Keiko Matsudo Orrall is an American Republican politician, formerly a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives for the 12th Bristol district, which includes Berkley, Ward 3 – Precinct B and Ward 4 in Taunton, Lakeville, and Precincts 2, 4 and 5 of Middleborough. On February 13, 2018, she announced that she would not seek reelection and instead run for Treasurer of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. In doing so, she became the first Asian-American woman to seek constitutional office in Massachusetts. She is a former member of the Republican National Committee, serving as the National Committeewoman of the Massachusetts Republican Party.

Early life

Orrall is Japanese American and was born in Cincinnati, Ohio. Her father is from Hawaii and her mother is from Indiana. She went to Walnut Hills High School. She graduated from

Smith College Smith College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts Women's colleges in the United States, women's college in Northampton, Massachusetts. It was chartered in 1871 by Sophia Smith (Smith College ...

with a Bachelor of Arts degree. While attending Smith, she met her husband, Norman, who was studying at the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. They have two grown children and currently reside in Lakeville, Massachusetts. Before being elected to the Massachusetts legislature, Orrall worked as a public school teacher and had served on a School Needs Study Committee and was elected to the Lakeville Finance Committee. Orrall is a strong supporter of the military and talks about the influence of many family members who served in the military. Two of her uncles served in the all Japanese American

442nd Infantry Regiment The 442nd Infantry Regiment ( ja, 第442歩兵連隊) was an infantry regiment of the United States Army. The regiment is best known as the most decorated in U.S. military history and as a fighting unit composed almost entirely of second-gene ...

of the United States Army during World War II and were awarded Purple Hearts.

Political career

State Representative

In June 2011,

Stephen Canessa Stephen R. Canessa (born 1980) was a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives, representing the 12th Bristol District. He resigned to accept the position of executive director for government affairs at the Southcoast Health System He ...

announced that he was resigning his position as representative in the 12th Bristol district. A special election was scheduled to fill his seat for the remainder of the term. Orrall ran against Lakeville selectman Derek Maksy in the Republican primary, defeating him with 59% of the vote. Orrall faced Middleborough Democrat Roger Brunelle in the special general election, and defeated him with 54% of the vote. Orrall was subsequently re-elected in November 2012, 2014, and 2016, running unopposed the latter two times. Orrall served on the Joint Committee on Labor and Workforce Development, Joint Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technology, and the Joint Committee on Export Development. Orrall was vocal against a proposal for a tribal casino plan for a location in East Taunton, Massachusetts. She consistently called for more compensation to surrounding communities to mitigate the impact of the casino, especially on those towns she represented. Orrall also played a role in the issues surrounding the water levels in Lakeville's Assawompset Pond Complex.

2018 bid for State Treasurer

On February 13, 2018, Orrall announced her candidacy for

Treasurer and Receiver-General of Massachusetts The Treasurer and Receiver-General of Massachusetts (commonly called the "treasurer") is an executive officer, elected statewide every four years. The Treasurer oversees the Office of Abandoned Property, escheated accounts, the State Retirement ...

. In November, Orrall lost to incumbent Democrat

Deb Goldberg Deborah Beth Goldberg (born May 11, 1954) is an American politician and lawyer. She is the Treasurer of Massachusetts, serving since January 2015. She was a member of the Board of Selectmen for the town of Brookline, Massachusetts from 1998 to ...

in the

2018 Massachusetts general election The 2018 Massachusetts general election was held on November 6, 2018, throughout Massachusetts. Primary elections took place on September 4. Early voting took place from October 22 through November 2. At the federal level, Elizabeth Warren wa ...

Electoral history

2011

Orrall defeated Democrat Roger Brunelle in a special election held in September 2011 for the Massachusetts General Court 12th Bristol District seat.

2012

2014

Orrall was unopposed in both the primary election and the general election, and was re-elected to the Massachusetts General Court.

2016

Orrall again ran unopposed, and was re-elected to the Massachusetts General Court.

2018

Orrall was unsuccessful in her bid for the position of

References

External links

Keiko Orrall
Massachusetts General Court. {{DEFAULTSORT:Orrall, Keiko 1967 births 21st-century American politicians 21st-century American women politicians American people of German descent American people of Irish descent American politicians of Japanese descent American women of Japanese descent in politics Asian-American people in Massachusetts politics Republican Party members of the Massachusetts House of Representatives Living people People from Lakeville, Massachusetts Women state legislators in Massachusetts Asian conservatism in the United States