Finegold also holds a Masters in Public Administration from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.

He held this position for 11 years, representing the 17th Essex District, consisting of Andover, Tewksbury and Lawrence.

In 2010, he won election to the Massachusetts Senate representing the Second Essex and Middlesex District consisting of Andover, Dracut, Lawrence and Tewksbury.

During his time on Beacon Hill, Finegold has proposed and enacted numerous pieces of legislation on critical issues, such as: Since returning to office in January 2019, Senator Finegold has prioritized funding for public education and mental health resources, continued to push for election law reform, and advocated for school safety.

The bill, filed with Representative Natalie Higgins, was written in collaboration with Northeastern University School of Law Professor Daniel Medwed and is supported by Conrad's parents.

Finegold ran for Massachusetts State Senate in 2010, seeking to represent the Second Essex and Middlesex district.

After winning the Democratic primary election, Finegold faced off against Republican Jamison Tomasek and Tea-Party-endorsed independent candidate Jodi Oberto for the seat.

The Massachusetts Alliance on Teen Pregnancy recognized Barry as Legislator of the Year for his efforts to save their programs from drastic budget cuts.