Here are JPP’s endorsements for the September 1 primary election — we hope you will find these useful! Watch this space for further voting aids, including our election flyer.

JP Progressives warmly endorses Sam Montaño for re-election as State Rep in the 15th Suffolk.

Back in 2022, we urged our membership to get to know Sam Montaño (she/they) because we thought JP would be excited about them as a candidate. As Sam runs for their third term representing our neighborhood, we think it’s safe to say that JP knows and loves Sam – as state rep, they consistently show up in our community and are always happy to listen to concerns or explain their thinking on an issue.

Currently the only out queer person of color in the MA legislature, Sam brought nearly a decade of community-centered, tenant-focused organizing on issues of housing and equity to Jamaica Plain when they entered office, and they have continued to prioritize housing in their tenure. They were the refiler of the rent stabilization bill and signed on as one of the original ten signatories required to begin the ballot question process for rent control. In the face of the SJC decision to bar the rent control ballot question from November’s ballot, Sam has vowed to file again in the new term and to work to keep middle- and low-income people housed and stable. This dedication is unique not just to this district, but to the legislature as a whole. Sam’s experience is special, but what takes it to the next level is their deep knowledge of housing legislation and thoughtful policy proposals at a time when housing affordability feels particularly crushing.

In this last session, Sam was instrumental in the creation of the first-of-its-kind Gender Affirming Care Trust, which now has $8.5 million available! Sam also secured more than a million dollars of district-specific funding for local organizations and public housing. Most of their indoor air quality bill was incorporated into the environmental bond bill, which creates standards that did not previously exist in state law. They managed to get an amendment that helps protect LGBTQ youth into this session’s data privacy bill (still in conference committee). Sam is currently co-chair of the Progressive Caucus and a member of the Black and Latino Legislative Caucus, which was instrumental in the recent passage of the PROTECT Act. 
 
The JP Progressives are grateful to have been able to develop a strong relationship with Sam as our state rep. We appreciate their responsiveness and their dedication to being a true part of the community. We have not always agreed on every issue or approach, but we are always able to have a conversation about any disagreements and know that it will be substantive, respectful, and bring us to a greater understanding of one another. We wholeheartedly re-endorse Sam for a third term.

JP Progressives is happy to endorse Persis Yu for State Senate in the Norfolk & Suffolk District.

Persis Yu is exactly the kind of progressive we need in the legislature. She brings alignment on our values and policy positions, an impressive track record of delivering real change, and a connection with voters across the democratic spectrum. 

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. 

In addition to being an accomplished attorney, Persis is a trained social worker. This combination means she is grounded in the realities many voters face when navigating broken government support systems while also having the legal toolkit to understand how to reshape these systems, whether in court or in the policy arena.

The contrast with incumbent Senator Mike Rush could not be starker. Rush has cosponsored zero out of 22 progressive bills featured by Progressive Massachusetts in the current legislative session. In 2018 and 2020, Rush earned an F and a D-minus from Progressive Massachusetts on their legislative Scorecard, based largely on his opposition to criminal justice reform and to legislation backing women’s reproductive rights. While his scores may have improved in recent years, this is likely due to his appointment as majority whip in 2021 and his closer alignment to the votes of Senate leadership. This year, Senator Rush declined to submit a questionnaire (and is thus ineligible for endorsement). 

On the other hand, Persis’ responses to the Progressive Mass questionnaire demonstrate her full alignment and commitment to progressive positions across every issue: from rent control and single-payer healthcare to transgender protections, immigrant rights, and a transparent legislature. And it’s not just words—she has spent her entire career outside the legislature advocating to advance policies on these issues.

After 23 years of Mike Rush in office without even a primary challenge for the last 10 years, the district deserves a senator who will bring a true progressive agenda and do more than just follow the instructions of Senate leadership. Persis Yu is that candidate: a proven coalition-builder, a relentless advocate, and a bold progressive voice ready to deliver real change on Beacon Hill.

