For Downing, politics are personal
Run for governor fueled by family loss and belief the state can do better
By 
ON PAPER, Ben Downing looks very much like someone who might launch a run for governor while still in his 30s, which is what the 39-year-old Democrat did earlier this month, becoming the first declared candidate in the 2022 race. His dad was a popular elected official in Pittsfield where Downing grew up, elected four(...)