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.

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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.

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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/.

There are seven Democrats running for Norfolk County District Attorney for the upcoming Democratic primary on Tuesday, September 1. What do they all stand for? Progressive Mass Western Norfolk County invited all candidates to fill out a candidate questionnaire. Six of the seven responded, and five agreed to have their questionnaires posted. Learn more about all of them below.

• Jim Barakat

• Adam Deitch

• Bob Jubinville

• Macy Lee

• Djuna Perkins

The Massachusetts state primary is just over two months away on Tuesday, September 1, and the general election is just over four months away 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.

We endorsed US Senator Ed Markey earlier this year and announced our first round of US House and State Legislature endorsements earlier this month. It’s time for the next round.

Read Congressional questionnaires here, MA Senate questionnaires here, and MA House questionnaires 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.

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Congress

Jeromie Whalen for MA-01

As a public school educator, Jeromie Whalen understands the importance of investing in our future, of building a culture of civic engagement, and of creating a community and a country where all are welcome. He is running to rein in corporate power over our economy and our elections, make sure the wealthy are paying their fair share, and ensure that everyone has access to high-quality health care and higher education without cost. He is running against 37-year incumbent Richard Neal, who is one of Congress’s biggest recipients of corporate PAC money.

Jeromie has also been endorsed by our chapter Franklin County Continuing the Political Revolution.

Learn more about Jeromie at https://www.whalenforcongressma.com/.

Patrick Roath for MA-08

Patrick Roath is a democracy and voting rights advocate, having served as the former board chair of Common Cause Massachusetts. In that role, he was active in the rights for automatic voter registration, universal vote-by-mail, and same day registration. He is running on an omnibus Working Families Affordability Package, including tackling the costs of health care, housing, and child care, and Trump-proofing our government in order to rein in corruption and the abuse of power.

He is running against 22-year incumbent Stephen Lynch, one of the few Democrats left in the US Congress to have voted against the Affordable Care Act. Lynch is the only member of the Massachusetts delegation to have voted for the Laken Riley Act and has repeatedly voted with Republicans this Congressional session to roll back protections for our immigrant communities.

Patrick has also been endorsed by our chapters JP Progressives, Neponset Valley Progressives, True North Action Alliance, and Progressive West Roxbury/Roslindale.

Learn more about Patrick at https://patrickroath.com/.

MA House

Lora Wondolowski for 1st Franklin State Rep

The District: Ashfield, Bernardston, Buckland, Charlemont, Colrain, Conway, Deerfield, Greenfield (Pcts 5 – 8), Hawley, Heath, Leverett, Leyden, Monroe, Montague, Rowe, Shelburne, Sunderland, Whately

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.

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.

Tom Hendrickson for 3rd Hampden State Rep

The District: Agawam (Pcts 2–8), Blandford, Chester, Granville, Huntington, Middlefield, Montgomery, Russell, Southwick, Tolland

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/.

Michael Lachenmeyer for 12th Hampden State Rep

The District: East Longmeadow (Pcts 1, 2A, 3A, 4A), Monson (Pct A), Springfield (Ward 5 Pcts D, G; Ward 7 Pcts B, C, D, E, F, G, H1; Ward 8 Pcts B1, G), Wilbraham

Michael Lachenmeyer is a teacher, journalist, and organizer who is running to champion policies like reducing wealth inequality, single payer health care, and making state government more democratic and transparent. He is running against a conservative Democratic incumbent who voted against the Fair Share Amendment, the 2020 police reform bill, and the ROE Act. Learn more about Michael at https://electlachenmeyer.com/.

Mike Connolly for 26th Middlesex State Rep

The District: Cambridge (East Cambridge, Central Square, The Port, Cambridgeport: Ward 1 Pct 3; Ward 2 Pcts 1, 2, 3A; Ward 3 Pcts 1, 2, 3; Ward 4 Pct 1; Ward 5 Pcts 1, 3; Ward 6 Pcts 1, 1A); Somerville (East Somerville; Ward 1 Pcts 1-4; Ward 2 Pct 1A)

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/.

