The Massachusetts Democratic Party (MassDems) is the affiliate of the
Democratic Party in the Commonwealth of
Massachusetts. It is chaired by Gus Bickford.
It is currently the dominant party in the state, controlling all nine of Massachusetts'
U.S. House seats, both
U.S. Senate seats, and has supermajorities in both houses of the
state legislature
A state legislature is a legislative branch or body of a political subdivision in a federal system.
Two federations literally use the term "state legislature":
* The legislative branches of each of the fifty state governments of the United Sta ...
. The only statewide offices that the party does not control are the
governorship and the
lieutenant governorship, which are currently held by
Republicans
Republican can refer to:
Political ideology
* An advocate of a republic, a type of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is usually associated with the rule of law.
** Republicanism, the ideology in support of republics or agains ...
Charlie Baker and
Karyn Polito respectively.
As a result of the
2022 elections
The following elections are scheduled to occur in 2022. The National Democratic Institute also maintains a calendar of elections around the world.
* 2022 United Nations Security Council election
* 2022 national electoral calendar
* 2022 local e ...
, the party will retake full control of state government in 2023, with governor-elect
Maura Healey and lieutenant governor-elect
Kim Driscoll succeeding Baker and Polito.
Overview
Headquartered in
Boston, Massachusetts, the Massachusetts Democratic State Committee is responsible for publicizing the platform of the Massachusetts Democratic Party, the state affiliate of the United States Democratic Party. According to the party charter, the State Committee is charged with conducting state-level
campaigns
Campaign or The Campaign may refer to:
Types of campaigns
* Campaign, in agriculture, the period during which sugar beets are harvested and processed
*Advertising campaign, a series of advertisement messages that share a single idea and theme
*Bl ...
for the Democratic Party, coordinating efforts to fill vacancies in nominating candidates to
state and
congressional
A congress is a formal meeting of the representatives of different countries, constituent states, organizations, trade unions, political parties, or other groups. The term originated in Late Middle English to denote an encounter (meeting of ...
offices, and creating and disseminating information regarding official Democratic Party policies and
positions. The Committee also engages in
fundraising
Fundraising or fund-raising is the process of seeking and gathering voluntary financial contributions by engaging individuals, businesses, charitable foundations, or governmental agencies. Although fundraising typically refers to efforts to gathe ...
initiatives to support its operations, and coordinates local
caucus
A caucus is a meeting of supporters or members of a specific political party or movement. The exact definition varies between different countries and political cultures.
The term originated in the United States, where it can refer to a meeting ...
es and the Democratic State Conventions.
The State Committee comprises 160 elected members, and add-on and ex officio seats, all of whom must be registered Democrats. Current officers include Gus Bickford, Chairman; Debra Kozikowski, Vice-Chair; Leon Brathwaite, Vice-Chair; Carol Aloisi, Secretary; Kathleen Gasperine, Treasurer;
Thomas McGee, Chair Emeritus; and Veronica Martinez, Executive Director. Non-officers include two men and two women from each state senatorial district,
Democratic National Committee
The Democratic National Committee (DNC) is the governing body of the United States Democratic Party. The committee coordinates strategy to support Democratic Party candidates throughout the country for local, state, and national office, as well a ...
members from Massachusetts, and roughly 120 additional committee members comprising various underrepresented minority groups, including
veterans,
gay and lesbian
' is an initialism that stands for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender. In use since the 1990s, the initialism, as well as some of its common variants, functions as an umbrella term for sexuality and gender identity.
The LGBT term is an ...
citizens, and
college-aged youth representatives. Democratic statewide officers, Governor's Councilors, US Representatives and Senators, and the top Democrat in each chamber of the state legislature are ex officio members. Any person who has served for twenty years on the state committee remains a member so long as that person remains registered as a Democrat in Massachusetts.
