Downing drops out of Massachusetts governor’s race

BOSTON – The first Democrat to formally announce a run for governor in Massachusetts said Tuesday that he is dropping out of the race.

Former state Sen. Ben Downing said in a statement he is dropping out of the 2022 election “with a heavy heart” because “we simply do not have the financial resources to continue. While it’s painful to admit, that reality has brought this chapter to a close.”

Downing is a Pittsfield native who spent 10 years representing dozens of western Massachusetts communities in the Senate before stepping down in 2017.

He has spent his time since as an executive with a Boston renewable energy company.