Saying she cannot win, state Senator Sonia Chang-Díaz announced on Thursday that she is no longer running for Massachusetts governor. A Jamaica Plain resident, Chang-Díaz was regarded as an underdog to win the Democratic Party primary in September against Attorney General Maura Healey. Only a few weeks ago Chang-Díaz qualified for the primary, but she saw she could not win. She said she will be stopping her campaign, although her name will remain on the ballot. Chang-Díaz made history by becoming the first Latina and first Asian American elected to the state senate.
The four candidates for the 15th Suffolk District state representative seat discussed their leadership style, the housing crisis, pandemic, climate change, and more during an online JP Progressives forum on May 24. The four candidates Richard Fierro, Roxanne Longoria, Sam Montaño, and Mary Ann Nelson will face each other in the primary election on September 6, and the winner will advance to the general election on November 8.
With the scheduled moderator Julio Valero unable to attend the forum, Vanessa Snow (from Mijente and RTCV), Cindy Lu (from JP Progressives), and Melissa Beltran (from JP Progressives) moderated the conversation between candidates. The forum consisted of candidate opening statements with their top three priorities, in-depth and rapid-fire questions, and candidate closing statements. Below is a summary of each candidate’s opening statement, responses to in-depth questions, and closing statements.
Below is a full recording of the forum.
Candidate Opening Statements:
Fierro:
Fierro is a graduate student at Northeastern University studying public administration. He spoke about his time working for Boston’s 311 constituent services office, the governor’s operations office, and Boston’s Elections Department. “Although I am not originally from here, I have grown to love the city and beautiful Jamaica Plain, and I am proud to call myself a Bostonian,” Fierro said.
He said that Massachusetts “must create an example for the rest of the country and push comprehensive legislation for green energy and climate resilience, for addiction and recovery services, for housing stability, and for universal Pre-K and tuition-free community college."
Fierro’s top three priorities are climate change, child care and education, and affordable housing.
Longoria:
“I’m running for state representative because I know who is affected when systems fail and I want to use my lived experience to be part of the solution,” Longoria said.
Longoria spoke about her experience working within former Mayor Marty Walsh's administration as Director of Youth Homelessness Initiatives and how she “saw how we need elected officials who understand firsthand the challenges facing our city and its residents."
“I will build coalitions to help achieve the rent control, climate justice, transit funding, and the criminal legal system reform our city and state desperately need,” Longoria said.
Montaño:
Montaño opened their speech with a brief acknowledgment of the school shooting in Uvalde, Texas.
Montaño then introduced themselves as a “queer, nonbinary Latino who uses she/they pronouns.” They spoke about their experiences that informed “two priorities: housing and substance abuse and recovery with mental health investments.” In addition, Montaño prioritizes environmental justice and “holding space for communities of color as they navigate this quickly changing climate.”
“For the last eight years, I have been deeply engaged in JP, from advocating for and leading community processes for affordable housing as an organizer with JPNDC to working with Mildred C. Hailey [Apartments] youth in supporting them in their successful campaign for a youth center and painting the unity mural that you see on 273 Centre Street in response to the gun violence that happened,” they said.
The four Democratic Party candidates for the 2nd Suffolk District state senate seat answered questions about COVID, housing, mental health, and more, during an online JP Progressives forum on May 19. The four candidates Miniard Culpepper, state Rep. Nika Elugardo (D-15th Suffolk), Liz Miranda (D-5th Suffolk), and Dianne Wilkerson will face each other in the primary election on September 6, and the winner will advance to the general election on November 8.
Moderated by WGBH's Saraya Wintersmith and Yawu Miller from the Baystate Banner, the forum consisted of candidates providing opening statements with their top-three priorities, a mix of in-depth questions and rapid-fire questions, followed by closing statements. Below is a summary of each candidate’s opening statement, some of their responses to in-depth questions, and their closing statements.
Below is a full recording of the forum. Candidate Opening Statements:
Wilkerson:
In Wilkerson’s opening statement she spoke about the newly drawn 2nd Suffolk district and how it's changed since COVID. She emphasized that Black and Latino communities have “lost big” during the pandemic.
All four candidates running for the 15th Suffolk District state representative seat are scheduled to attend JP Progressives' candidate forum on May 24. The four candidates are Sam Montaño, Richard Fierro, Roxanne Longoria, and Mary Ann Nelson. The forum is scheduled to occur Tuesday, May 24 at 7 pm via Zoom. Click here to register to attend the forum.
All four candidates running for the 2nd Suffolk District state senate seat are scheduled to attend JP Progressives' candidate forum on May 19. The four Democratic Party candidates are current state Reps. Nika Elugardo (D-15th Suffolk) and Liz Miranda (D-5th Suffolk), Miniard Culpepper, and Dianne Wilkerson. Elugardo was first elected to the State House in 2018 after defeating incumbent Jeffrey Sanchez. Elugardo is the sponsor for bills to create rent control, has filed legislation to help incarcerated individuals and to reduce recidivism, and more.