Eighty of the State Committee members (one of each gender per Senate district) must be elected through presidential primary ballots. The other 80 (one of each gender per Senate district) are elected at Senate district conferences by local town and ward committee members. All State Committee members serve four-year terms. There are numerou
subcommitteesare of the Massachusetts Democratic State Committee, including the Affirmative Action and Outreach Committee, the By-Laws Committee, the Campaign Services Committee, the Charter Amendments Committee, the Communications Committee, the Credentials Committee, the Disability Outreach Committee, the Field Services Committee, the Finance Committee, the LGBT Outreach Committee, the Labor Outreach Committee, the Massachusetts Democratic Latino Caucus Committee, the Public Policy Committee, the Rules Committee, the Rural Committee, the Internship-Scholarship Committee, the Senior Outreach Committee, the Site Selection Committee, the State Judicial Council Committee, the Veterans and Military Families Outreach Committee, the Women's Outreach Committee, and the Youth Services Committee. Subcommittees are chaired by State Committee members.
Affirmative Action Outreach Co-Chairs: Dylan Hayre, Dorothea Jones, Nadeem Mazen
By-Laws Co-Chairs: Jim DiTullio, Teresa Walsh
Campaign Services Co-Chairs: Joe Kaplan, Amanda Smith
Charter Amendments Co-Chairs: Sandi Bagley, Bryan Barash
Communications Co-Chiars: Elaine Almquist, John Bowes
Credentials Co-Chairs: Carol Aloisi, Alana Murphy, Steve Owens
Disability Outreach Co-Chairs: Cheryl Cummings, David Perelman
Field Services Co-Chairs: Jason Palitsch, Karen Payne
JFK Scholarship Co-Chairs: Brenda Braithwaite, Charlotte Golar-Ritchie
Judicial Council: Roger Lau
Labor Outreach Co-Chairs: Ed Collins, Cathy Dwyer
Latino Caucus Co-Chairs: Marcia Cruz Redding, Juan Lopez
LGBT Co-Chairs: Steve Driscoll, Tyler Carlton, Holly Ryan
Personnel Co-Chairs: Andrea Cabral, Mark DiSalvo
Public Policy Co-Chairs: Ralph Edwards, Jamie Eldridge, Martina Jackson, Ann Roosevelt
Resolutions Co-Chairs: Alex Pratt, Marianne Rutter
Resource Development Co-Chairs: Tom Holloway, Nicole LaChapelle
Rules: Bill Eddy
Rural Issues Co-Chairs: Lee Harrison, Lisa Mosczynski
Senior Outreach Co-Chairs: Russ Ashton, Allyne Pecevich
Site Selection Co-Chairs: Sally Rizzo, Ron Valerio
Veterans & Military Families Co-Chairs: Chuck Battle, Christine Tron
Women's Outreach Co-Chairs: Linda Dorcena Forry, Norma Shulman, Megan Costello
Youth Services Co-Chairs: Jeremy Comeau, Alicia Delvento
History
The Massachusetts Democratic Party and the National Democratic Party trace their roots to the latter half of the 18th century, when politicians forged alliances based on common national interests. In 1792,
Thomas Jefferson founded the
Democratic-Republican Party, commonly referred to as the "party of the common man." Jefferson's new party was adamantly opposed to what it saw as the
Federalist Party
The Federalist Party was a Conservatism in the United States, conservative political party which was the first political party in the United States. As such, under Alexander Hamilton, it dominated the national government from 1789 to 1801.
De ...
's elitist agenda. Jefferson served two consecutive terms as the first Democratic Republican
President of the United States beginning in 1800.
James Madison, another Democratic-Republican, succeeded Jefferson in 1808, followed by fellow party member
James Monroe in 1812.
The national party was briefly divided during the election of
John Quincy Adams in 1824, in which four Democratic candidates ran for office.
Andrew Jackson assumed the leadership of the party following this period, and reunified its constituents. Jackson defined the party's platform and established the Democratic National Convention as a means of organizing and implementing the party's agenda on a national scale.
With consecutive presidential victories in 1828 and 1832, Jackson succeeded in solidifying the Democratic-Republicans as a powerful national political party. The name was simplified to the Democratic Party at the Democratic National Convention of 1844.
Massachusetts was dominated during the early 19th century by the
Federalist Party
The Federalist Party was a Conservatism in the United States, conservative political party which was the first political party in the United States. As such, under Alexander Hamilton, it dominated the national government from 1789 to 1801.
De ...
