by Jackie Dee King
As the U.S. foments wars and enables genocide abroad, Massachusetts voters in many districts will have a chance next Tuesday to elect candidates who stand for peace and justice. Mass. Peace Action has endorsed and worked for the 15 candidates listed below. While our candidates focus on local issues – how to make lives better for the people in their district – they understand the deep connection between that effort and the fight to cut the military budget and foster peace. So here, we spotlight that aspect of each candidate’s work.
It’s not too late to sign up for the Get Out the Vote effort in any of these campaigns, to door-knock or phone-bank or drive people to voting sites or work the polls on primary day. Donate today and spread the word to friends and neighbors. Links to each campaign’s website are listed below. Together, we’re building a grassroots Peace Voter movement to change the world.
PEACE CANDIDATES FOR US CONGRESS FROM MASSACHUSETTS
Ed Markey for Re-Election to the US Senate
Ed Markey is a leading advocate for controlling nuclear weapons and reducing the threat of nuclear war. He has called for a “no first use” nuclear policy. He has consistently voted against excessive Pentagon spending and has worked to shift budget priorities toward meeting human needs. Markey co-authored the Green New Deal legislation to address the climate crisis and link it with economic justice. He opposed the genocide in Gaza and spoke out early, when war fever was sweeping the US. He has led the Senate and his party in resisting the war against Iran. Seth Moulton, his challenger, votes against Pentagon cuts and for sending more weapons to Israel.
Read our endorsement and Contact the Markey campaign here.
Jeromie Whalen for US Representative in Congressional District 1
“When you don’t take thousands of dollars from corporate military contractors like my opponent does, you can truly stand on the side of peace. In Congress, I will work for: a nuclear-free world, while stopping the spread of nuclear weapons now; resolving global conflicts through diplomacy and cooperation, not endless war; prioritizing spending on real national and community needs over bloated militarism; and protecting human rights by restricting the global arms trade.”
Read our endorsement and Contact the Whalen campaign here.
Jim McGovern for US Representative in Congressional District 2
With a call to “Fund Families, Not War” Jim McGovern joined MAPA and other peace groups for a press conference on Aug 24 in Worcester. Rep. McGovern has opposed the illegal war in Iran, the genocide and starvation blockade in Gaza, ethnic cleansing in the West Bank, and new military technology integration with Israel. He and community leaders called for national security defined by economic stability for American families, with access to affordable food, healthcare, education, and housing. Rep. McGovern has also worked for years against US intervention and military adventurism in Latin America.
Contact the McGovern campaign here.
Jason Poulos for US Representative in Congressional District 4
“A trillion-dollar military budget is a statement of national priorities. It says we would rather fund bombs than hospitals, surveillance than schools, regime change than affordable housing. We need to end these wars and invest in this country — in healthcare, housing, and communities that are paying the price while defense contractors cash the checks. Foreign policy should prioritize diplomacy, human rights, and international law — not arms sales and coups.”
Read our endorsement and Contact the Poulos campaign here.
Jonathan Paz for US Representative in Congressional District 5
“I’m the son of Bolivian immigrants. When I was 14, my dad was deported, a tragedy for my family. I’ve always kept that memory and I’ve devoted my life to social justice. I stand for disbanding ICE and for an immigration system rooted in humanity, not brutality; for getting dark money out of politics; and I strongly oppose the US / Israeli war of aggression against Iran and the genocide in Gaza. In contrast, my opponent Katherine Clark has taken millions of dollars of AIPAC and other PAC money, and supported billions to Israel over the years.”
Read out endorsement and contact the Paz campaign here.
Jamie Belsito for US Representative in Congressional District 6
In a crowded field of candidates for Seth Moulton’s seat, Jamie Belsito’s strong progressive positions on foreign policy and peace stand out. She “has been an unwavering voice calling out the genocide in Gaza” and opposes legislation that seeks to label pro-Palestinian protestors as anti-Semitic. She supports a 25% reduction of the military budget. Belsito urges US return to vital nuclear treaties such as New START. She refuses to take money from AIPAC or fossil fuel companies.
Read out endorsement and contact the Belsito campaign here.
Ayanna Pressley for US Representative in Congressional District 7
“Donald Trump said he was going to be a president of peace…Instead, we are in a war of choice – a manufactured illegal war, unauthorized by Congress – that has destabilized the region, impacted over a dozen countries, claimed the lives of at least 18 American service members and hundreds of innocent Iranian children,” Rep. Pressley said in a recent press conference. In Congress, she will continue to advance people-centered approaches to global affairs, reestablishing America as a compassionate leader in the international community, prioritizing diplomacy, and promoting peace.
