Jeromie Whalen
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Jeromie Whalen | |
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| Born | May 14, 1987 |
| Education | University of Massachusetts Amherst (B.A.) |
| Website | https://www.whalenforcongressma.com/ |
Jeromie Whalen (born May 14th, 1987) is an American public school teacher, activist, and videographer who is running in the Democratic primary for the 2026 election in Massachusetts's 1st Congressional District against Richard Neal.
Education
In 2011, Whalen graduated from University of Massachusetts Amherst with a B.A. in Contemporary American History.[1] Later, in 2018, he also earned an M.Ed in Learning, Media and Technology.[2]
Career
Whalen began his career in Northampton, Massachusetts as a Media Resource Coordinator at Northampton Community Television (NCTV) right after graduating from UMass Amherst with a BA in Contemporary American History along with a film certificate. Due to NCTV's location with Northampton High School, local students were provided opportunities for education along with use of NCTV equipment. Thanks to a grant provided to NCTV, Whalen was invited to cooperate with Northampton High students to create news broadcasts, and the chance to teach a technology class alongside the collaboration.[3]
After three years with NCTV, Whalen spent seven months in Santa Cruz, California at another local community-based television station. However, returned to Massachusetts to become a full-time media production teacher back at Northampton High. Whalen quickly gained a masters in Education, in order to meet the state's professional requirement to become a full-time educator. For his thesis, Whalen partnered with Northampton Public Schools, along with his students, in order to create the websites for each school, including the district home page.[3]
While teaching, Whalen provided opportunities, mentored, and uplifted students to showcase their skills, including:
- The Northampton Minecraft Project, a project that turns LIDAR data into a functional and explorable Minecraft save with large portions of the city of Northampton, Massachusetts.[4]
- The Transcript, a student production award-winning[5] student-run weekly newscast for Northampton High School.
- A Woman's Right in the Eyes of the Law, Honorable Mention for StudentCam Award[5]
- The Emmy winning[6], Young@Heart’s 40th Anniversary Show.
Whalen was also voted teacher of the year at Northampton High in 2016.[3]
Activism
In the Summer of 2018, Whalen traveled to Lebanon to help educate children that were displaced by the war in Syria. Here, he met Mahmoud Kahlil, Syrian-born Algerian-Palestinian activist. The two became friends over the summer, and when Mahmoud was arrested by ICE on March 8th, 2025, Whalen dedicated an opinion article and subsequent short video to Mahmoud’s defense. In the article and video, Whalen bashes the Trump administration for slandering Mahmoud, and criticizes the administration’s rule by force, particularly concerning 1st Amendment rights.[7][8]
2026 Congressional Campaign
On September 6th, 2025, Whalen launched his campaign for Massachusetts’s 1st Congressional District- challenging the incumbent, Richard Neal. Whalen opened his campaign by labeling himself as a “dude from Western Mass”, but acknowledges his political affiliations as a progressive and a populist.[9]
Whalen centers his campaign around grassroots organizing, a rejection of corporate PAC money, and a generational change in Congress. Whalen highlights the differences between his campaign and incumbent Neal’s campaign by stating that Neal has not hosted a town hall since 2017[10], is the largest recipient of corporate donations[11], by percentage, and has represented the district since 1989[12]
On his campaign website, Whalen emphasizes community based problem-solving over media driven political discourse, arguing that policy solutions should be informed by direct input from constituents rather than national commentators. He has stated that his campaign strategy prioritizes in-person organizing, including community canvassing, meetings, and constituent outreach throughout the district.[13]
Whalen has framed his candidacy as a response to what he describes as limited accessibility and accountability in the district’s current representation. He has called for regular public town halls and greater transparency from elected officials, and has argued that long-term incumbency can weaken responsiveness to local concerns. His policy priorities include strengthening labor protections, expanding access to healthcare, increasing federal investment in affordable housing, and supporting public education.[13]
References
- ↑ McMahan, Ian. "Jeromie Whalen addresses College Democrats". The Williams Record. Retrieved 2026-05-12.
- ↑ "Jeromie WHALEN | Master of Education". ResearchGate. Retrieved May 12, 2026.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 "Turning High Schoolers into Savvy Media Producers : College of Education : UMass Amherst". www.umass.edu. Retrieved 2026-01-28.
- ↑ Newberry, Laura (2015-11-19). "Northampton High School senior is creating 3-D, interactive Minecraft version of city (photos)". masslive. Retrieved 2026-01-28.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 "Past Student Honors/Events/Entry Info". NATAS Boston / New England. Retrieved 2026-01-28.
- ↑ Cilman, Bob (2024-01-31). "YOUNG@HEART WINS NEW ENGLAND EMMY AWARD!". Young@Heart. Retrieved 2026-01-28.
- ↑ "My friend Mahmoud Khalil is no terrorist sympathizer - The Boston Globe". BostonGlobe.com. Retrieved 2026-01-28.
- ↑ Boston Globe Opinion (2025-03-27). My friend Mahmoud Khalil is no terrorist sympathizer | #shorts. Retrieved 2026-01-28 – via YouTube.
- ↑ Christensen, Dusty (2025-09-06). "Q&A: Jeromie Whalen, the teacher running against 36-year incumbent Richard Neal". The Shoestring. Retrieved 2026-01-28.
- ↑ [email protected], Eoin Higgins (2017-06-09). "U.S. Rep. Richard Neal to hold town hall in Berkshires this fall". The Berkshire Eagle. Retrieved 2026-01-28.
- ↑ "Richard Neal | Fight Corporate Monopolies". fightcorporatemonopolies.org. Retrieved 2026-01-28.
- ↑ "PD43+ » 1988 U.S. House Democratic Primary 2nd Congressional District". PD43+. Retrieved 2026-01-28.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 "Solutions". Jeromie Whalen for Congress | Democrat for MA-01. Retrieved 2026-01-28.
External links
This article "Jeromie Whalen" is from Wikipedia. The list of its authors can be seen in its historical. Articles taken from Draft Namespace on Wikipedia could be accessed on Wikipedia's Draft Namespace.