Massachusetts

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Revision as of 23:35, 17 September 2024 by CEverett (talk | contribs) (Removed primaries, added general elections)
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Welcome to the Massachusetts state page! Here, Massachusetts organizers can access and document ongoing projects, current leadership positions, upcoming races, and other important information. This list is non-exhaustive, and state teams are encouraged to expand and adapt these pages to their organizing needs.

Political Landscape of Massachusetts

Partisan Composition of Massachusetts

Overall, Massachusetts is considered a deep blue state, with a Cook PVIof D+15 as of 2022, regularly voting for Democrats by 60-70% in statewide races. Their entire federal delegation, 2 US Senators and 9 US House Representatives, as well as governorship, are all Democrats. Massachusetts also has Democratic supermajorities in their State house (134-1-24, 1 vacancy) and State senate (36-4), giving them a trifecta (as of 1/31/24).

Progressive Outlook for Massachusetts

The overall progressive strategy for Massachusetts is very optimistic. Progressives have scored minor victories here already with universal school lunches for children and no-cost calls for prisoners, and unlike many eastern states, citizen-led ballot initiatives are alive and well. Democrats have a supermajority trifecta, so it is very possible that MA will be the first state to implement single-payer healthcare. The most major issue for progressives here are fiscally-conservative Democrats such as governor Maura Healey and speaker Ronald Mariano, and there are very few progressive legislators in the state legislature. As such, participating in the Democratic primaries are absolutely vital here in 2024.

Get Involved

Register to Vote in Massachusetts

Massachusetts/Voting

Progressive Organizations in Massachusetts

Below is a non-exhaustive list of progressive organizations in Massachusetts, ranked by size and subjective quality. These organizations come with a practical, electoral focus and usually endorse candidates for local races and state representatives who are progressive. Organizations lower down the list are either smaller, with lower standards for who they endorse, or else see liberals or Democrats as their enemy and refuse to work with them altogether when they will necessarily make up the votes for any progressive candidate or legislation and thus shouldn't be supported, but nonetheless qualify as left-wing. Feel free to add to this list with any additions you can think of!

  • Progressive Massachusetts Progressive Massachusetts is one of, if not the largest progressive organizations in Massachusetts. They have a voting tracker that measures how progressive each state representative and senator is, and this tool is extremely useful in gauging whether a primary challenge would be worth it. They have a newsletter which regularly gives updates on progressive priorities and legislation, such as the recent wins for permanent free school lunches and no-cost calls for prisoners.
  • Incorruptible Massachusetts Incorruptible Mass is also a very reputable progressive organization who was directly responsible for electing Sam Montaño to the 15th Suffolk district state house in 2022 as well as putting forward a slate of around a dozen candidates for various state representative races who gave the incumbents a serious run for their money! They have an informative podcast talking about progressive issues and strategies as well.
  • Sierra Club of MassachusettsMassachusetts chapter of the Sierra club. Great for climate activism and action!
  • Progressive Democrats of Massachusetts Another progressive activism organization who made several endorsements for progressive candidates.
  • Green-Rainbow Party of Massachusetts The Green-Rainbow party of Massachusetts is a branch of the federal Green party. They are worth checking out as they occasionally run local candidates who are wholeheartedly progressive, but I cannot recommend supporting their statewide candidates from an electoral perspective until Massachusetts passes ranked-choice voting and they become viable.

Notable Campaigns in 2024

November 5th General Election

There are currently no competitive statewide contests for the general election, senate or US House, but there are several races in the state legislature you can contribute to in order to expand the Democratic majority and make the median rep more progressive! Here is a list of state senate and state rep races which are being contested by Republicans and which have voted 55% Democratic or less, listed first by senate, then by house, and in order of Dem vote % ascending (45%-55%).

  • Anthony Allard for State Senate- Anthony Allard is the only Democrat running for state senate this election cycle who is trying to unseat an incumbent Republican, Ryan Fattman. If you want to make Fattman a one term state senator and you live around Blackstone, Brimfield, Charlton, Douglas, Dudley, Holland, Hopedale, Mendon, Millville, Monson, Northbridge, Oxford, Southbridge, Sturbridge, Sutton, Upton, Uxbridge, Wales or Webster, now is your chance to make a difference!
  • Joseph Pacheco for State Senate:This is an open seat! Keeping it blue is a high priority. If you're in or around Taunton, Berkley, Dighton, Raynham, Rehoboth, Seekonk, Carver, Marion, Middleborough and Wareham, this race needs your attention.
  • Dennis Gallagher for State Representative:This state representative district, consisting of the towns of Bridgewater and Raynham, has an open race for the first time in a decade. The incumbent Republican chose not to run for re-election, so right now is a vital chance to flip the district blue! This is the least blue seat with a Democrat contesting it, so it's well within the realm of possibility to flip with your help. (45.6% Dem)

Run for Local Office

Many towns in Massachusetts run on a "Town Meeting" structure, where Town Meeting Members can propose local legislation or ordinances and vote on them while a Select Board acts as the executive body. This may seem intimidating to do, but change begins on the local level and being a Town Meeting member usually means an uncompetitive election with little to no campaigning and a fair bit of say in your community! Additionally, there are usually only a few town meetings per year and they are after work hours. You can learn more about the Town Meeting structure with the following links, and feel free to ask around on the Massachusetts Discord if you want advice on what it entails and whether you should run.

https://www.mma.org/local-government-101/

https://www.mass.gov/info-details/massachusetts-law-about-town-meetings

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