Contact the Pressley campaign here.
Craig Swallow for US Representative in Congressional District 9
“For too long, U.S. foreign policy has been shaped by endless wars, military escalation, and interventions that put working families at risk both at home and abroad. Communities across this district understand the cost. Veterans return home carrying physical and emotional burdens. Families struggle with the lack of public resources that could strengthen schools and healthcare. My foreign policy places diplomacy first, and invests in peace-making rather than defense contractors.”
Read our endorsement and contact the Swallow campaign here.
PEACE CANDIDATE FOR GOVERNOR OF MASSACHUSETTS
Andrea James for Governor
Andrea James has spent decades organizing for criminal justice reform. Through her leadership of Families for Justice as Healing, she has challenged policies rooted in punishment, inequality, and systemic racism. She speaks directly about the connection between economic inequality, mass incarceration, genocide, war, and the concentration of political and corporate power. As an independent candidate, James is also helping create political space outside the two-party system at a time when many Massachusetts voters feel alienated from establishment politics. As an Independent, she will not be on the Sept.1 primary ballot, but she will be on the Nov. 3 ballot.
Read our endorsement and contact James campaign here.
PEACE CANDIDATES FOR MASSACHUSETTS LEGISLATURE
Erika Uyterhoeven for State Senator in the 2d Middlesex District
Erika, currently a state representative and a leader in the fight for State House transparency, is the only peace candidate in this local race. She filed legislation to divest our pension funds from Israel’s genocide in Palestine, while other candidates claim it’s a federal issue so they don’t have to take a stand. Erika listens to the communities she serves, and knows state government has real power to act.
Read our endorsement and contact the Uyterhoeven campaign here.
Alison Leary for State Representative in the 10th Middlesex District
A five-term Newton City Councilor, Alison Leary sponsored the city’s resolution on Back from the Brink, addressing the danger of nuclear weapons. She supports putting pressure on Washington to curb military spending that “sucks resources from healthcare, education, and infrastructure.” She opposed the MA House bill that defines criticism of Israel as anti-Semitism. She does not accept contributions from AIPAC, military contracting corporations, or lobbyists opposed to Medicare for All.
Read our endorsement and contact the Leary campaign here.
Lorena Betts for State Representative in the 16th Middlesex District
As an indefatigable community organizer, former legislative aide, and co-founder of The Peacemakers Network, Lorena Betts will be an ardent voice for peace in the State House. A naturalized US citizen, she came to the United States from Brazil with her parents. She will work to redirect state policies away from war and toward human needs. She organized in support of the Protect Act and will continue to oppose collaboration with ICE.
Read our endorsement and contact the Betts campaign here.
Evan MacKay for State Representative in the 25th Middlesex District
As former president of UAW Local 5118 at Harvard, Evan MacKay (they/them) successfully fought corruption at the national level of their union. As a leader in the fight for transparency in the MA State House, they will do the same on Beacon Hill. That spirit informs their work for peace and justice. When teachers stood by their students as they protested in support of Palestinians, powerful politicians raked them over the coals in public hearings and the press. Evan organized support in the UAW and in public forums for the teachers. Evan was the first local resident to testify at the Cambridge City Council in favor of a ceasefire in Gaza in 2023; they will fight to divest our state from genocide.
Read our endorsement and contact MacKay campaign here.
Mike Connolly for State Representative in the 26th Middlesex District
Rep. Connolly is one of the strongest anti-war voices in the state legislature. He’s a staunch advocate for nuclear disarmament, and a determined opponent of the genocide in Gaza, the war on Iran, and the bloated US military budget which drains funds from housing, healthcare, education, and infrastructure at home. Mike has successfully championed legislation to build more affordable and social housing. As someone who grew up in public housing himself, he always makes the connection between the struggle against war and the fight for economic justice.
Read our endorsement and contact the Connolly campaign here.
Tom Melville for State Representative in the 9th Norfolk District
When anti-immigrant rhetoric heated up over a proposed shelter in his community, Tom Melville stepped up. Rather than allowing fear to define the response, he worked to bring neighbors together in support of immigrant families. Tom founded a local chapter of the Saint Vincent de Paul Society to help people in need. He called for an end to the state’s 287(g) agreement with ICE, so that all members of our communities could feel safe. As a former journalist, Tom also strongly supports a free press and greater transparency in the State House.
Read our endorsement and contact the Melville campaign here.