You can find a copy of the video here.
We’d love to know how you want to get involved this fall, so please also take a moment to fill out this survey.
Question 1: https://www.dianaforma.com/ballot
Question 2: https://www.yesonquestion2ma.com/
Question 3: https://www.voteyeson3mass.com/
Question 4: https://maformentalhealth.org
Question 5: https://www.fairwageplustipsma.com/
Question 6 (a non-binding advisory question in select state rep districts): https://masscare.org/
Yawu Miller, “Cartwright wins big in SJC clerk race despite hurdles,” Bay State Banner, September 11, 2024.
Jonathan Cohn, policy director at Progressive Massachusetts, said the election results point to a progressive majority in Boston that has rendered it virtually impossible for conservative-leaning candidates to win.
“It’s like a rainbow coalition that brings together Black Boston, Chinatown, Latinos and white liberals,” he said. “That kind of coalition is one that can win power, and has won against more conservative interests in the past.”
Can you believe that the primary was a week ago already?
Congratulations to our endorsees who won their primaries last week!
We are excited for all the great work that they will do in office.
Not all of our endorsees won their races, but we admire the progressive, issue-focused, grassroots campaigns that they ran, their commitment to their communities, and their willingness to take the step of running for office. We endorsed them because we were impressed by the great work that we have done and know that there is so much inspiring work ahead of them.
The general election is now only eight weeks away. So join us in getting ready for that by attending an info session on the five ballot questions.
Massachusetts voters will see at least five questions on the November ballot:
Join us on Thursday, September 12, at 7 pm, to learn more about the five questions, what they would do, and how to get involved. We will have speakers from each of the five campaigns.
Samantha Gross, “‘The incumbency advantage is real’: In Mass. primary, fraction of challengers succeed,” Boston Globe, September 5, 2024.
“The campaign “was not something that was just focused on getting a specific person elected, but about increasing the attention to the State House in the district,” said Jonathan Cohn, policy director of Progressive Massachusetts, which endorsed MacKay. “That doesn’t go away.””
The Massachusetts state primary is just 25 days away: Tuesday, September 3 (yes, that’s the day after Labor Day).
Although that may seem far off now, it’ll come here fast, and with a holiday weekend happening before, it’s good to make your plan to vote now.
Here is some key info to have on hand and share:
It can be hard to find out about the candidates on your ballot and what they stand for. Visit our Elections page to find questionnaires for Legislative, Governor’s Council, and County races across the Commonwealth as well as our 2024 Endorsements.
In solidarity,
The Massachusetts state primary is Tuesday September 3, the day after Labor Day. That’s 10 weeks and 1 day away. And that will go by fast.
In April, our Elections and Endorsements Committee began sending our comprehensive policy questionnaire to candidates running in contested races for MA House and MA Senate. We view these questionnaires as a vital opportunity to educate candidates about issues that matter to progressive voters, get candidates on record, and create a more informed and engaged electorate. Read questionnaires we’ve received for legislative and other races so far here.
The Committee reviewed them in May, interviewed candidates, and deliberated to make a first round of recommendations. And then we surveyed our members because, as an organization committed to democracy, all of our endorsements must ultimately be approved by our members
So we are proud to share our first endorsements for the 2024 cycle. Read more about them below.
Arielle Reid Faria is a housing champion who serves as the Managing Director of the Island Housing Trust and the co-chair of the Coalition to Create a Martha’s Vineyard Housing Bank, a key part of the statewide coalition for a local option real estate transfer fee. She brings important lived experience, a strong organizing background, and a passion for increasing civic engagement in the district and beyond. Learn more at https://www.ariellefaria.com/.
Leigh Davis is a housing champion, a former union member, and an environmentalist who serves on the Great Barrington Select Board. She has been a key voice in building Western Mass support for a local option real estate transfer fee and in passing policies to address the housing crisis locally, and demonstrates a strong commitment to fighting for the underserved. Learn more at https://www.leighdavis.org/.
Heather May is an educator at Emerson College and a community activist in Waltham. Having been active in the push to unionize non-tenured faculty, she understands the value of organizing, and she is running on strong progressive policies and the need for systemic change in the MA House. We endorsed Heather in 2022 and are proud to do so again. Learn more at https://www.heatherforwaltham.com/.
