There are 18 candidates for statewide office on the general election ballot in Massachusetts this year. Only two of them are from the western part of the state, and they are both from Holyoke.
The pair are running as candidates from the Green-Rainbow party.
Juan Sanchez is in the race for secretary of state. He said it's important for the area to be represented on the statewide stage to make sure western Massachusetts is getting what it deserves.
"The joke is at the money goes to Worcester and then stops. So it goes from Boston to Worcester and then that's kind of where the funding ends," he said.
Gloria Caballero-Roca is mounting a bid for state auditor. She said western Massachusetts often is forgotten about by Boston.
"We are not only forests or trees that just become beautiful in the autumn season. We are here, human beings, trying to make sure that the government works for us," she said.
State Sen. Eric Lesser, D-Longmeadow, also mounted a bid for lieutenant governor in the Democratic Primary, but failed to advance.
Election Day will be held next Tuesday, Nov. 8.
