Yesterday was Constitution Day, in honor of the signing of the Constitution on September 17, 1787. And even though the Bill of Rights wasn’t approved by Congress until September 25, 1789 (and ratified two years later), the Fourth Amendment is on my mind.
The Fourth Amendment, which is our guarantee of basic privacy rights, has been under assault by the Trump administration, and especially by ICE.
The Trump administration has been doing an end run around the Fourth Amendment by purchasing our data from the shady data brokers who make a profit off of buying and selling our data. You don’t need a warrant when you can buy something on an open market.
Massachusetts has an opportunity to fix this by passing a strong data privacy bill this session, protecting us from both corporate and government surveillance.
A strong data privacy bill is one that completely bans the sale of sensitive data and location data, creates strong statutory limits on data collection and processing, and includes a private right of action to hold companies accountable. That last part is key: if you can’t sue when your rights are violated, then how real are those rights?
Massachusetts’s state primary is one of the latest in the country, but this year, one of the most striking things about our primary date wasn’t how late it is, or even that it was before Labor Day and before the start of school. It was that it was the biggest moving day in Boston and the surrounding communities.
An estimated 79% of all leases in Boston turn over on September 1. The parade of moving vans and plethora of discarded household items are so visible that there is even a Wikipedia page to talk about Moving Day.
Our primary falling on Moving Day meant that countless voters got shut out of the election simply because of the date on their lease. Many voters simply do not have the time to criss-cross the entire city to get to an old polling location. And if they were lucky enough to move in August, they might not have had the time to re-register at their new address yet. Shutting out eligible voters who want to participate is bad for democracy.
Election Day Registration, on the ballot this fall as Question 4, can fix that. EDR would ensure that every eligible voter who wants to participate is able to do so. EDR is one of the best ways we can strengthen democracy here in MA.
Voting rights advocates are holding a launch for the Yes on 4 campaign this Tuesday in Worcester. Learn more about that below, and stay tuned for how to get involved.
Yes 4 Election Day Registration Campaign Launch!
Tuesday, September 15, 2026, 11 am,11 am, The Worcester Common Oval, RSVP
Join the Yes On 4 Election Day Registration ballot question campaign for our official campaign launch event on Tuesday September 15, 2026 which is also National Voter Registration Day.
Join voting rights, labor, faith-based, and community organizations to ensure that Question 4 passes on November 3 so that Election Day Voter Registration finally becomes law in Massachusetts!
Speaking of Back to School….
Sign the Petition! Tell Governor Healey to Say No to the Federal School Voucher Scheme
The federal “tax credit scholarship” voucher program takes public funds away from public schools and students to subsidize private schools, with little accountability. It was established under Section 70411 of the One Big Beautiful Bill Act and is part of the federal administration’s attempt to dismantle the federal Department of Education and slash federal funding for public education — negatively impacting public schools and students. Massachusetts has one of the strongest public education systems in the nation because we invest in public schools that serve all students. We should be focused on protecting and strengthening public education, not privatizing it.
One of the biggest upset victories from last Tuesday was consumer protection attorney Persis Yu’s defeat of Senate Majority Whip Mike Rush in the Norfolk and Suffolk district, which includes the southwestern part of Boston (part of JP, part of Hyde Park, Roslindale, West Roxbury) and nearby suburbs (Dedham, Westwood, Norwood, Walpole).
Although Persis’s win came as a surprise to many politicos, it wasn’t a surprise to our chapters on the ground in the district (JP Progressives, Progressive West Roxbury/Roslindale, and Neponset Valley Progressives).
Indeed, Persis’s win on Tuesday shows why chapters are so essential.
First, the year-round organizing, community building, and political education that chapters do changes who even considers running for office in the first place. The type of people we want to see in office will only take the risk of running if they think there will be people willing and eager to support them.
Second, chapters inform communities about what incumbents are actually up to. If you want people to realize how an incumbent’s voting record and values are increasingly out of step with the district, you need to show them. Hosting events, organizing trips to the State House, publishing votes, and more—these all help people understand whether their elected officials are representing them well.
So many people thought that this district was too conservative for a progressive to win. But our chapters across all corners of the district knew otherwise because they had been listening, influencing, organizing, and doing the work.
