Heated Races in MA Tonight (9/01)

[JRCF29 8,230]

One of the final primary election nights of the season is unfolding in MA, with two races in particular fracturing the state's reliably large liberal base among familiar fault lines. In the First District, Rep. Richard Neal is facing a challenge from his left, as Our Revolution-endorsed Holyoke Mayor Alex Morse looks to repeat Ayanna Pressley's upset across the state in 2018. Neal has served in Congress since 1989, and holds the gavel of the Ways and Means Committee; many progressives have blamed him for being too slow to subpoena Trump's tax returns, and his opposition to socialized healthcare has also been the subject of left-wing attacks. A Morse win would wrest control of the country's purse strings from a longtime politician now seen in certain corners as too friendly to the financial and insurance industries. The race created a national buzz after a College Democrats chapter accused the challenger of sexual misconduct, though the allegations now seem to have been overblown (to say the least). 

 

In a statewide contest, Senator Ed Markey is trying to hold off the heir to New England's most famous political dynasty, Joe Kennedy III. Kennedy is currently a congressman who boasts a liberal voting record on healthcare and climate, but who is for all intents and purposes, representing the establishment in this race (right down to the Speaker Pelosi endorsement.) Markey also has a liberal voting record on healthcare and climate, and in fact authored the Green New Deal along with Rep. Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY). Markey has been pointing to his insistence on creating a majority-black state senate district in Bay State way back in the 1970- before Joe Kennedy was even born. Unions, including those representing musicians and electricians, have largely coalesced around Kennedy; groups representing flight attendants, federal employees (47,000 federal employees live in Mass.), and teachers have all thrown their political clout behind the incumbent. Both have an impressive list of endorsements from prominent state leaders, though the editorial boards of high-circulation newspapers have pointed to Markey as the most reliable and effective choice for Massachusetts Democrats. The race has been marked in the home stretch by some low-blow spats between the largely Millennial and Gen-Z supporters of the Markey campaign Joe Kennedy's base- including death threats against the latter himself. 

 

Results:

Neal (i) - 60% vs Morse - 40%

Markey (i) - 54% vs Kennedy III - 45%

Italics indicates a candidate is leading

Bold indicates a candidate has won

 

[LilyLark 10,213]

I want Markey to win, but it's kind of funny how people are acting like it's Sanders vs. some near Republican. Markey may be fairly progressive, but he's also had some bad votes—some not even that long ago—and voted for the Iraq war, etc.

The Morse thing is...tricky. Dude slept with students at the school he taught even if they weren't "his" students (they weren't in any of his classes). As a grad student, I can say that's not unheard of but it is considered icky & inappropriate and most institutions have rules against that sort of thing. At the end of the day, Morse is a 30 year old man who held power over the 20 year old students....Neal also sucks. The whole thing is gross.

[stevana229 1,916]

I'm rooting for Kennedy. 

[StarstruckIllusion 53,580]

24 minutes ago, LilyLark said:

I want Markey to win, but it's kind of funny how people are acting like it's Sanders vs. some near Republican. Markey may be fairly progressive, but he's also had some bad votes—some not even that long ago—and voted for the Iraq war, etc.

The Morse thing is...tricky. Dude slept with students at the school he taught even if they weren't "his" students (they weren't in any of his classes). As a grad student, I can say that's not unheard of but it is considered icky & inappropriate and most institutions have rules against that sort of thing. At the end of the day, Morse is a 30 year old man who held power over the 20 year old students....Neal also sucks. The whole thing is gross.

How is a 20yo sleeping with a 30yo gross? The way he lives in a college town so most people there are students... he did nothing wrong nor had many other options. Plus this whole drama was manufactured from the start.  https://theintercept.com/2020/08/12/alex-morse-college-democrats-chats/

[NathanC 938]

Love your posts. When will we know results? 

[Lion Heart 15,041]

I think Markey wins and Neal squeezes out a victory. I dont think its Alex Morse's time yet.

[JRCF29 8,230]

1 hour ago, NathanC said:

Love your posts. When will we know results? 

ty they are trickling in now, but I expect some time tomorrow we will have a clearer picture.

 

edit: will be posting updates every 10-15 minutes

[Kevbev 509]

Yes!!!!

[JRCF29 8,230]

1 minute ago, Kevbev said:

!!!!!

I have not seen enough the Boston-metro area isn't even close to being in

[Kevbev 509]

First time a Kennedy has ever lost a race in Massachusetts.

[Kevbev 509]

7 minutes ago, JRCF29 said:

I have not seen enough the Boston-metro area isn't even close to being in

Markey is winning by huge margins in Cambridge, Brookline, Somerville, and Newton. 

[LilyLark 10,213]

1 hour ago, StarstruckIllusion said:

How is a 20yo sleeping with a 30yo gross? The way he lives in a college town so most people there are students... he did nothing wrong nor had many other options. Plus this whole drama was manufactured from the start.  https://theintercept.com/2020/08/12/alex-morse-college-democrats-chats/

There's nothing wrong with a 20 year old and a 30 year old 95% of the time—but when the 20 year old is a student at the same college the 30 year old teaches at that is a problem. As I said, it is considered inappropriate and can basically get you suspended/fired (we have to watch videos on this type of sh*t). Grad students are aware that it is considered wrong, so a professor definitely knows that it would be considered against the rules and inappropriate. I'd be less grossed out if he had been a grad student, but he was a professor

TLDR: It's down to the power dynamics. I understand why people don't have an issue with the it, but 99% of the colleges (I would argue 100% probably) in the US have strict rules against that sort of thing. It may be a college town, but I'm pretty sure he can find someone who isn't a student. I mean...even one of my good friends who basically sleeps with anyone (no shame) would never, ever cross the line of f*cking a student (we were talking about the Morse thing a week ago or so).

[JRCF29 8,230]

1 minute ago, Kevbev said:

Markey is winning by huge margins in Cambridge, Brookline, Somerville, and Newton. 

Which collectively make up how much of the GBMA?

[JRCF29 8,230]

3 minutes ago, LilyLark said:

There's nothing wrong with a 20 year old and a 30 year old 95% of the time—but when the 20 year old is a student at the same college the 30 year old teaches at that is a problem. As I said, it is considered inappropriate and can basically get you suspended/fired (we have to watch videos on this type of sh*t). Grad students are aware that it is considered wrong, so a professor definitely knows that it would be considered against the rules and inappropriate. I'd be less grossed out if he had been a grad student, but he was a professor

TLDR: It's down to the power dynamics. I understand why people don't have an issue with the it, but 99% of the colleges (I would argue 100% probably) in the US have strict rules against that sort of thing. It may be a college town, but I'm pretty sure he can find someone who isn't a student. I mean...even one of my good friends who basically sleeps with anyone (no shame) would never, ever cross the line of f*cking a student (we were talking about the Morse thing a week ago or so).

I think that the issue Morse's supporters have is that the relationships were, at the end of the day, consensual in nature. Maybe it was inappropriate, maybe it was poor judgement, but was it really a sexual misdeed? It's up to the voters to decide if it's inappropriate enough to warrant a vote against him. 

[JRCF29 8,230]

Update (9:51pm)

Rep. Richard Neal has defeated Alex Morse to retain his seat; he is expected to be re-elected without major-party opposition in November. Neal's victory represents a loss for the progressive movement in a state home to one of its standard-bearers, Senator Elizabeth Warren, as well as one of it's rising stars in Rep. Ayanna Pressley, who represents a majority-minority district to the south of his. With the powerful gavel of the House Ways & Means Committee in his hands, the famed Irish peace activist will be in a position to continue and safeguard the ACA from attacks on the right- and left.