The Massachusetts state primary is less than three months away on Tuesday, September 1, and the general election is less than five months away on Tuesday, November 3. That time will fly by.

We announced our first 2026 endorsement earlier this year: US Senator Ed Markey.

Since then, our Elections Committee has been hard at work developing our candidate questionnaires, researching candidates, and interviewing candidates.

Read Congressional questionnaires here, MA Senate questionnaires here, and MA House questionnaires 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.

We devoted our first ballot to three categories: the open MA-06 race, chapter endorsements, and coalition partners. We will have more endorsements to come soon, and we will be collecting questionnaires for District Attorney and Governor’s Council races as well.

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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.

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Congress

Tram Nguyen for MA-06

Tram Nguyen has a proven track record of fighting for working families and brings the lived experience of both an immigrant and a union member. As an attorney for Greater Boston Legal Services, she advocated for survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault, veterans, immigrants, low-wage workers, and people with disabilities. Since defeating a conservative Republican incumbent in the State House in 2018, she has been a reliable champion of legislation to protect workers, from expanding unemployment benefits during the pandemic to increasing the minimum wage to protecting injured workers from retaliation. At a time when immigrants’ rights, reproductive rights, LGBTQ rights, workers’ rights, and climate action are under attack every day from the Trump administration, Tram can be counted on to fight back.

State Senate

Persis Yu for Norfolk and Suffolk State Senate

The District: Boston: Jamaica Plain / Roslindale / West Roxbury / Hyde Park (Ward 18 Pcts 9,-12, 16, 17, 19, 20, 22, 23; Ward 19 Pcts 2, 3, 5, 8-11, 13; Ward 20), Dedham, Norwood, Walpole, Westwood

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.

Persis Yu has also been endorsed by our chapters JP Progressives and Progressive West Roxbury/Roslindale.

Latoya Gayle for First Suffolk State Senate

The District: Boston: Downtown / Chinatown (Ward 3 Pcts 8, 14; Ward 5 Pct 1); Back Bay / South End / Bay Village (Ward 3 Pcts 7, 15, 16; Ward 4 Pcts 1 – 5; Ward 5 Pcts 13 & 14; Ward 8 Pcts 1 & 2; Ward 9 Pcts 1 & 2); South Boston (Wards 6 & 7); Dorchester (Ward 8 Pct 6; Ward 13 Pcts 3, 5-10; Wards 15-17)

Latoya Gayle has an impressive background in activism and advocacy, a clear commitment to social justice and progressive values, and a rootedness in her community. She is currently the Senior Director of Advocacy and Family Partnerships at Neighborhood Villages, where she advocates for early education and child care investments and empowers parents to do the same. She is a former chair of the BPS City-Wide Parent Council and organized March Like a Mother—a 1,000-person rally and vigil after the murder of George Floyd. She is an organizer who understands the urgency of addressing the housing crisis, the climate crisis, and the growing inequality in the state.  

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.

Jack Richardson has also been endorsed by our chapter Indivisible Upper Cape.

Ravi Simon for 13th Middlesex State Rep

The District: Concord (Pcts 3 & 4), Lincoln (Pct 1), Marlborough (W1 Pcts 1 & 2, W2 Pct 2A, W7 Pct 2A, Sudbury, Wayland (Pcts 1, 4)

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.

Lorena Betts for 16th Middlesex State Rep

The District: Chelmsford (Pcts 1, 2, 3A, 5B, 6), Lowell (Ward 1 Pcts 1, 2, 3, 4; Ward 2; Ward 4 Pct 4)

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.

Lorena Betts has also been endorsed by our chapter Solidarity Lowell.

Ben Ewen-Campen for 27th Middlesex State Rep

The District: Somerville (Ward 1 Pct 4A; Ward 2 Pcts 1, 2, 3, 4; Ward 3 (all); Ward 4 Pct 2A; Ward 5 (all), Ward 6 Pcts 1, 2, 3, 4)

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.

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.”