JP Progressives endorses Senator Liz Miranda for reelection to the Massachusetts State Senate.

During her tenure, first in the House of Representatives and now in the Senate, Senator Miranda has established herself as a leader on issues that are critical to our district. She has advanced legislation and secured funding to promote equity and justice across health care, economic opportunity, criminal justice reform, environmental justice, and immigrant rights. A Cape Verdean American and former community organizer, Senator Miranda represents the Second Suffolk Senate District, which includes Jamaica Plain, Roxbury, and Mission Hill—one of the Commonwealth’s most diverse districts.

Health Equity
Senator Miranda played a leading role in advancing maternal and birth equity legislation that reformed the licensure of midwives and expanded access to key maternal health services. She also secured funding for birth centers, mental health programs, and community-based care. In addition, she co-sponsored comprehensive health equity legislation that created licensure pathways for internationally trained physicians and worked to reduce prescription drug costs.

Economic Opportunity
Senator Miranda has championed economic development in underserved communities. She secured legislation creating 225 new neighborhood liquor licenses for underserved Boston neighborhoods and delivered more than $70 million for district priorities, including affordable housing, youth programs, health initiatives, and infrastructure improvements. She also co-sponsored legislation to tax offshore corporate profits.

Criminal Justice Reform and Public Safety
Senator Miranda has been a strong advocate for police accountability and prison reform, promoting greater transparency and oversight. She has also championed gun violence prevention, helping to triple funding for community-based violence prevention and trauma recovery programs. She supported reforms to end prolonged solitary confinement and promote more humane conditions within the correctional system.

Environmental Justice
Senator Miranda authored landmark environmental justice legislation that strengthens protections for communities disproportionately affected by pollution and ensures meaningful community participation in environmental decision-making. She has also secured reforms designed to expand access to clean energy jobs for underrepresented communities.

Immigrant and Education Rights
Senator Miranda has led efforts to strengthen protections for immigrants by limiting local participation in federal immigration enforcement and expanding due process protections. She was one of the leaders on the PROTECT Act in the Senate. She has also sponsored tuition equity legislation for undocumented students and supported expanding voting rights for incarcerated individuals.

Throughout her service in the Legislature, Senator Miranda has consistently focused on expanding opportunity, strengthening communities, and ensuring that historically underserved residents have a stronger voice in state government. For these reasons, we enthusiastically endorse Senator Liz Miranda for reelection.

JP Progressives endorses Ayanna Pressley for re-election to the House of Representatives in MA-07.

We are grateful for Rep. Pressley’s consistently progressive, principled, and powerful work in Congress and strongly recommend that our membership vote to re-endorse Rep. Pressley in continued support and appreciation of her work to build a more equitable and just society. Ayanna is the leader our community demanded when we made history and unseated a 10-term incumbent. Voters sent Ayanna to Congress with a decisive mandate — to be a bold leader and to fight for our workers, families, and communities.

Rep. Pressley has introduced/co-led more than 150 pieces of legislation since beginning her time in Congress — from addressing homelessness and protecting tenants in public housing, canceling student debt and reducing the racial wealth gap, to combatting the Black maternal morbidity crisis and transforming our criminal legal system — she proposes bold policy solutions that meet the moment and center those most impacted.

In possibly one of her biggest wins this session, four of her bills were enacted into law in the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act — the most robust housing package in decades. These bills confront racial bias in home appraisals, protect renters from abusive corporations, expand access to affordable housing, and help families build long-term financial stability, treating housing as the human right that it is. 

Recently, Rep. Pressley was part of a Congressional oversight visit checking on people at the Dilley ICE detention center — where teenagers, babies, and families are imprisoned and which is run by CoreCivic, a for-profit, private prison company worth an actual BILLION dollars. She has advocated fiercely for ending these abuses and returning these detained children and adults to our communities. She’s also visited data center building sites to see first-hand the massive environmental effects they have on the communities where they’re placed, and she supports a federal and local moratorium on new AI data center construction until proper oversight and protections are in place.

