09-07-2025
Candidate, kin marked dead on Mass. Dem database, seemingly by his rival, state Rep. Puppolo
WILBRAHAM — The man set to run against state Rep. Angelo Puppolo, D-Springfield, claimed last week the incumbent marked him 'deceased' on his party's campaign-building website.
The problem has been fixed since then, though, and candidate Michael Lachenmeyer is back among the living.
Lachenmeyer, 26, said Puppolo marked him and other members of his family as dead on VoteBuilder, a website used for campaigning, on June 18 — two days after Lachenmeyer publicly announced his run for Puppolo's seat in the 12th Hampden District, which includes all of Wilbraham and portions of Springfield, Monson and East Longmeadow.
'I feel angry and upset,' said Lachenmeyer last week. He told The Republican he was anxious and concerned that the action might've been politically motivated.
The Republican viewed a screenshot of Lachenmeyer's VoteBuilder account, in which there are six options for eliminating names from distribution lists. Multiple options are visible, including 'Do not walk (no home visits),' 'Do not call,' and 'Do not text,' but a final option, 'Deceased,' can be seen marked by 'Puppolo Jr., A. on 6/18/25,' the screenshot shows.
According to top state Democratic officials, the problem is not as nefarious as it seems.
'While we are not aware of the specific reasoning for this instance, campaigns for both parties remove opposing candidates and their supporters from contact lists, so they do not receive mail, phone calls, etc.,' Adam Roof, executive director of Massachusetts Democrats, said in an emailed statement.
He explained that there are other 'effective methods' to remove people from contact lists, and the state Democratic party does not 'train or advocate' for marking someone as deceased to remove them from receiving messaging.
Puppolo did not immediately respond to a phone or emailed request for comment on the matter.
Steve Kerrigan, chair of the state Democratic Party, said in an emailed statement that VoteBuilder is not an 'official voter list' but rather a database political campaigns used to make contact with voters.
'Any changes to a voter's status does not impact any official voter registry. In this instance, the status was corrected,' he said.
When reached for comment Monday, Lachenmeyer said he was feeling better about the situation. He said he has not spoken with Puppolo about it yet.
'I'm hopeful this won't be an issue going forward or for others like me who challenge incumbents,' he said.
The Democratic primary is in September.
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Read the original article on MassLive.
