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.

Endorsement: Vanna Howard for State Senate

Progressive Mass members overwhelmingly voted to endorse Rep. Vanna Howard for the special election for the First Middlesex State Senate district. The district includes Lowell, Dracut, Dunstable, Pepperell, and Tyngsborough and was formerly held by the late Sen. Ed Kennedy.

“Progressive Mass is proud to endorse Rep. Vanna Howard for the First Middlesex State Senate special election. Rep. Howard has been a champion for critical issues like food security, educational equity, and health care access, and she stands up for and stands with the diverse communities of the district both at the neighborhood level and in the State House. At a time when we need our legislators to be proactive, Howard is the clear choice.”

Testimony: Cities and Towns Want the Right to Rank.

Thursday, November 13, 2025 

Chair Keenan, Chair Hunt, and Members of the Joint Committee on Election Laws: 

My name is Jonathan Cohn, and I’m the policy director of Progressive Massachusetts, a statewide, member-based grassroots advocacy organization fighting for a more equitable, just, sustainable, and democratic Commonwealth. 

We urge you to give a favorable report to S.531: An Act providing a local option for ranked choice voting in municipal elections. 

Democracy in this country needs strengthening. We see the need for that every single day, and for us to have a robust, participatory, inclusive democracy, we must start at the local level. 

Cities and towns across Massachusetts are doing just that. By passing home rule petitions for ranked choice voting, they are embracing a time-tested reform that makes our elections both more competitive and more collegial. 

Ranked choice voting can inspire more candidates to run by eliminating “spoiler” effects, discourages negative campaigning, and ensures that voters don’t need to become dime-store game theorists thinking about how other people will vote before casting their own ballot. 

When cities and towns want to strengthen democracy, the Commonwealth should embrace the opportunity to say yes. Cities like Easthampton and Cambridge already employ ranked choice systems, and this enabling legislation would make it easier for other communities seeking to do so as well. 

I could speak to the merits of ranked choice voting for a while, but what’s at stake in this bill is really something else. Do we believe in local democracy? 

Your lives as legislators are better off, and cities and towns are better off, if you aren’t bogged down with having to approve home rule petitions about policies that some cities and towns already have. Enabling legislation, or local option legislation, like this sets clear parameters for what cities and towns can do, and then puts the power in people on the ground and their local elected officials to make the decision that’s best for them. It, in other words, gives clear choice, that central hallmark of democracy at any level. 

Sincerely, 

Jonathan Cohn 

Policy Director 

Progressive Massachusetts

Election Day Is Two Weeks Away! Here’s What to Know

Election Day — Tuesday, November 4 — is just two weeks away. If you live in one of MA’s cities, that means it’s time to vote.

Remember: The deadline to register to vote or update your registration is Saturday, October 25.

But there’s a key question that might be on your mind: Who’s on my ballot?

In addition to the questionnaires collected by our Boston chapters for their endorsement processes, our Elections Committee has been collecting informational questionnaires from candidates across the state. Learn who’s running in your city or town and whether they are standing up for your progressive values.

You can find questionnaires for the following municipalities:

  • Attleboro
  • Beverly
  • Chelsea
  • Everett
  • Fall River
  • Fitchburg
  • Framingham
  • Everett
  • Haverhill
  • Holyoke
  • Lawrence
  • Lynn
  • Marlborough
  • Medford
  • Methuen
  • Newburyport
  • North Adams
  • Northampton
  • Peabody
  • Quincy
  • Revere
  • Salem
  • Springfield
  • Taunton
  • Waltham
  • Weymouth
  • Winthrop
  • Worcester

Progressive Massachusetts Stands in Solidarity with Worcester City Councilor Etel Haxhiaj

Councilor Haxhiaj is fighting every day on the ground with and for her constituents. She has been a champion of housing justice, climate justice, and immigrants’ rights–a leader who speaks with moral clarity and backs it up with action. 

We condemn the retaliation against her for defending her constituent against a brutal and unnecessary abduction. Communities are under attack daily by lawless, violent ICE agents, and local elected leaders are best positioned to intervene to protect their constituents and to make clear that our communities do not support President Trump’s harmful, xenophobic agenda. City Councilor Etel Haxhiaj stands up for her constituents, and we stand with her. 

