PM in the News: Markey Endorsement

Our endorsement of Senator Markey was featured in MASSterlist:

Advocacy group Progressive Mass formally endorsed Sen. Ed Markey for reelection on Tuesday as Democratic Party caucuses ramp up.

“Ed Markey has been a stalwart champion for workers’ rights, immigrants’ rights, LGBTQ rights, bold climate action, and so much more,” Jonathan Cohn, the group’s policy director, said in a statement. “He is not only fighting every day in DC against the chaos, cruelty, and corruption of the Trump administration, but also continuing to introduce and endorse the big ideas necessary to make a more equitable, just, democratic, and sustainable Commonwealth and country.”

Markey, who was endorsed by Boston Mayor Michelle Wu a day earlier, is facing Rep. Seth Moulton in a primary for the Democratic nomination. John Deaton, who ran against Sen. Elizabeth Warren two years ago, is the expected GOP nominee. 

Moulton also went for the Progressive Mass endorsement. He sent a six-page letter instead of answering a lengthy questionnaire, a move that invalidated his application. His letter said he wanted to “outline my agenda rather than reduce such important questions to yes/no answers.”

Another Democrat running, Alex Rikleen, and socialist Joe Tache, both filled out the questionnaire along with Markey.

“I am deeply grateful for Progressive Mass’ endorsement and proud to stand shoulder-to-shoulder with them in this fight as we take on corporate greed, defend our democracy, protect LGBTQ+ and immigrant communities, and accelerate the transition to clean energy,” Markey said.

PM in the News: “The question needs an answer, and straightaway: What should state do with US tax code changes?”

Yawu Miller, “The question needs an answer, and straightaway: What should state do with US tax code changes?,” Dorchester Reporter, February 20, 2026.

Progressive Massachusetts Policy Director Jonathan Cohn argued that Massachusetts should follow their lead.

“When we fight to do big things in the Commonwealth, we so often hear that we don’t have the money,” he said. “That same line is rarely invoked when it comes to corporate handouts. But let me be clear: We don’t have the money to do this right now, given looming federal cuts. Other states across the country have already taken action. Let’s not wait too long to join them.”

Gorzkowicz said the phased-in approach, as an expansion of Pass-through Entity excise taxes expected to generate $100 million, will mean the commonwealth won’t see a net reduction in revenue over the next two years.

“We wanted to make sure that we preserve our competitive advantage, support those industries that are important to our economy, while also insulating and preserving programs and services that might otherwise be impacted from the implementation of these,” he said.

While Gorzkowicz cited tax breaks as a means of keeping Massachusetts competitive, Cohn pushed back on that notion.

“Our competitiveness is always based on our investments in education and transportation and healthcare and housing,” he said. “We don’t bribe the rich to stay here. They come and stay here because they want to live here and send their kids to school here because we invest in education and housing, because we make our health care system affordable and accessible. All of this requires investment You can’t burn it up in the trash can of tax cuts for big corporations.”

News Covers PM’s Call for Openness about OpenAI Contract

MASSterList (February 21, 2026)

There’s mounting pressure from the left on Healey’s decision last week to launch an executive branch artificial intelligence tool powered by industry behemoth OpenAI.

Progressive Mass took issue with OpenAI’s collaboration with federal immigration enforcement authorities and the way Healey locked the state into a contract with the company without first bargaining with state workers. The group is urging supporters to contact the governor’s office to demand more information.

In a Substack post, Rep. Erika Uyterhoeven echoed the group’s complaints that the Healey administration has declined to release the state’s contract with OpenAI and taking issue with the procurement process.

Massachusetts Playbook (February 20, 2026)

AI-N’T IT — Gov. Maura Healey’s announcement last week about a new partner with OpenAI that will provide ChatGPT-powered artificial intelligence assistants to roughly 40,000 executive-branch employees drew some early criticism from local unions. It’s also seeing some backlash from the left.

Progressive Mass is urging Bay Staters to reach out to the governor’s office to request “the release of the full procurement documents and the data processing agreement and ask why workers, consumer advocates and civil rights advocates were excluded from this decision.” Somerville state Rep. Erika Uyterhoeven is also taking up the cause on Beacon Hill, as she wrote in a Substack post this week.

PM in the News: Boston Globe on Fare Gates

Ian Philbrick, “The new fare gates at South Station are annoying. They’re also part of the answer to a bigger problem.,” Boston Globe, February 13, 2026.

Gates can also become bottlenecks that slow commutes. “It is a tax on people if you’re stuck waiting in line,” said Jonathan Cohn, the policy director for Progressive Mass, which supports fare-free public transit. And that’s assuming they work; last month’s snow appears to have temporarily knocked the gates out of service.

….

For Cohn, the fare gate debate is a chance to change how public transit works. “Whenever I see lots of money being put into combatting fare evasion, it always just ends up reinforcing to me why fare-free public transit is a good goal.”

Hell World: “Maura Healey declines to end state’s partnership with ICE”

Andrew Quemere, “Maura Healey declines to end state’s partnership with ICE,” Welcome to Hell World, February 10, 2026.

Jonathan Cohn, policy director of Progressive Mass, said the group was “glad to see that Governor Healey is finally being more vocal about ICE’s abuses.”

“However, it is disappointing to see that she still refuses to terminate the only existing 287(g) collaboration agreement in the state,” he added. “This agreement uses our state employees to do ICE’s work. It is unconscionable to think that Massachusetts is doing anything to make ICE’s work easier when they are acting like a rogue agency of death squads.”

PM in the News: “After months of escalation, Healey took action to counter ICE. Fellow Democrats ask: Is it enough?”

Samantha Gross and Matt Stout, “After months of escalation, Healey took action to counter ICE. Fellow Democrats ask: Is it enough?,” Boston Globe, February 3, 2026.

Jonathan Cohn, policy director at the advocacy group Progressive Mass., said Healey admittedly can’t stop ICE operations here, but questioned whether the state is using its “full power” to push back.

“Putting garlic on your door to ward off a vampire is good,” he said, “but what happens if it doesn’t work?”

PM in the News: “Mass. Sierra Club takes unprecedented step to call for removal of House energy chair”

Jordan Wollman, “Mass. Sierra Club takes unprecedented step to call for removal of House energy chair,” CommonWealth Beacon, January 27, 2026.

Not everyone agrees that Sierra Club’s move has drawbacks. Jonathan Cohn, policy director at the advocacy group Progressive Mass, said it’s clear from Cusack’s November version of the energy affordability bill that he isn’t taking his cues from groups like Sierra Club anyway.

“From the universe of not wanting to deny yourself access, if you never had access to begin with, there’s at least not as much in the way of real loss,” Cohn said. “And evaluating how back in November environmental groups across the state were able to rally members and make enough representatives scared to vote yes on his bill, it showed that power lies in that ability to have an organized and mobilized grassroots base. Trying to defeat that bill on the basis of only talking to the highest people in the building was not going to be a viable strategy.”

PM in the News: “‘No doubt it may get worse before it gets better’ — Breaking down the 2026 State of the Commonwealth.”

Commonwealth Beacon Staff, “‘No doubt it may get worse before it gets better’ — Breaking down the 2026 State of the Commonwealth.,” CommonWealth Beacon, January 26, 2026.

Jonathan Cohn, policy director of Progressive Massachusetts, said after the speech that “the governor offered nothing. Let’s be clear: reining in ICE violence is a kitchen table [matter], as there is no such thing as affordability when families are being broken apart and workers are being kidnapped on the way to work.”