Candidates for 8th Suffolk state representative to debate

By Johanna Kaiser, Town Correspondent

The two Democratic candidates running for state representative of the 8th Suffolk District will debate twice this week at forums in Back Bay and Cambridge.

Candidates Joshua Dawson, of the Back Bay, and Jay Livingstone, of Beacon Hill, are set to meet Tuesday, April 23, to debate at the First Church in Boston, at the corner of Marlborough and Berkeley Streets.

The event, sponsored by the Boston Ward 3 and Ward 5 Democratic Committees, will begin at 6 p.m. with a candidate meet-and-greet, and the debate will begin at 7 p.m.

The Ward 5 Democratic Committee is also hosting a political forum with Dawson and Livingstone Thursday, April 25, in Cambridgeport.

That forum will be held in the Common Room of the LBJ Apartments at 150 Erie St. Doors will open at 7 p.m., and the forum will begin at 7:30 p.m. It will also be videotaped by CCTV.

The 8th Suffolk district encompasses parts of Beacon Hill, Back Bay, West End, Cambridgeport, and Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

The seat was vacated in February by Democrat Martha “Marty” Walz, who was first elected in 2005. She resigned to take a position as president and chief executive officer of Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts.

The primary is set for May 28, and the general election will be held on June 25.

E-mail Kaiser at Johanna.yourtown@gmail.com. For more news about your city, town, neighborhood, or campus, visit boston.com’s Your Town homepage.