Bill Humphrey is a third-term Newton City Councilor, the former chair of Progressive Newton, and an outspoken advocate for workers’ rights, public education, affordable housing, transit equity, and climate action. He has shown a willingness to fight for his principles on the Council and understands the importance of building coalitions whether inside or outside of the halls of power to advance progressive policy. Learn more at https://www.billhumphrey.org/.
Evan McKay is a union leader, pro-democracy organizer, and scholar of the criminal legal system. They were a part of the successful recent effort to democratize the UAW, making it a bolder and more responsive union, and are running to advocate for a more progressive and responsive State House that views activists as partners in advancing a shared vision. Learn more at https://www.evanforcambridge.com/.
Erika Uyterhoeven has been a reliable progressive ally at the State House. She has been a vocal champion of such issues as tax fairness, worker’s rights, housing justice, climate action, and decarceration, and she is a forward-thinking policymaker eager to learn about innovative policy ideas and approaches and seed them into the debate. She is someone who has been willing to buck Leadership and stand by her principles, and she has leveraged her role as a state legislator to visit prisons and jails for oversight and accountability and to secure a commitment from the DOC to allow incarcerated individuals to testify virtually at the State House. Learn more at https://www.electerika.com/.
Erin Bradly is a policy advocate and former State Senate staffer who has written policies that have benefited children and families across the Commonwealth. A member of the Select Board in Milton, she was a vocal supporter of MBTA Communities Act rezoning, and she has been active in building the bench of progressive women to run for office in Milton. Learn more at https://www.erinforstatesenate.com/.
All elections are special, but some are more “special” than others. On Tuesday, May 2, voters in West Roxbury, part of Roslindale, and part of Jamaica Plain in Boston, as well as part of Brookline, will be going to the polls for a special election for state representative for the 10th Suffolk district, vacated by Rep. Ed Coppinger.
We invited all candidates running to submit candidate questionnaires, and you can find those that we received here.
Both of our chapters in the district — JP Progressives and Progressive West Roxbury/Roslindale — held forums, interviews, and endorsement votes, and both of them endorsed Rob Orthman for the 10th Suffolk.
Progressive Mass conducted our own member vote for the race, and we are proud to say that we will be joining our chapters in endorsing Rob Orthman for the 10th Suffolk.
Here is what some of our members said about Rob:
And here is what our chapters said:
JP Progressives:
The JP Progressives Steering Committee recommends the endorsement of Rob Orthman for the May 2 special election for the 10th Suffolk State Representative seat…We were inspired by Rob’s organizing work in the district to advance these policies, including a recent success mobilizing in Roslindale on a housing project that led to a substantial increase in the number of affordable units, and his advocacy work with Walk Up Roslindale, which led to the creation of the morning inbound bus lane on Washington Street between Roslindale Village and Forest Hills. ….Rob has secured endorsements from candidates and elected officials we have endorsed previously, including David Halbert (former candidate for City Council At Large), Ruthzee Louijeune (Boston City Councilor At Large), and, importantly, Sam Montaño, the other state representative representing Jamaica Plain and a staunch advocate for affordable housing.
Progressive WRox/Roz:
PWRR endorses Rob Orthman for his tireless community leadership in critical policy areas and his knowledge of how policies impact the daily lives of residents. Rob has experience throughout the district; he’s been a leader on housing, transportation, climate, and small business. Rob is a consistent and courageous voice for a more sustainable and equitable future — crucial for the multiple crises we face in our state. Many members noted that Rob is already a community leader, effective, tireless, and visionary, focused on local and regional challenges. Rob has professional experience in the statewide childcare affordability crisis, and is a Boston Public Schools graduate and parent committed to progressive education policy. He has deep knowledge of all the district’s communities from personal and professional experience, including constituent services when he was on Councilor Tobin’s staff.
April 6, 2023
Chair Keenan, Chair Ryan, and Members of the Joint Committee on Election Laws:
My name is Jonathan Cohn, and I am the Policy Director at Progressive Massachusetts, a statewide grassroots advocacy group fighting for a more equitable, just, sustainable, and democratic commonwealth.
We urge you to give a favorable report to H.26 and S.8: Proposal for a legislative amendment to the Constitution relative to voting rights.
I would like to begin with a bit of history. Felony disenfranchisement in Massachusetts is a recent phenomenon. Indeed, although we often think of the history of voting rights in the US as one of ever-forward motion, Massachusetts stands as an outlier. In the late 1990s, after incarcerated individuals in MCI-Norfolk started organizing for better conditions, Republican Governor Bill Cellucci and the MA Legislature responded with retaliation: a multi-step process of disenfranchisement. In 2000, Massachusetts voters approved a constitutional amendment to prohibit people incarcerated for felonies in state prison from voting in state elections; the subsequent year, Cellucci signed a law to extend this prohibition to federal and municipal elections. Our commonwealth did something rare in recent history: it took away the right to vote from a category of people who were formerly enfranchised.
