Longtime Springfield Congressman Richard Neal has a challenger in next year's Democratic primary. Attorney Tahirah Amatul-Wadud of Chicopee, Massachusetts, announced her candidacy Tuesday.
During a campaign event in Pittsfield, Amatul-Wadud said she plans to focus on job development, renewable energy, the opioid crisis and criminal justice.
She said she understands the difficulty of taking on Neal, the top Democrat on the influential Ways and Means Committee, and who has over $3.2 million in his campaign .
"Our district has ridiculously low voter turnout, which says to me that we have apathy that is at crisis, epidemic levels," Amatul-Wadud said. "I wonder how much having that incumbent in office has killed people's spirits."
Neal's spokesman said he has no comment on the challenge.
Amatul-Wadud focuses on family law, but has also worked on a number of civil rights cases.
