As part of its #NoCopMoney Pledge, the College Democrats of Massachusetts is calling on elected officials to reject campaign contributions from police unions and donate the money they have already accepted to community organizations.
According to a press release from the College Democrats of Massachusetts, U.S. Sen. Ed Markey and U.S. Rep. Joe Kennedy III have both signed on to the pledge, as well as roughly 50 other elected officials and candidates, including state Sen. Jo Comerford, D-Northampton.
“The murders of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor and countless others have shown that the current methods of policing cannot continue,” said College Democrats of Massachusetts President Hayley Fleming, who is also a rising senior at Amherst College. “Police unions represent an inherently unjust system, which is why candidates and elected officials must reject police union money if they are serious about enacting reforms.”
The CD-01 Progressive Coalition, a coalition of groups across Massachusetts’ 1st Congressional District, has announced it is endorsing Holyoke Mayor Alex Morse, who is challenging Richie Neal for his seat on the U.S. House of Representatives.
According to a CD-1 Progressive Coalition press release, the coalition is made up of: Franklin County Continuing the Political Revolution (FCCPR), Greylock Together, Indivisible Northampton, Indivisible Pittsfield, Indivisible Williamsburg, Our Revolution Chicopee, Pioneer Valley Resist Coalition, Pioneer Valley Women’s March, Rise up Western Mass and Voices Rising Together.
The release states that members of the coalition have lobbied Neal to meet regularly with constituents, to endorse the Green New Deal, to stop taking corporate political action committee (PAC) money, to support Medicare for All and to uphold his commitment to co-sponsoring the We The People Amendment.
“After over a year of futile attempts and zero commitment from Neal to address these issues,” the release reads, “we realized it was time to seek better representation.”
When Morse announced his candidacy, the CD-01 Progressive Coalition set about getting to know him. According to the release, Morse’s history of being present and available to constituents as mayor, as well as his promise to eschew all corporate money, made his campaign appealing to the coalition.
“His commitment to bringing progressive change to the district in the areas of health care, climate policy and economic justice, among other issues, made him the clear choice for the coalition’s support,” the release states.