With his distinctive yellow van, this teacher is seeking a stunning primary upset in Western Mass. - The Boston Globe
SPRINGFIELD — People in Western Massachusetts have been seeing a lot of Jeromie Whalen lately. He’s hard to miss.
The energetic 39-year-old high school journalism teacher has been crisscrossing the sprawling First Congressional District behind the wheel of a 1988, banana-yellow Toyota van in a long-shot attempt to defeat 19-term Representative Richard Neal in the Sept. 1 Democratic primary.
A political novice, Whalen is running to the left of Neal and arguing the congressman has lost touch with his constituents. To try to drive home that contention, Whalen has been showing up at any community event he can find, stopping along the way to knock on the doors of people with his campaign signs on their lawns to personally thank them and take photos. He chronicles it all in nearly real time on social media .
It all has amounted to a surprisingly strong challenge to Neal, 77, an institution in the region and an influential Washington lawmaker poised to wield more power if the Democrats gain t…