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On November 8, 2019, Velis announced his candidacy for the Massachusetts Senate's 2nd Hampden and Hampshire district seat following his predecessor Donald Humason, Jr.'s election as Mayor of Westfield. He was challenged by Republican John Cain of Southwick, a businessman and former Navy officer. On May 19, 2020, with the election delayed by the COVID-19 pandemic, Velis won the Senate seat over Cain with 64 percent of the vote, becoming the first Democrat in 25 years to represent the 2nd Hampden and Hampshire district.

In August 2017, Velis was sent to South Korea for about a month to participate in joint military training exercises with the U.S. Army and allies. On July 4, 2018, Velis was promoted to the rank of major while on deployment in Afghanistan.

He voted for the 2018 Car Rental Tax Surcharge, which added a $2 tax surcharge to automobile rentals.

He voted in favor of increasing the minimum wage from $8.00 per hour to $11.00 per hour by 2017.

In 2016 and 2018, he was re-elected to a respective second and third term unopposed.

Velis supported a $36.3 billion fiscal year 2015 budget with no tax increases and voted in favor of in-state tuition for veterans at Massachusetts State colleges and universities at about 12:00 AM on Thursday, May 1, securing about $165,000 in the house budget for the city of Westfield. How the funds are allocated, $100,000 to Noble Hospital will increase ease of access to the front entrance for older adults and the disabled; $50,000 grant for new Senior Center furnishings to make it more inviting to a wider range of older adults, host more activities and increase its use; and $15,000 to stimulate the local business community.

In 2015, Velis introduced legislation on behalf of Gun Owners Action League (GOAL) and the Massachusetts affiliate of the National Rifle Association that would create a commission to review policies regarding the alleged dangers of gun free zones, which GOAL said had become targets for terrorists and murderers. Velis is opposed to legislation limiting the gun rights of law-abiding citizens. He was one of 11 Democrats to vote against House Speaker Robert DeLeo's bill aimed at preventing gun violence.

In 2014, Velis declared his candidacy for the Massachusetts House of Representatives, representing the 4th Hampden District seat held by incumbent Republican state representative Donald Humason, Jr. During the same year, however, Humason won a special election to the Massachusetts Senate after State Senator Michael Knapik resigned to take a job at Westfield State University, triggering another special election. He was unopposed in the Democratic primary and defeated Republican opponent At-large City Councilor Dan Allie in the general election on April 1, becoming the first Democrat to represent Westfield in 35 years. He began serving the remaining seven months of Humason's House term and campaigned for a first full-term in the regular November election, defeating Allie in a rematch.

Velis enlisted in the United States Army Reserve in 2011 and is currently serving in the Judge Advocate General (JAG) Corps as part of the 3rd Legal Operations Detachment. While on active duty in Afghanistan, Velis participated in the War in Afghanistan's Operation Enduring Freedom and taught the Rule of Law to tribal leaders and brought warring parties together to achieve peaceful solutions, overseeing all ISAF-NATO rule of law efforts throughout the Zabul Province in the war-torn nation.

Velis was born in Westfield, Massachusetts to Susan and Jim Velis, one of three children with his brother Adam and sister Jennifer. His uncle, Peter Velis, served as a Hampden Superior Court Judge from 1999–2012 and member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives, where he represented the 5th Hampden district (Southampton, Montgomery, and Westfield) from 1973–1979. He was educated at Westfield High School and graduated in 1998, attended Roxbury Community College, graduated from University of South Florida in 2004 with a Bachelor of Science in political science, and from Suffolk University Law School in 2008 with a Juris Doctor.