Deaton, who lived in Rhode Island before moving to Massachusetts in January, has practiced law in the surrounding states for more 20 years, representing mesothelioma and cancer victims against Fortune 100 companies.
Early voting in Massachusetts opened on Feb. 21 and Secretary of State William Galvin said more than 700,000 voters had requested mail-in ballots within the first week of early voting. As of Monday, more than 50,000 people had voted in person.