MassEquality announces first round of 2010 endorsements
0The MassEquality Political Action Committee (PAC) announced its first round of endorsements for this year's legislative elections on Wednesday, June 30.
"Nearly half of the seats in the Massachusetts state legislature are in play and it is critical that we elect pro-equality lawmakers to maintain our 151 super-majority in the state legislature in order to defend against anti-marriage equality ballot initiatives," Dee Dee Edmondson, Political Director of MassEquality and Chair of the PAC, said in a prepared statement. "We are also only endorsing candidates who have pledged their support for the Transgender Civil Rights Bill, which will extend employment, housing, education, credit, and hate crimes protections to transgender residents of Massachusetts."
The announcement marks the first round of the PAC's endorsements. Other candidates, incumbents, and challengers may receive endorsements throughout the summer. General election endorsements from MassEquality PAC will follow the Sept. 14 primary elections.
The list of pro-equality incumbents that MassEquality PAC has so far endorsed is as follows:
House of Representatives: Rep. Demetrius Atsalis, 2nd Barnstable; Rep. Matthew C. Patrick, 3rd Barnstable; Rep. Sarah Peake, 4th Barnstable; Rep. David Sullivan, 6th Bristol; Rep. Lori Ehrlich, 8th Essex; Rep. Rosemary Sandlin, 3rd Hampden; Rep. Pam Richardson, 6th Middlesex; Rep. Cory Atkins, 14th Middlesex; Rep. Stephen Stat Smith, 28th Middlesex; Rep. Carl Sciortino, 34th Middlesex; Rep. Anne M. Gobi, 5th Worcester; Rep. Geraldo Alicea, 6th Worcester; Rep. Harold P. Naughton, Jr., 12th Worcester; Rep. Jen Benson, 37th Middlesex; Rep. Cleon Turner, 1st Barnstable; Rep. Will Brownsberger, 24th Middlesex; Rep. Steve D'Amico, 4th Bristol; Rep. Brian Ashe, 2nd Hampden; Rep. Ellen Story, 3rd Hampshire; Rep. Jason Lewis, 31st Middlesex; Rep. Jeffrey S�nchez, 15th Suffolk; Rep. Kate Hogan, 3rd Middlesex; Rep. Mark Falzone, 9th Essex; Rep. Martha M. Walz, 8th Suffolk; Rep. Peter J. Koutoujian, 10th Middlesex; Rep. Ruth Balser, 12th Middlesex; Rep. Bill Bowles, 2nd Bristol; Rep. Theodore Speliotis, 13th Essex; Rep. John H. Rogers, 12th Norfolk; Rep. Garrett J. Bradley, 3rd Plymouth; Rep. Tom Sannicandro, 7th Middlesex; Rep. William M. Straus, 10th Bristol.
Massachusetts Senate: Sen. Cynthia Stone Creem, 1st Middlesex and Norfolk; Sen. Susan C. Fargo, 3rd Middlesex; Sen. Sonia Chang-D�az, 2nd Suffolk; Sen. Jamie Eldridge, Middlesex and Worcester; Sen. Harriette L. Chandler, 1st Worcester; Sen. Brian Joyce, Norfolk, Bristol, and Plymouth; Sen. Karen Spilka, 2nd Middlesex and Norfolk; Sen. Patricia D. Jehlen, 2nd Middlesex; Sen. Anthony Petruccelli, 1st Suffolk and Middlesex; Sen. Thomas M. McGee, 3rd Essex and Middlesex.
Candidates for open seats: Rep. Katherine Clark, open seat for the Middlesex and Essex Senate seat.
For more information, please visit www.massequality.org.