“I see first hand the challenges that people in our region face. These experiences keep me focused on doing work that makes a real difference for our communities and families.”
As a two-term state representative, Dawne understands what issues matter most to the district. She has worked tirelessly with our municipalities to secure major funding, solve problems, and move forward on housing and infrastructure investments. She has focused on the affordability crisis in healthcare, prioritized flood resilience for our coastal communities, and delivered real results. That is why she is running to represent us on Beacon Hill to keep moving our district forward.
Dawne grew up on a cattle farm and was part of the first generation of students to integrate the public schools of Selma, Alabama. After graduating from the University of Alabama, she earned a Rotary International Graduate Scholarship, which made her value service to others. An advocate for bringing more people into public life, she led the Mass Women's Political Caucus through the pandemic before running as a write-in candidate in 2022 for the open seat in the First Essex. The day the Supreme Court announced the Dobbs decision, she declared her candidacy.
She is a noted writer whose work has been published in Kenyon Review, the Georgia Review, Southern Cultures, and the anthology, "This Impermanent Earth."
She and her husband, Brian, have been married for twenty-five years. They have lived in Newburyport since 2002 where they raised their daughter, who graduated from Newburyport High School in '22 and RIT in '26.