Learn more about our existing chapters here or reach out about creating a chapter in your community at chapters@progressivemass.com.In solidarity, Jonathan Cohn Policy Director Progressive Massachusetts
🎉Congratulations to our endorsed candidates who won their primaries last week and are advancing to November! 🎉
~~US Senate~~
Ed Markey for US Senate
Djuna Perkins for Norfolk County District Attorney
Norfolk County voters who want to see a progressive reformer as their next District Attorney should vote for Djuna Perkins. Djuna will bring professionalism, accountability, a trauma-informed approach, and a commitment to building community trust to an office that desperately needs it, and her decades of experience show her strong commitment to fairness and justice.
She has been endorsed by Progressive Brookline, Progressive Mass Western Norfolk County, and Neponset Valley Progressives.
A working mom and active BPS parent, trained as a lawyer and social worker, Persis Yu is an experienced consumer rights attorney and champion for families and workers. During her nearly two decades as a consumer rights attorney and advocate, she has secured billions of dollars in student debt relief, filed class action lawsuits that directly cancelled hundreds of thousands of dollars in predatory employer debt, and led campaigns that resulted in worker protection laws in more than a dozen states. She combines expert knowledge, a proven track record, and strong progressive values. Learn more about Persis at https://www.electpersis.com/.
Persis Yu has also been endorsed by our chapters JP Progressives and Progressive West Roxbury/Roslindale.
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/.
~~MA House~~
Jack Richardson for 3rd Barnstable State Rep
The District: Bourne (Pcts 4-6), Falmouth (Pcts 3-5, 7-9), Mashpee
Jack Richardson became the youngest person ever elected to the Falmouth Select Board, and he immediately got to work. He led the effort to ban ICE from town property without a judicial warrant and secured funding for a Portuguese-speaking social worker. He has championed measures to make Falmouth more affordable, vibrant, and more climate-resilient at the local level and is ready to fight for housing affordability and climate action at the State House. Learn more about Jack at https://www.jackprichardson.com/.
Jack Richardson has also been endorsed by our chapter Indivisible Upper Cape.
Celina Reyes for 16th Essex State Rep
The District: Lawrence (Ward A Pcts 2A, 3, 4; Ward E Pcts 1A, 2, 3, 4; Ward F), Methuen (Pcts 3, 7, 13A)
Celina Reyes is a Lawrence City Councilor, a family child care provider, and a leader of her local in SEIU 509. Through her work with SEIU 509, she has championed greater investments in child care and rent stabilization, and organized to help pass the Fair Share Amendment. She is running against a Democratic incumbent who joined Republicans in voting to weaken the protections for reproductive and gender-affirming care in the Shield 2.0 law, owns so many properties that he can’t remember how many, and has opposed efforts like a local option real estate transfer fee to address the housing crisis. Learn more about Celina at http://www.celinareyes.com.
Lora Wondolowski is the Greenfield City Council President, a role in which she has been able to shepherd a number of progressive policy initiatives. She got into local politics to fight cuts to Greenfield public schools, and she has been a reliable champion of public education. She was the founding executive director of the Massachusetts League of Environmental Voters, where she helped pass the state’s Global Warming Solutions Act, and currently works for the Peace Development Fund, investing in grassroots organizing efforts. She would bring a much-needed mix of progressive values, policymaking knowledge, and organizing experience to the State House. Learn more about Lora at https://wondoforrep.org/.
Lora has also been endorsed by our chapter Franklin County Continuing the Political Revolution.
Tom Hendrickson is an Agawam City Councilor, who has led local initiatives on Community Choice Aggregation and Council transparency, and has worked to elect progressives across Western Mass. He is running to be a champion for public schools, workers’ rights, taking on corporate power, and single payer health care. He is running against a 16-year conservative Republican incumbent who has never broken 28% on our Scorecard. Learn more about Tom at https://www.tomhendrickson.org/.
Ravi Simon brings policy experience, organizing skills, and strong progressive values. As the legislative aide to Rep. Carmine Gentile, he worked on PM priorities like debt-free higher education, a local option real estate transfer fee, and same day registration. He has served as a member of the Lincoln-Sudbury School Committee, and he was an organizer with the State House Employee Union, fighting for better workplace conditions for himself and fellow legislative staff. Learn more about Ravi at https://www.ravisimon.com/.
