The Massachusetts state primary is a month and a half away away on Tuesday, September 1, and the general election is just three and a half months away on Tuesday, November 3. That time will fly by.

Over the past few months, our Elections Committee has been hard at work developing our candidate questionnaires, researching candidates, and interviewing candidates.

See all of the questionnaires received and endorsements made so far here.

As a member-based organization, all of our endorsements are ultimately decided by member votes, and we recently finished our first Congressional and Legislative member ballot of the summer.

Why Is a Race Not on the List Yet?

• As a member-based organization, we conduct member ballots and have thorough questionnaires. That limits how many offices we can include on a ballot.
• We defer to our chapters to take the lead on races in their territory. If our chapters want to host candidate forums or conduct their own votes, we will not take up the race until afterwards.

If you care about a specific Congressional or legislative race, just ask.

About Our Endorsement Process

Our endorsement process contains a few steps.

(1) Questionnaire: Every cycle, Progressive Mass’s Elections and Endorsements Committee (EEC) puts together comprehensive policy questionnaires for federal and state candidates, which we publish on our website. Only candidates who fill out these questionnaires are eligible for endorsement.

(2) Interviews: For Congressional races, the EEC conducts public interviews of all candidates who submit questionnaires. For legislative races, the EEC conducts research about the various races on the ballot and interviews candidates who submit questionnaires and meet certain criteria (progressive values, viability, etc.).

(3) Recommendations: The EEC then deliberates on whom and whether to recommend for endorsement to the full membership.

(4) Member Vote: The ultimate decision lies with our members. Candidates must receive at least 60% of the vote in a member ballot to receive an endorsement.

MA Senate

Shannon Teabo for Worcester and Hampshire

The District: Barre, Brookfield, East Brookfield, Gardner, Hardwick, Holden, Hubbardston, Leicester, New Braintree, North Brookfield, Oakham, Paxton, Phillipston, Princeton, Rutland, Spencer, Sterling, Templeton, Ware, West Brookfield, Westminster, Worcester (W7 Pcts 2, 4-6; W9 P3&4)

Shannon Teabo is an activist, organizer, and mom running to fight for affordable childcare, funding for education, and equitable access to quality healthcare. She is running against Republican incumbent Peter Durant, who has an 8% on our Legislative Scorecard and a racist, xenophobic, and anti-worker record as a state senator and previously as a state rep.  Learn more about Shannon at https://www.teaboforsenate.com/.

Mike Zullas for Norfolk, Plymouth & Bristol

The District: Braintree (Pcts 1A, 1B, 2A, 2B, 3A, 3B1, 4A, 5A, 5B, 6B), Bridgewater, Easton, Milton, Randolph (Pcts 4-6, 9-12), Stoughton, West Bridgewater

Mike Zullas is a former Member and former Chair of the Milton Select Board. On the Select Board, he led the creation of the town’s Climate Action Planning Committee and Advisory Committee on Equity and Justice for All and led the effort for Milton to opt in to the Community Preservation Act. He was among the Select Board members who voted to support compliance with the MBTA Communities Act. He is running to be a champion of more transparent government and more robust supports to address the fiscal crises hitting our cities and towns. Learn more about Mike at https://www.votezullas.com/.

MA House

Zosia VanMeter for 9th Essex

The District: Lynn (Ward 1 Pcts 1& 2), Saugus (Pcts 1, 2 4-9), Wakefield (Pcts 1-3, 7)

Zosia VanMeter is a public servant, immigrant, and community leader. She has founded and worked with local nonprofits devoted to combating food insecurity and empowering women and girls. She is running to fight to increase the supply of affordable housing, strengthen tenant protections, and fight legislative inertia. She is running against a 16-year Republican incumbent with a 5% on our Scorecard. Learn more about Zosia at https://www.electzvm.com/.

Lisa Lopez for 6th Norfolk

The District: Avon, Canton, Stoughton (Pcts 1, 2A, 4A, 5, 7, and 8)

Lisa Lopez is a former Select Board Member in Canton, the third woman in history to ever be elected to the role. She championed the town’s municipal energy aggregation program (Canton Electrical Choice) and Affordable Housing Trust and played a key role in the town’s response to COVID. She was the initial chair of the Community Preservation Committee in Canton, and she is the current chair of the Canton Housing Authority and the local Affordable Housing Trust. She is running to be an advocate for housing affordability, environmental protection, and health care access. Learn more about Lisa at https://www.lopezforrep.com/.

Tom Melville for 9th Norfolk

The District: Medfield (Pcts 3 & 4), Millis (Pct 1), Norfolk, Plainville, Walpole (Pct 5), Wrentham

Tom Melville is a former journalist, having served as Executive News Director at WBUR and News Director at NECN, and someone who as a result values open communication, transparency, and listening. He was inspired to run after seeing the bigoted and divisive way that the incumbent, Republican Marcus Vaughn, responded to the opening of a shelter for migrant families. He is running to be a strong advocate for education funding, civil rights, climate action, health care access, and government transparency.  Learn more about Tom at https://www.electmelville.com/.

Tom is also endorsed by Progressive Mass Western Norfolk County.

Jen Heck for 18th Worcester

The District: Douglas, Oxford (Pcts 1 & 4), Sutton, Uxbridge (Pct 1), Webster

Jen Heck is a documentary filmmaker who led the successful campaign to bring Sutton into MBTA Communities Act compliance, turning early opposition into near-unanimous support. She is running to be a champion for tackling the housing affordability crisis, investing more in our public schools, and establishing clear ethical guardrails around the use of AI. She is running against Republican Joe McKenna, who has a 0% on our Legislative Scorecard. Learn more about Jen at https://www.heckyeah2026.org/.