binnall was the youngest attendee at the GOP State Convention.

He was very active in Governor Baker’s 2014 campaign.

In 2014, he also worked on campaigns for Brian Herr for Senate, David D’Arcangelo for Sec. of State, John Miller for Attorney General, Patricia Saint Aubin for Auditor, and Mike Heffernan for Treasurer campaigns in 2014.

“I worked very hard for Gabriel Gomez out of his Worcester office in 2013,” added Binnall.

He said his first political campaign was “Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign in 2012, followed by Scott Brown’s 2012 re-election bid.”

In May of 2015, he was the recipient of the Youth Activist Award from the Massachusetts Republican Party.

You can learn more about the candidate at www.jakebinnall.com