My name is Colby Hoffman and I am running to represent the 4th Hampden District. I grew up in a working class family in Enfield, CT; my Army Veteran father was a mail handler for the US Postal Service during the day, while my mother worked as a waitress at night. They taught me the values of hard work, dignity and respect that have guided me throughout my life. My incredible public school teachers nurtured my curiosity about American History and politics. After graduating high school, I attended community college before earning my Bachelor's Degree in Political Science with a minor in History in 2013 from Central Connecticut State University.

After graduation I lived with my parents and worked a variety of full-time jobs to repay my student loans while also saving for a home of my own. I've worked as a bookseller and barista at Barnes and Noble, maintained workers compensation policies for a nonprofit organization that provided services to disabled persons and for six years led the membership team for America's largest independent auto auction company. Since deciding upon a change of careers, I have been employed at Big Y Supermarket in Southwick for the past two years as a customer service specialist.

My wife and I have been proud Westfield homeowners since 2019. We could have chosen to live anywhere in northern Connecticut or Hampden County but, in 2019, we chose Westfield. It was the right choice for us then and is the right choice for us now. While I don't pretend to know Westfield or Southampton as a native would, as one who has lived elsewhere, I see with fresh eyes the beauty, strengths and resources that constitute the assets that make the 4th Hampden District so special.

I have, however, come to believe that the 4th District's greatest asset is the people who live here. It is through their intelligence and hard work that this area has flourished. We live in a time where forces outside of the area attempt to decide local issues for us. I believe, however, that local issues are best addressed at the local level, resolved by the people who live here and who have built, and who are preserving, the communities we are so proud of.

If elected, I promise to be accessible to all constituents and to bring an open mind to all issues and to listen humbly to all points of view. Please support me with your vote so that I may make sure that your voices are heard in Boston.

I am running for office because I truly understand the struggles ordinary Americans face at this moment in history. I've worked my way through college, struggled to pay back student loans while also paying for healthcare, saving to purchase a home of my own while still having a little left over from my hard-earned paycheck. 

The American Dream is becoming more and more unaffordable and this is only getting worse. Our Democracy has been hijacked by the concentrated wealth of greedy corporations and we are being forced to embrace dangerous, predatory technologies that are advancing far too quickly. We need a strong, accountable state government made up of responsive, working class lawmakers who will stand up and defend our personal freedoms using every lever of power at their disposal. 

Western Massachusetts communities need a seat at the table of power on Beacon Hill now more than ever.