. The Federalist position was strengthened when
Maine, a Democratic-Republican stronghold, achieved statehood in 1820. The Democratic Party in Massachusetts was lacking in well-organized structure and strong leadership for much of the post-Jackson 19th century. Individual factions, including rural groups, immigrants, and factory workers, made up the party rank and file, but were unable to organize effectively to compete with first the
Whigs and, after the
American Civil War period, the Republicans. They rarely gained control over the legislature, and only one governor (
William Russell) served more than two consecutive one-year terms.
As the 19th century was ending, the party found a new strength in an old ideal. The Democrats' long-held suspicions of
aristocrat
The aristocracy is historically associated with "hereditary" or "ruling" social class. In many states, the aristocracy included the upper class of people (aristocrats) with hereditary rank and titles. In some, such as ancient Greece, ancient Ro ...
ic leaders and the wealthy
elite
In political and sociological theory, the elite (french: élite, from la, eligere, to select or to sort out) are a small group of powerful people who hold a disproportionate amount of wealth, privilege, political power, or skill in a group. D ...
struck a chord with
immigrant
Immigration is the international movement of people to a destination country of which they are not natives or where they do not possess citizenship in order to settle as permanent residents or naturalized citizens. Commuters, tourists, and ...
s and
working class citizens during the first half of the 19th century.
Irish Americans gained a measure of organizational power in the party beginning late in the 19th century, but it was not until the 1920s that the Irish, along with other immigrant groups and working-class interests, were able to forge a strong party structure that united their interests and consistently produced electable leadership. By the mid-20th century, the party was successfully contending with Republicans for all major state offices, and had by the 1970s achieved its present dominant position in the state legislature.
20th and 21st centuries
Despite numerous Republicans elected as governor, the Democratic Party was at the forefront of Massachusetts politics for much of the 20th century. Massachusetts Democrats, from
John F. Kennedy to
Deval Patrick
Deval Laurdine Patrick (born July 31, 1956) is an American politician, civil rights lawyer, author, and businessman who served as the 71st governor of Massachusetts from 2007 to 2015. He was first elected in 2006, succeeding Mitt Romney, who ...
, have played a prominent role in advancing the party's agenda and prominence on a local and national scale. The state's strength as a Democratic stronghold is such that it has not voted for a Republican for president since
1984
Events
January
* January 1 – The Bornean Sultanate of Brunei gains full independence from the United Kingdom, having become a British protectorate in 1888.
* January 7 – Brunei becomes the sixth member of the Association of Southeast A ...
, when
Ronald Reagan
Ronald Wilson Reagan ( ; February 6, 1911June 5, 2004) was an American politician, actor, and union leader who served as the 40th president of the United States from 1981 to 1989. He also served as the 33rd governor of California from 1967 ...
was reelected.
The 2006 elections solidified the Democratic Party's dominance in Massachusetts, when
Deval Patrick
Deval Laurdine Patrick (born July 31, 1956) is an American politician, civil rights lawyer, author, and businessman who served as the 71st governor of Massachusetts from 2007 to 2015. He was first elected in 2006, succeeding Mitt Romney, who ...
became the first Democratic governor in 16 years. It was moderated in 2014 with the election of Republican
Charlie Baker as governor. Currently, every
Congressional delegate from Massachusetts is a Democrat. Democrats also occupy all constitutional offices in the Commonwealth's state government other than the governor and lieutenant governor (held by Republicans Baker and
Karyn Polito), including Attorney General
Maura Healey, Auditor
Suzanne Bump
Suzanne M. Bump (born February 18, 1956) is the current Massachusetts State Auditor, the first woman elected to this role in the state's history. She is a former State Representative and state Secretary of Labor and Workforce Development.
Early ...
, Secretary of State
William F. Galvin
William Francis Galvin (born ) is an American politician who serves as the 27th Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth.
Early life
Galvin was born and raised in the Brighton neighborhood of Boston. He was taught by the Christian Brother ...
, and Treasurer
Deb Goldberg. The party holds
super-majorities in both the state House of Representatives and the state Senate.
Current elected officials
Members of Congress
U.S. Senate
Democrats have controlled both of Massachusetts's seats in the
U.S. Senate since
2012
File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...