JPP is proud to be part of Ayanna Pressley’s original Squad. We, like her, believe that policy is our love language and that change can’t wait. We know she will continue to represent the MA 7th Congressional District by creating policies, enacting legislation, and being a vocal advocate and national leader on the issues that impact all of us, including health, housing, immigration, racial injustice, and economic justice.

JP Progressives is happy to endorse Patrick Roath for Congress in the MA-08.

The constituents of MA-08 deserve better than Stephen Lynch, who has represented the District since October 2001. The Jamaica Plain Progressives are endorsing Patrick Roath because we believe that a member of Congress should represent the whole district, not just the parts that agree with them.

You’d be forgiven for not knowing who the MA-08 current office holder is because he rarely, if ever, comes to Jamaica Plain, and he’s never responded to any of our requests for constituent meetings or engaged in our endorsement process in the past 15 years. Beyond his lack of engagement, Representative Lynch does not reflect our progressive values. On some of the issues we care most about—immigrant rights, reproductive justice, and healthcare—Lynch’s record is concerning. Most recently, he was the only member of the Massachusetts congressional delegation to support the controversial Laken Riley Act, legislation that expanded mandatory detention of undocumented immigrants arrested or charged with certain crimes. While he has voted against Republican efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act (ACA), he is well-known for being one of the few House Democrats who voted against the ACA in 2010. His track record on reproductive rights follows a similar trajectory: Although Lynch now votes to defend funding for Planned Parenthood against Republican attacks, he was taking anti-choice votes well into the 2000s. Stephen Lynch is not the leader we need to meet this important moment.  

Patrick Roath, by contrast, is aligned to our progressive policy priorities, as reflected in his responses to the Progressive Mass Questionnaire. He has a strong track record as a voting rights activist, serving as the Board Chair of Common Cause Massachusetts, and he supports term limits—a refreshing perspective for a prospective new member of Congress. As a new father in a family of two working parents, he is feeling the crunch of navigating the realities of securing childcare and we believe he will be an important advocate for expanding this benefit to parents across the nation. His vision for an omnibus Working Families Affordability Package represents a policy approach that will resonate with the politically diverse voters of CD8 from the far left to yellow dog Democrats. In addition to childcare, he lists affordable housing, universal healthcare, and campaign finance reform as his top priorities when in Congress. He unambiguously supports abortion rights and is a proven fighter for LGBTIA+ equality: He led a successful lawsuit against the state of Massachusetts to ensure appropriate medical care for a transgender MA inmate. 

On foreign policy, Patrick has committed to stand against immoral wars and to stop funding weapons for countries, such as Israel, that commit genocide or systematically violate human rights. Unlike Lynch, Roath supports passing the Block the Bombs Act, legislation that would stop the sale and transfer of weapons to Israel given their persistent human rights violations across the region. (NOTE: Since this was originally written, Lynch has now decided to support Block the Bombs — we believe this is largely attributable to his having a primary challenger.) This is not about age; it is about the need for a new view of the world and a new approach to leadership.

Additionally, we are confident that Patrick will be both accessible and responsive as our representative, even when we don’t agree. He has committed to hosting regular town halls, maintaining transparent communication about his votes, and holding roundtables with advocacy organizations, unions, and other stakeholders on key issues before Congress. Our experience with Patrick suggests that he will follow through on these commitments. He has engaged extensively with us on policy issues while developing his positions and has demonstrated a willingness to listen and evolve in response to advocacy. 

We trust that Patrick will be a more proactive, outspoken, and collaborative leader in Congress and look forward to working with him for the betterment of MA-08.

JP Progressives fully endorses Senator Ed Markey for re-election to the U.S. Senate.

