Former State Sen. Ben Downing Announces Run For Massachusetts Governor

BOSTON (CBS) -- A former state senator for western Massachusetts is entering the race for governor. Democrat Ben Downing, a Pittsfield native, announced Monday he is making a run for the State House in 2022.

In a campaign video, Downing stressed the need to tackle racial justice and climate change, and criticized current leadership amid the coronavirus pandemic.

"In Massachusetts, we've lost a lot. People close to us, livelihoods and small businesses," Downing said. "Those losses hurt more because they reveal how our leaders failed to build a community and an economy that works for everyone everywhere."

Downing, a Tufts University graduate, left politics after a decade on Beacon Hill to work for a renewable energy company.

Incumbent Gov. Charlie Baker has not yet announced if he'll run for a third term. Danielle Allen, director of Harvard University's Center For Ethics, is also exploring a run for governor as a Democrat.