PM in the News: “Measuring Wu’s mandate”

Kelly Garrity, “Measuring Wu’s mandate,” POLITICO, September 12, 2025.

“Mayor Wu has been progressive, but also she’s been a nuts-and-bolts problem solver,” Rachel Poliner of Progressive West Roxbury/Roslindale said in an interview Thursday night, pointing to things like the city’s expanded universal pre-K program. “I hear more about things like that than I hear about progressive stances, even though she’s problem-solving with progressive policies,” Poliner said.

…

And while the message matters, “You also need to show that you can accomplish things when you win,” Jonathan Cohn, the policy director at Progressive Massachusetts, told Playbook.

House, Senate Pass Consensus Economic Development Bill

Yesterday, the House and Senate passed their conferenced versions of the economic development bill, which had been stalled in negotiations since July. The bill passed easily, 39 to 1 in the Senate and 137 to 8 in the House — the only opposition coming from the most conservative of Republicans.

The economic development bill contains a number of policy measures, such as the following ones that we or our allies supported:

Educator diversity. It allows the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE) to develop an alternative certification process for teachers who may face challenges passing the educator certification exam but can otherwise demonstrate their competence as teachers. MTA, AFT Mass, and BTU had been advocating for this.

Strengthening local and regional public health systems. It overhauls the state’s fragmented public health system to ensure strong public health protections for all residents regardless of race, income, or zip code. The Mass Public Health Association had been advocating for this.

Pathway for foreign-trained physicians. It creates a pathway in Massachusetts for physicians previously authorized to practice medicine outside the United States to practice in an underserved region of the Commonwealth. The Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition (MIRA) had been advocating for this.

Childcare as campaign expense. It removes current limitations on political candidates using campaign funds for childcare services that occur because of campaign activities. The Mass Women’s Political Caucus had been advocating for this.

FAFSA. The bill requires each school district to notify students prior to graduating from high school of the availability of FAFSA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) and to provide students with information on financial aid options. uAspire, a fellow member of the Higher Ed for All coalition, had been advocating for this.

Project labor agreements. It authorizes public agencies and municipalities to enter into project labor agreements for public works contracts when such an agreement is in the best interest of the public agency or municipality. The Mass AFL-CIO had been advocating for this.

Rolling Up Our Sleeves

Tuesday was a difficult day. So many of us put countless hours into organizing for a brighter future, only to face bleak national election results. If you have spent the past few days with sadness, disappointment, anxiety, anger, or grief, we’re there with and for you.

But it also underscored our resolve about why the work we do at Progressive Massachusetts is so important.

When Donald Trump and his right-wing allies in Congress try to enact an agenda of hate and greed, we need to be ready to fight back, and we need our elected officials in Massachusetts to be willing to do so as well.

But the next few years are not just about blocking a harmful federal agenda. They are about advancing a progressive agenda here. We need to model what a successful alternative looks like: a government committed to reducing inequality, empowering workers, protecting the rights of all, fostering inclusion, tackling the climate crisis, investing in our schools and infrastructure, tackling the high cost of living, and so much more.

When we build an equitable, just, democratic, and sustainable commonwealth, we not only improve the quality of life here at home but also set the bar for other states and the country as a whole. We show that progressive policies exist and that they work.

Building local communities of activists and holding our elected officials accountable year-round is critical to that work. We hope you’ll join us—or continue on with us—in the fight. Stay tuned in the coming days regarding some critical next steps.

Onwards,

The Progressive Mass Team

Celebrating Our Victories

If we’re going to build that brighter future, we need to be willing to celebrate our wins, and on Tuesday, we had some here in Massachusetts.

Massachusetts voted 72% to 28% for Question 1, sending a clear message to the Legislature that we expect more transparency and accountability.

Massachusetts voted 59% to 41% for Question 2, sending a clear message that voters trust our educators and recognize the harms of high-stakes testing and the need for all students to get a well-rounded education.

Massachusetts voted 56% to 44% for Question 3, empowering Uber and Lyft drivers by giving them the option to organize to form a union.

