First Latina and Asian-American Massachusetts State Senator Running for Governor

Photo Courtesy of Sonia Chang-Diaz for Governor

Sonia Chang-Díaz is a former public school teacher and the first Latina and Asian-American to serve in the Massachusetts State Senate. She has spent her career fighting for and winning the bold change that working families need.

Sonia’s values of justice and equity were instilled in her by her family, who taught her there’s no time to waste in doing good. Her mom was a social worker who helped women and children on the margins of society. Her dad came to America with $50 in his pocket — but with the help of teachers, lunch ladies, and librarians along the way, he became NASA’s first Latino astronaut. Now she’s building a movement to tackle our state’s biggest challenges and restore Massachusetts’ promise to all families.

Sonia got her start serving as a public school teacher in the Lynn and Boston school systems, where she learned first-hand the challenges facing our public school students, teachers, and parents. So, in 2008, she ran for State Senate, where she has consistently delivered real change for families across the state.

Sonia’s many accomplishments include improving school funding and fighting for bilingual education. She was the chief architect of and lead advocate for the most progressive K-12 education funding legislation in the country, updating the state’s fraying 25-year-old education funding formula and investing $1.5 billion in new resources for education annually. She also co-chaired the conference committee that successfully negotiated reforms allowing K-12 schools to provide bilingual education to English Learner students.

Now, Sonia’s running for Governor of Massachusetts to tackle our state’s biggest challenges and restore Massachusetts’ promise to all families. She is building a grassroots movement to not only win the Governor’s office, but deliver the real, systemic change our state needs once she’s elected. She has over 70 major endorsements including the support of Pittsfield City Councilor Helen Moon, Worcester City Councilor Thu Nguyen, Easthampton City Councilor Vivian Nguyen, and Medford City Councilor Justin Tseng.

She has shown consistent growth in fundraising and is on track to qualify for the ballot despite facing an establishment favorite who is also currently the state’s attorney general. Sonia’s opponent, Maura Healey, has been criticized for refusing to participate in one-on-one debates.

To learn more about Sonia, readers can visit her website at https://www.soniachangdiaz.com/