Sen. Anne Gobi (D-Spencer) announced on May 22 that she would join the Healey-Driscoll administration as the new director of rural affairs in the Executive Office of Economic Development, leaving a vacant seat in the Senate after her scheduled departure of June 4.

This role, created by the Healey-Driscoll administration to address the needs of rural communities, is intended to provide an advocate and ombudsman — a service offering the public the ability to present and have addressed their complaints and concerns with the intent of improving quality of life — to communities that often do not have adequate representation in the Legislature.

“We are building an economy that benefits all communities, businesses, and people in Massachusetts, particular those that are too often overlooked and underrepresented like rural and small towns,” Gov. Maura Healey said.

“[Gobi] will ensure that the needs of rural and regional economies are incorporated into the economic development plan being developed by the Executive Office of Economic Development and will be responsible for coordinating with secretariats and state agencies to ensure that state government is attuned to the unique needs of these towns,” according to a release from the administration.

“I am thrilled to take on this important role and grateful to the Healey-Driscoll administration for elevating our rural communities, While I will miss the Legislature, I look forward to continuing to work for the needs of small towns throughout the commonwealth as their advocate in state government,” Gobi said.

Gobi served in the state House of Representatives for 14 years before moving on to the state Senate, where she has served since 2014. Her current Senate district, the Worcester and Hampshire District, consists of 20 towns, including Ware and Hardwick, in addition to the city of Gardner and westernmost portions of Worcester. The majority of this district is made up of rural Worcester County municipalities to the east of Quabbin Reservoir. Ware stands alone as the sole Hampshire County town in the district.

“Sen. Gobi’s fierce advocacy of rural equity, agricultural and small businesses, and conservation initiatives makes her the ideal candidate to help our rural towns across the state succeed,” Healey said.

Gobi plans on submitting a letter of resignation from her senate position on June 4, according to Debra O’Malley, spokesperson for Secretary of the Commonwealth William Galvin’s office, and will begin her new role on June 5.

O’Malley said there are not any concrete plans of a special election to fill the Senate seat Gobi will leave vacant, but stated it was likely there would be a special election, as is typically the procedure for seats vacated within the first year or so of the term. Gobi is well within her first year of this term, which started in January.

The vacant seat begs the question whether there is an opportunity for Republicans to flip the seat, which has been held by a Democrat since 2014.

Massachusetts Democratic Party Chair Steve Kerrigan said the seat has been “strongly represented by Democrats for decades,” and indicated the party feels strongly the candidates they put up will conquer the seat once again.

One Democratic candidate has already announced plans to run. State Rep. Jonathan Zlotnik (D-Gardner) made the news public on May 23, and is the first candidate to have announced such intentions.

State Sen. Ryan Fattman (R-Sutton), one of the Senate’s assistant minority leaders, said, “I think that there’s a really good opportunity for Republicans to pick up the seat. Anne did a good job managing the district and balancing the Republican and Democratic towns, but it seems like there’s a gap now for Republicans to take advantage and really pick up the seat.”

Fattman said he is seeing that “Central [Massachusetts] and parts of Western Mass. have increased their Republican presence” in recent years.

“A lot of rural towns are swaying more towards Republican. There is a lot of frustration amongst the middle of the state — 110,000 people have left the state in the last year and a half and those people are age 25-36, which is our economic future walking out of the state. Massachusetts is really expensive, regulations are high, energy is high and it’s more and more expensive to raise a family and build a business here. My hope is there is a lot of frustration and that frustration leads to changes,” Fattman said.

“My district in central and Western Mass. is very similar to the district Gobi is vacating, so now that it’s an open seat they have the opportunity to elect somebody that thinks reform and tax relief are not just an afterthought but a forethought.”

Fattman suggested possible Republican candidates might be Kate Campanale, who was a candidate for lieutenant governor, a former two-term state representative, state Rep. Peter Durant (R-Spencer) and state Rep. Donald Berthiaume Jr. (R-Spencer), but that it is expected that many more possibilities will become known on June 4 when Gobi officially vacates the seat.