In 2022, the Massachusetts Legislature took an important step forward when passing the VOTES Act by including language creating protections for jail-based voting for those who still maintain the right to vote, but we must build on that momentum by ending remaining disenfranchisement, as these bills would.
Felony disenfranchisement compounds the systemic racism of the criminal legal system. Approximately 8,000 residents of the Commonwealth are disenfranchised due to a felony conviction, more than 50% of them are Black or Latinx.
Felony disenfranchisement laws disenfranchise more voters than those directly affected. Whenever someone loses the right to vote even temporarily, they are likely to mistakenly think that they have lost it permanently. We must eliminate archaic laws that create voter suppression and voter confusion.
Felony disenfranchisement exacerbates the humanitarian crisis in our prisons and jails. Even Trump’s DOJ pointed out that Massachusetts correctional facilities are engaging in torture, and a lack of political voice puts individuals at risk for abuse.
Moreover, studies have often shown that fostering ties to the outside world is central to reducing recidivism. Civic engagement provides just that, and we should welcome it.
Sincerely,
Jonathan Cohn
Noah Risley, “Making sense of the Massachusetts midterms,” The Justice, November 15, 2022.
Jonathan Cohn, the policy director at Progressive Mass, a grassroots activism organization, felt Healey had not been “as direct in her policy proposals” as he would have liked. In a Nov. 14 email to the Justice, he elaborated that he was hopeful about the Healey/Driscoll team, and said they care far more about “climate action, reproductive rights, public schools, and public transit than [Governor] Baker does.” Cohn said Baker “tends to get a pass” for right-wing beliefs due to a “boring congeniality” and that he “enables the worst instincts” of the Massachusetts legislature, saying they can “always use the real or imagined threat of a veto as an excuse for inaction.” Cohn hopes that with Healey as Governor, the Legislature will embrace new opportunities to deliver on Democratic priorities. For instance, Cohn said that his organization plans to push for more ambitious legislation to counteract the “inertia” of inaction in the Legislature.
On Tuesday, Massachusetts voters made history. We made history.
By voting YES on 1 and passing the Fair Share Amendment, Massachusetts voters said YES to a more equitable tax code and to transformative investments in our public schools and infrastructure.
This victory was years, decades, in the making. Since voters put a flat tax into the state constitution in 1915, Massachusetts has suffered from a regressive tax code, hamstringing our ability to deliver on a goal on shared prosperity despite great resources. Five times, activists tried to change that, but each time, facing moneyed opposition, misinformation, and anti-tax sentiment, they lost.
But this time, we—the people—won. The millionaires and billionaires of the state will chip in more so that every student can get a high-quality public education, so that our public colleges and universities can get proper funding, so that our roads and bridges can be safe to drive on, and so that our public transit systems can move us around the commonwealth more quickly.
And that win would never have happened without the countless hours of work from members of the Raise Up Mass Coalition, which we have been proud to be a part of. Your hours of signature collection, pledge card collection, phone calling, canvassing, educating friends and neighbors, holding events. It is that work that is the lifeblood of democracy.
By voting YES on 4 and upholding the Work & Family Mobility Act, we cemented our status as the 17th state to ensure that all qualified drivers, regardless of immigration status, can obtain a driver’s license, making our roads safer, expanding economic opportunity, recognizing that mobility is a basic right, and treating our immigrant communities with the dignity they deserve.
That victory, both legislative and ballot, was the result of the Driving Families Forward coalition, which we were proud to be a part of. And it, again, required the work of outreach, of organizing, and of pushing back against misinformation.
Both wins show the power of organizing across the Commonwealth in ways that bring community groups into coalition with labor and in ways that listen to the voices and needs of the most impacted.
So, THANK YOU for what you’ve done in making those victories possible.
But also THANK YOU for the work you will continue to do. Progressive Mass was founded almost ten years ago out of a recognition that this work needs to continue after the election is over. That period in between cycles is when we preserve and grow the power that we build, where we foster communities of organizers, where we educate our neighbors about what is possible.
We hope you’ll join us in that work by becoming a member of Progressive Mass.
Thank you for all you do.