Massachusetts Peace Action proudly endorses State Rep. Mike Connolly for reelection in the 26th Middlesex District, which covers parts of Cambridge and Somerville. Connolly has held the seat for the past five legislative terms; this year, he faces a challenger.
In an increasingly anti-democratic and warmongering time, Rep. Connolly has been a staunch advocate for the peace and justice values he shares with MAPA. He has attended and often been a speaker at countless MAPA forums, rallies, marches, and webinars.
Rep. Connolly is one of the strongest anti-war voices in the legislature. He has consistently been available to discuss legislative strategies regarding issues in which MAPA has a political interest. In particular, he has been an author and lead co-sponsor of a number of bills that represented MAPA’s state legislative priorities, including the Divestment from Nuclear Weapons Stocks, the Taxpayers’ Right to Know, and the Budget Transparency bills.
Rep. Connolly has been a consistent voice for Palestine solidarity in the legislature. Soon after the Oct. 7th attacks, he called for a “Ceasefire Now” and has regularly shown up at rallies to oppose the genocide in Gaza. Early in his career, he opposed efforts to outlaw the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, and worked to protect First Amendment political activity. Last fall, he testified publicly against the IHRA definition of antisemitism during a House Commission hearing, delivering a clear message that criticism of Israel is not inherently antisemitic. He was a frequent visitor to and supporter of the MIT encampments for Palestine two years ago.
Mike has been a strong advocate for progressive domestic issues that MAPA espouses, such as affordable housing and tenant protections, climate change policies (such as net zero carbon emissions), trans / LGBTQ+ issues and more. (Many of these are personal for him. Mike grew up in public housing, sometimes in foster care, benefited from Head Start and other social services, before winning a scholarship to college.) He led the effort in the State House to pass the nation’s strongest eviction and foreclosure moratorium during the Covid 19 pandemic in 2020, followed by a successful push to make key elements of the law permanent when the pandemic waned. More recently, he worked with the Healey-Driscoll Administration to include an authorization for a social housing pilot program in the Affordable Homes Act.
Mike’s opponent, Neil Miller, is a masters student at the Kennedy School of Government and a Cambridge renter. Miller has no experience in public office, but has been a volunteer organizer with the Cambridge non-profit A Better Cambridge, whose policies include advocating for more market rate housing as a key solution to the lack of affordable housing.
At Mike’s recent summer launch party in Cambridge, State Sen. Lydia Edwards called Mike “the People’s Champion” – sparking loud applause from the large crowd. Mike well deserves that title. MAPA is proud to endorse him and we look forward to continuing our work together in the coming years.
Contact us to help re-elect The People’s Champion, Mike Connolly!