We won’t pretend his age isn’t a fair question, but questions deserve answers, not assumptions. Our members have gotten those answers first-hand, through repeated meetings, town halls, and direct engagement with Markey and a staff that answers every letter and takes every call. What we’ve seen is a senator who is sharp, prepared, and still leading: on the AI accountability Agenda, on the Transgender Bill of Rights, on nuclear nonproliferation, on the Green New Deal. We don’t want to lose his unapologetically progressive voice in the Senate, especially given the alternative of Seth Moulton. 

Seth Moulton would be a dangerous step in the wrong direction. Two days after the 2024 election, Moulton used the loss to blame trans kids in youth sports, telling the New York Times he didn’t want his daughters “getting run over on a playing field by a male or formerly male athlete.” It’s the same framing Trump uses as an identity politics dog whistle to divide voters and distract from all the harm his policies are causing, and Moulton fell for it. That’s not a one-off gaffe. It’s a pattern of bizarre contrarian positions that Moulton pursues to play up his maverick persona, but it’s also precisely the kind of politics that JP Progressives exists to oppose.

Recently in a debate between the candidates, Moulton “apologized” for his previous statement re: trans kids in sports by saying “I’m sorry if my comments hurt you.” An “if” statement is generally considered the lowest possible form of attempted apology and his lack of true accountability for his words is noted. Moulton also took the opportunity to accuse Senator Markey of appearing in the Epstein files, intimating that the senator had connections to “one of Epstein’s pals” but failing to provide any specific name or concrete incident. (Markey’s name appears but is limited to a few tangential mentions of him as an elected official. Seth Moulton’s name also appears tangentially in the files.) Markey rightly called this tactic “reprehensible” and we concur. 

Moulton’s opportunism has shown up on foreign policy, too. Moulton spent months quietly courting AIPAC for an endorsement and only announced he was “returning” the group’s donations after AIPAC declined to give him one. Markey didn’t need to make a big deal about AIPAC because he has never taken money from AIPAC. In fact, Markey takes no money from corporate PAC or fossil fuel companies, and he has voted no on the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) year after year – not just recently like many Democrats, but because he has long and publicly argued that the Pentagon budget is bloated and crowds out investments families actually need. In contrast, Moulton voted to pass NDAA bills up through fiscal year 2026, voting against them only this year as he has campaigned for Senate. One candidate discovers his principles when they’re advantageous; the other has held his for decades.

Markey’s same seriousness shows up inside his office and on the trail. His team doesn’t just show up for photo ops with communities of color, immigrants, disabled people, and LGBTQ+ constituents, they build ongoing partnerships and are one of the few Senate offices to have a staffer explicitly focused on justice and antiracism as part of their portfolio. And unlike Stephen Lynch and other incumbents ducking their challengers this cycle, Markey has agreed to multiple debates with Moulton. He shows up, and he’s not afraid to. JPP urges Massachusetts progressives to give Senator Markey the chance to keep showing up in the Senate.

At-Large City Council

District 6 City Council

Please note that the District 6 race will only appear on the November 4 general election ballot and not on the September 9 preliminary ballot, as there are only two candidates running.

Tuesday, March 11 at 7 pm at First Baptist Church (633 Centre St)

Come get informed about the local impact of the administration’s assault on immigrant rights and lives and learn what is being done to resist. Leaders representing various organizations will speak about advancing legal, legislative, and community mobilization efforts, which will be followed by Q&A and break-out groups to deepen the dialogue. This is an opportunity to learn and get involved. We look forward to seeing you there!

Participants:

• MIRA (Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition)
• BIJAN (Boston Immigrant Justice Accompaniment Network)
• Cosecha
• Brazilian Women’s Group
• Lawyers Committee for Civil Rights
• Unafraid Educators

Organized by the JPP Immigration Rights Action Group (JPP-IRAG)

Registration for this in-person forum is nearly full!

But don’t fret; we have added a streaming option! You can register at tinyurl.com/JPPIRAGforumstreaming to be part of the forum online.