When It Matters

Our country is at a crossroads. What happens in the coming months and years may well determine the kind of nation we hand on to the next generation of Americans, and whether the values, institutions, and ideals that define our nation are in decline or on the march.

This is a time that demands a commitment to standing up to President Trump’s assault on Massachusetts and our basic Democratic institutions. With Trump in office, we are in an all-out fight to protect our way of life and basic freedoms.

That's why I’m running for Congress against the 24-year incumbent representing my home district, Rep. Stephen Lynch. There’s nothing personal about this. I have a lot of respect for Lynch’s 31 years of public service; he’s been in office since I was 7 years old. But right now, we cannot afford to reelect politicians like Representative Lynch who have a record of caving to Trump and the extremists that preceded him.

For years, we’ve watched right-wing authoritarianism and the would-be fascism of the MAGA political movement take hold while some representatives stay on the sideline, failing to muster a genuine and credible opposition.

Effectively standing up to Trump is not about firing off press releases, or social media posts, or sternly worded letters. It’s not about suddenly becoming a believer in Trump resistance once a primary challenger has announced. It’s about where you stand on the actual issues. It’s about whether you have a record for sticking up for people and for values when it matters.

Congressman Lynch fails this test.

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Failing to Stand up for Due Process

Congressman Lynch cannot be trusted to stand up for basic freedoms under assault by the Trump Administration.

Exhibit A is the Congressman’s decision to vote for the Laken Riley Act. This is a Republican bill and the first piece of legislation that President Trump signed into law earlier this year. Not only does the bill weaken constitutional due process and undermine the American principle of “innocent until proven guilty,” it dramatically expands the government’s power to shut down legal immigration and detain people who are not convicted of any crime. Earlier this year, the ACLU warned in clear terms that “if passed, [the bill] will strengthen President-elect Trump’s hand in unleashing mass deportations on our communities.” And that is exactly what happened.

Congressman Lynch didn’t get it in January, and he still doesn’t. In June 2025, amidst the protests in Los Angeles and the arrest of US Senator Alex Padilla at an official press conference, he voted for a Congressional resolution “express[ing] gratitude” to ICE personnel for “protecting the homeland.” This is exactly the opposite of the kind of leadership we need in light of the Administration’s lawless deportation tactics.

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Failing to Stand up for Women’s Access to Healthcare

Congressman Lynch was a proud anti-choice politician for decades.

In 2001, he proclaimed: “I'm pro-life, and I'm proud of it.” His voting record, for decades, backed up that conviction. More recently, his statements have become less strident but more muddled. As of 2020, the Congressman could not articulate his own position with respect to the Hyde Amendment, which bans federal funds from being used for abortion care, despite the many years it's been considered while he’s been in office.

This is a shocking abdication of leadership. Access to basic reproductive healthcare and abortion for women is not a niche issue. It goes to basic concepts of autonomy and freedom. This is why access to reproductive rights, just like access to voting rights, has been under assault by Republicans nationwide.

At this moment we need unapologetically pro-choice leaders who are willing to fight Republican efforts to strip away reproductive care. That is what I am offering.

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Failing to Stand up for Good Affordable Healthcare

It’s hard to believe, but Congressman Lynch voted against the Affordable Care Act, or Obamacare.

On the most important piece of domestic legislation passed in recent decades – the signal accomplishment of President Obama’s two terms in office – Congressman Lynch voted “no.” Obamacare was a generational piece of democratic legislation. It is what protects individuals with preexisting conditions against discrimination by insurance companies, and is the sole statutory thread protecting millions of Americans from having their access to health care stripped away by the Trump Administration and its allies.

I’ve heard him make various excuses over the years for his “no” vote. At times, he has expressed that the bill was not “good enough” for his liking. That statement is ridiculous. The most strident progressive members of the Congress voted for the Affordable Care Act, of course. Senator Bernie Sanders voted for the Affordable Care Act. Democrats at the time needed every vote they could get to pass the bill over an exceptionally narrow legislative margin, and Congressman Lynch abandoned them in an hour of profound need.

The principal organizer behind the campaign to pass the legislation referred to Congressman Lynch’s no vote in the Boston Globe as “a profile in both moral and political cowardice.” I agree.

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The pattern is clear: Congressman Lynch cannot be trusted to serve as a leader in the movement opposing what Trump and the MAGA right are doing to this country.

His voting record speaks for itself. Congressman Lynch is not seriously and meaningfully committed to reversing the damage wrought by Trump.

This is the moment for big ideas and new leadership. We need bold action to help working families thrive - most importantly, by addressing the rising cost of living that is affecting people in Greater Boston and the South Shore.

We have seen what happens when elected officials go along while extremists consolidate power. Right now, we have a choice. We can continue with the status quo, or we can elect a new generation of leaders. I know where I stand.