Massachusetts Peace Action proudly endorses Alex Morse for Congress in Massachusetts’ first district, which includes Springfield, Holyoke, and the Berkshires. Morse is challenging incumbent Richard Neal, who has held the office for thirty-one years.
Alex Morse will be a leader on peace. He is committed to reducing the bloated Pentagon budget to reinvest in human needs such as health care and education. He is deeply concerned about nuclear weapons and would push for the US to reenter the Iran Nuclear Deal. He is committed to not criminalizing protests of Israel. Alex understands how we exacerbate the refugee crisis when we support authoritarian governments with weapons and money, while reducing diplomacy and aid. Morse’s views on foreign policy not only offer a moral counterbalance to President Trump’s xenophobic policies, they offer a refreshing challenge to the prevailing orthodoxy in Washington, D.C. Read his questionnaire.
Morse has been the mayor of Holyoke for eight years. Throughout his tenure as mayor, he has demonstrated a commitment to progressive values. He was the first mayor in Massachusetts to call for the legalization of mariujana and oversaw green energy investments in Holyoke.
Alex has demonstrated leadership and courage when it mattered the most, during times of crisis and controversy. When Hurricane Maria was ravaging Puerto Rico, Alex stepped up and offered refuge to displaced families. When protesters from Black Lives Matter were marching, Alex asked the police not to interfere with them. We are encouraged that Alex stuck to his principles of free speech and racial justice, even when it caused tension with his own police force. During these troubling times, principled leadership is what we need in Congress.
Alex does not accept money from corporate PACs or executives of weapons manufacturers, pharmaceutical and insurance companies, and fossil-fuel companies.
By contrast, his opponent, incumbent Richard Neal, is one of the largest Democratic recipients of corporate money. Neal’s single largest donor in the 2019-2020 cycle is the Blackstone Group- a very problematic private equity firm and fossil-fuel profiteer, which is founded and led by Bush and Trump-ally, Republican Stephen Schwarzman. Since 2007, Neal has received over $708,000 from the pharmaceutical and health insurance industries. Perhaps this is why Neal fought hard to limit the number of prescription drugs whose prices could be reduced under the House bill H.R.3.
Alex Morse has earned the endorsements of leading progressive groups such as the Justice Democrats and the Sunrise Movement. Morse has superior positions to Neal on issues of climate change, corporate money in politics, health care, and more.
Supporters of Massachusetts Peace Action are concerned about members of Congress who routinely increase the military budget. Alex Morse won’t be that kind of congressman. We encourage you to support his candidacy, donate, and/or volunteer for his campaign. Together we can build a more just society!