Lorena Betts is first and foremost an organizer. She is the founder of The Peacemakers Network, a grassroots movement of peacemakers in Massachusetts focused on building bridges through education, community building and policy advocacy, and has organized the local No Kings rallies in her community. She has State House experience as a legislative aide, and that experience has led her to understand how badly the State House is broken and the need for organizers inside working with those outside to make real change possible. Learn more about Lorena at https://lorenabetts.com/.
Lorena Betts has also been endorsed by our chapter Solidarity Lowell.
Mike Connolly has been a strong progressive ally since we first endorsed him in 2016. On our Progressive Scorecard of the State Legislature, his scores have ranged from 95% to 100%. Mike has fought for stronger tenant protections, social housing, and revenue for affordable housing, as well as workers’ rights, bold climate action, voting rights, transparency, and more. Mike is willing to speak out against bad, rushed legislation, and to push the State House to be more ambitious in all of its policymaking. Learn more about Mike at https://www.mikeconnolly.org/.
Ben Ewen-Campen has been a reliable progressive ally and a leader on key issues on the Somerville City Council. As an advocate for affordable housing, he helped found the statewide coalition fighting for a local option real estate transfer fee. He led the passage of Somerville’s Affordable Housing Overlay (AHO) District, and he spearheaded the work on Somerville’s rent control home rule petition. He led the passage of ordinances to ban tear gas and heavily restrict the use of other “non-lethal” crowd control techniques, require Council approval of surveillance technologies, and make Somerville the second city in the US to prohibit the usage of facial recognition technology by the local government. Learn more about Ben at https://www.benforstaterepma.com/.
Leila Migliorelli is a Melrose City Councilor who has led on such issues creating the first-ever Melrose Affordable Housing Trust, advocating for critical infrastructure projects, and supporting public schools. She is running to advocate for strengthening public schools’ funding, protecting immigrant rights, expanding access to reproductive health care, and and building more sustainable communities. Learn more about Leila at https://leilaforrep.com/.
Leila has also been endorsed by our chapter Mystic Valley Progressives.
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 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 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/.
Governor’s Council
The Governor’s Council is the most important office that you may have never heard of. The Massachusetts Governor’s Council consists of eight individuals elected from districts each consisting of five state senate districts. The Council is responsible for confirming judges and members of the Parole Board, among other nominees, and of approving pardons and commutations. If you care about the present and future of courts in Massachusetts, then you should care about the Governor’s Council.
We are proud to endorse four incumbents facing contested elections.
September 4, 2026 The Honorable Maura Healey Governor of Massachusetts Massachusetts State House 24 Beacon St., Office of the Governor, Room 280 Boston, MA 02133 Dear Governor Healey, Thank you for sharing our concerns about addressing hunger in Massachusetts, and for working to make sure SNAP is accessible for all residents with low incomes. We are writing in response to your Administration’s statements to the Anti-Hunger Task Force on August 28th and your comments at the September 3 Worcester Together meeting regarding a supplemental budget providing $26M for DTA’s workforce. While we are appreciative of the administration’s efforts to address this issue, it is important to be clear that $26M in a supplemental budget (which will bring total funding to H.2’s proposal of $148M) only pays for the existing cap on the number of DTA caseworkers. A $26M proposal would avoid layoffs. But, it is not an investment in the workforce, and it does not allow DTA to hire any net-new caseworkers. DTA staff are working extremely hard in very difficult circumstances to connect eligible residents to SNAP. However, to meaningfully improve access to this critical program, additional workers are critically needed. We urge you to include $56 million to allow DTA to hire additional caseworkers. Not investing will mean eligible families will continue to lose SNAP, endangering health, well-being, and economic stability for children and families across Massachusetts. Advocates are committed to doing additional outreach to the legislature to help ensure passage of funding that allows DTA to hire above the current cap. Sincerely, Boston Food Access Council Center on Food Equity Children’s HealthWatch The Greater Boston Food Bank Food Bank of Western Massachusetts Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center Massachusetts Food System Collaborative Mass General Brigham Massachusetts Law Reform Institute Merrimack Valley Food Bank
2
MetroWest Food Collaborative Neighborhood Food Action Collaborative (NFAC) Progressive Massachusetts Project Bread SEIU Local 509 Springfield Food Policy Council Worcester County Food Bank
Cc: Speaker Ron Mariano Chair Aaron Michlewitz Senate President Karen Spilka Chair Michael Rodrigues Lt. Governor Kim Driscoll Dr. Kiame Mahaniah, EOHHS Secretary Michael Cole, DTA Commissioner
“People outside the district didn’t know what was happening,” said Rob Orthman, a Yu backer and co-director of Progressive West Roxbury/Roslindale. “And we were perfectly fine keeping it that way. We did not want to raise attention to this to suddenly start seeing, you know, all the money and support for the incumbent start to flow in.”