Our endorsed candidates in contested races all won their elections on Tuesday. Congrats to Tamisha Civil, Leigh Davis, and Tara Hong!

You Did This!

We are proud of the work we did on Question 2 in particular this fall.

We organized more than 120 volunteers to talk to voters.

We knocked on over 14,600 doors.

We attempted to reach more than 25,000 voters through canvassing, phone banking, text-banking, and relational organizing.

We spoke with more than 3,400 voters directly — not to mention all of the conversations from chapters tabling at farmers markets and community events.

These one-on-one conversations helped power the victory on Tuesday, and we know that they will be powering the victories ahead.

This November, VOTE YES

After polling our members, we are proud to endorse a YES vote on all five questions. Each question received over 85% support from our members.

VOTE YES on Question 1 to clarify that the State Auditor has the authority to audit the Legislature. Such audits have occurred in the past, and efforts to increase transparency of the MA Legislature are critical as our state often ranks last in state rankings of open government (and, indeed, remains the only state where all three branches of government claim full exemption from public records law). 

VOTE YES on Question 2 to replace the use of the standardized MCAS test as a high school graduation requirement with a requirement based on successful mastery of coursework. Putting so much emphasis on a single test — as opposed to the regular, ongoing assessments teachers do in the classroom — forces teachers to teach test-taking skills instead of infusing critical thinking and individualized learning into classrooms. High-stakes standardized testing is notorious for biases against English Language Learners, students with special needs, and students of color, and all students suffer from the increased anxiety that high stakes impose. 

VOTE YES on Question 3 to give Uber and Lyft drivers the option to form a union to collectively bargain for better pay, working conditions, and job protections. Drivers have faced high costs, low take-home pay, and unexplained deactivations. Although the recent settlement between Uber and Lyft and the Attorney General secured wins for drivers, greater driver voice and workplace power is essential to protecting and building upon such wins. 

VOTE YES on Question 4 to enable therapeutic access to natural psychedelic medicines (such as psilocybin) that show promise in treating mental health conditions. It creates a regulatory framework to govern their use and decriminalizes limited personal use. Recent research has shown their value in helping individuals suffering from anxiety, depression, PTSD, or alcohol/substance abuse, and states like Oregon and Colorado have taken the lead on establishing a regulated, therapeutic framework for their use.

VOTE YES on Question 5 to ensure that tipped workers receive the full minimum wage, with tips on top. Currently, the tipped wage in MA is $6.75 per hour, with an expectation that employers ensure that all workers get a full minimum wage after tips. However, wage theft in the restaurant industry is common, and the power imbalance of a heavy reliance on tipping leads to high rates of sexual harassment. In states that have moved toward a One Fair Wage model, workers end up with greater take-home pay, strong tipping rates continue, and the restaurant industry thrives.

Let us know how you want to get involved this fall!

New Endorsement: Tamisha Civil for Governor’s Council District 2

Our members overwhelmingly voted to endorse Tamisha Civil for Governor’s Council in District 2.

Tamisha Civil combines a history of community involvement and strong progressive values. Her career has been spent fighting for underrepresented communities in our legal and political system, and she will be a powerful voice on the Governor’s Council. She has been a legal advocate for women and children impacted by domestic violence, a Commissioner for the Eastern Regional Commission on the Status of Women, a committee member for the Diversity and Inclusion for the Massachusetts Trial Court. Learn more at https://www.tamishacivil.com/.

Cities and Towns in District 2: Ashland, Attleboro, Avon, Bellingham, Braintree (Pct. 1A, 1B, 2A, 2B, 3A, 4A, 5A, 5B, 6B), Bridgewater, Brockton, Canton, Dover, East Bridgewater, Easton, Foxborough, Framingham, Halifax, Hanson, Holliston, Hopkinton, Mansfield, Medfield, Medway, Milford, Millis, Milton, Natick, Needham, Norfolk, North Attleborough, Norton, Plainville, Randolph, Sharon, Sherborn, Stoughton, West Bridgewater, Whitman, Wrentham

State Senators’ Districts within D2: Mike Brady, Paul Feeney, Becca Rausch, Karen Spilka, Walter Timilty