Form Congressman Capuano Championed Honesty
This summer I worked for the current U.S. Congressman for Massachusetts’s 7th district, Mike Capuano. The campaign was in full swing. Without a Republican opponent, winning the primary election in September would guarantee him a seat in the House. I canvassed, called voters and even devoted my weekends to organize get-out-the-vote events. I was working to make an impact in my community and I knew—given Congressman Capuano’s seniority and leadership roles in several important committees—that he was one of the strongest fighters we have against the Trump agenda.
His opponent in the Democratic primary, Ayanna Pressley, championed the young and underrepresented—she is an African American woman—side of the Democratic party. Additionally, the 7th Congressional District of Massachusetts is a minority-majority district with 57 percent of its population being people of color. While the two candidates barely disagreed on issues, Pressley won a decisive victory, signaling a shift away from the era of the old-white patriarchy of the Democratic party.
Even though Ayanna has a lot to offer in the House, Capuano’s loss was surprising. He was endorsed by unions, newspapers and other Massachusetts representatives. Moreover, he had not faced a challenger in over a decade. Despite Capuano’s firm lead in the polls, days before the election, a member of his staff warned, “This is going to be a closer race than anyone thinks.”
Not only did Ayanna Pressley defeat an incumbent, but she will become the first black woman to represent Massachusetts in Congress. At the very least, the diversity she brings to the table is welcoming for a party that desperately needs to find its identity, especially ahead of heated midterms in 2018 and a consequential national election in 2020. Indeed, Congresswoman Pressley’s victory was a cry for change from the Democratic base.
The election of Pressley mirrors that of Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, a 28-year-old newcomer who defeated Joe Crowley, the Chair of the House Democratic Caucus, in New York. She is the youngest woman ever elected to Congress. While the two women have their differences, the election of youthful, minority, non-corporate women is shaking up the Democratic party for the better.
Still, when reflecting on my time volunteering this summer, I can’t help but wish the election had turned out differently. Not only has Mike represented his constituents with honor for the last 20 years, but he was also the rare politician with whom the average American can relate. He wore short-sleeve button downs, sported a tacky United States flag for a 4th of July parade in Randolph, MA, and spoke in “common tongue.” He never resorted to political jargon.
I trusted Mike as a politician, which is something rare these days. He often showed up at the campaign headquarters where I was working alongside other volunteers to ask what we thought. Most of the volunteers were under the age of 30, and by listening to what we had to say, Mike empowered us.
We wanted to knock on doors for him. We wanted to stay late to finish our dial-lists. We wanted to give up our weekends holding signs at parades. That’s why I was saddened at his loss. Not because Ayanna is going to defy the Democratic party, but because Mike was one of the few honest politicians who I looked up to and who stood by his liberal principles for 30 years, unwavering. Kids these days need more public figures to look up to with that kind of integrity.
While the midterm elections have passed, political efficacy continues to suffer under the current administration. Indeed, we need a regime change to curb widespread mistrust in government. Looking ahead to the 2020 election, vote for honest candidates, like Mike Capuano, so that we can restore the American creed.