Yu, a Boston Public Schools parent and mother of two, had been active on Boston’s Ward 18 Democratic Committee, but first popped up on Orthman’s radar last spring, he said, as she met with progressive groups around the district to test the waters on a potential state Senate bid.
A consumer protection attorney, “she always likes to say[that] she’s sued the last few presidential administrations on behalf of student loan borrowers, both Democratic and Republican,” Orthman said.
“These campaign donations and Moulton’s voting record make him unfit to call himself a progressive, said Jonathan Cohn, policy director with the statewide grassroots organization Progressive Mass.
“Seth has done a fascinating job of trying to rebrand himself as progressive this cycle,” Cohn told The Lever. “[Moulton] doesn’t ever really actually hit on the big problem over the past few decades of the Democratic Party’s movement away from thinking about how the government can positively intervene to improve people’s everyday lives.”
Cohn said that progressive candidates need to support core issues at the center of the progressive movement, like taxing the rich and providing universal public services, such as Medicare for All.”
“It’s not that our current system is good. It’s that this alternate one is worse,” said Jonathan Cohn, policy director for Progressive Mass.
….
“You can have Republicans who fear that this system will lead to Republicans being shut out of the general election, Democrats who fear that it’s going to lead to Democrats being shut out of the general election, and they can both be right in different races,” Cohn said.
Koh’s endorsements — Biden, Kamala Harris, Pete Buttigieg — reflect his vast connections. He’s also dominated when it comes to fundraising in his second foray into congressional politics. He lost the 2018 primary in the 3rd District by a mere 122 votes to eventual general winner Lori Trahan.
“Both of his parents are affluent and well connected,” said Jonathan Cohn, policy director at advocacy group Progressive Massachusetts. “And he used to be the chief of staff for former Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, so he has all of Marty’s connections as well.”
Progressive Massachusetts backed one of Koh’s opponents for the 6th District: Tram Nguyen, a state representative who has worked as a lawyer representing immigrants and domestic violence victims.
……
But Cohn, whose Progressive Massachusetts endorsed Roath, is hopeful that momentum from other recent elections — and connections Roath built while as an aide to former Governor Deval Patrick — could propel him to victory. He’s particularly optimistic after races in cities like Quincy, not particularly known to be a progressive haven, yielded positive results for his allies.
“Quincy had a big upset year in local elections last year, where a number of progressive challengers won,” Cohn said. “With that level of local dissatisfaction with a conservative status quo, it’ll be interesting to see if that carries over to the congressional.”
Trump and Congressional Republicans’ Big Ugly Bill has been causing people across the country to lose access to SNAP benefits. When families lose access to SNAP benefits, kids go hungry. It’s that simple.
But here in MA, the cuts and new administrative burdens from the Big Ugly Bill are only part of the picture.
Understaffing at the Department of Transitional Assistance (DTA) is at a crisis point. As a result, more than 70% of calls to DTA go unanswered. Since July 2025, more than 175,000 people have lost access to SNAP–nearly a third of them children–primarily because they can’t get through to DTA.
That’s not acceptable, and it’s something that Governor Healey and the Legislature could easily fix.
Massachusetts has an opportunity to fix this by passing a strong data privacy bill this session, protecting us from both corporate and government surveillance.