:
File:Elizabeth Warren--2016 Official Portrait--(cropped).jpg, Senior U.S. Senator
File:Edward Markey, official portrait, 114th Congress.jpg, Junior U.S. Senator
U.S. House of Representatives
Out of the nine seats Massachusetts is apportioned in the
U.S. House of Representatives, all nine are held by Democrats:
Statewide offices
Democrats control four of the six elected statewide offices:
*
Secretary of Commonwealth:
William F. Galvin
William Francis Galvin (born ) is an American politician who serves as the 27th Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth.
Early life
Galvin was born and raised in the Brighton neighborhood of Boston. He was taught by the Christian Brother ...
*
Attorney General
In most common law jurisdictions, the attorney general or attorney-general (sometimes abbreviated AG or Atty.-Gen) is the main legal advisor to the government. The plural is attorneys general.
In some jurisdictions, attorneys general also have exec ...
:
Maura Healey
*
Treasurer:
Deb Goldberg
*
Auditor:
Suzanne M. Bump
State legislature
* Senate
**
Current senators
**
Senate President:
Karen Spilka (
2nd Middlesex and Norfolk)
**Senate Majority Leader:
Cynthia Stone Creem
Cynthia Stone Creem (born September 17, 1942) is an American politician serving in the Massachusetts Senate. She represents the 1st Middlesex and Norfolk district, which includes Newton (her hometown), Brookline and parts of Wellesley. She is a ...
(
1st Middlesex and Norfolk)
* House
**
Current representatives
**
House Speaker
The speaker of a deliberative assembly, especially a legislative body, is its presiding officer, or the chair. The title was first used in 1377 in England.
Usage
The title was first recorded in 1377 to describe the role of Thomas de Hungerfo ...
:
Ronald Mariano (
3rd Norfolk)
**House Majority Leader:
Claire D. Cronin
Claire D. Cronin (born January 29, 1960) is an American attorney, politician, and diplomat who currently serves as the United States Ambassador to Ireland. She previously served as a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives from the ...
(
11th Plymouth)
Mayoral offices
Some of the state's major cities have Democratic mayors, though they are officially elected on a non-partisan basis. As of 2021, Democrats control the mayor's offices in eight of Massachusetts's ten largest cities:
*
Boston (1):
Michelle Wu
*
Worcester (2):
Joseph Petty
*
Springfield
Springfield may refer to:
* Springfield (toponym), the place name in general
Places and locations Australia
* Springfield, New South Wales (Central Coast)
* Springfield, New South Wales (Snowy Monaro Regional Council)
* Springfield, Queenslan ...
(3):
Domenic Sarno
Domenic J. Sarno (born May 4, 1963) is the current mayor of Springfield, Massachusetts. First elected in 2007, Sarno has won re-election five times since and is a member of the Democratic Party. Winning election to a fifth term overall in 2019 an ...
*
Cambridge (4):
Sumbul Siddiqui
Sumbul Siddiqui (born 1988) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the 77th mayor of Cambridge, Massachusetts. Siddiqui was elected mayor in 2020 by the Cambridge City Council, after serving in the body for 3 years. She succeeded Marc C ...
*
Brockton (6): Robert F. Sullivan
*
New Bedford
New Bedford (Massachusett: ) is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts. It is located on the Acushnet River in what is known as the South Coast region. Up through the 17th century, the area was the territory of the Wampanoag Native American pe ...
(7): Jon Mitchell
*
Lynn
Lynn may refer to:
People and fictional characters
* Lynn (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters
* Lynn (surname)
* The Lynns, a 1990s American country music duo consisting of twin sisters Peggy and Patsy Lynn
* Lynn ( ...
(9):
Jared Nicholson
Jared is a given name of Biblical derivation.
Origin
In the Book of Genesis, the biblical patriarch Jared (יֶרֶד) was the sixth in the ten pre-flood generations between Adam and Noah; he was the son of Mahalaleel and the father of Enoch ...
*
Fall River
Fall River is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. The City of Fall River's population was 94,000 at the 2020 United States Census, making it the tenth-largest city in the state.
Located along the eastern shore of Mount H ...
(10): Paul Coogan
Past elected officials
U.S. Presidents
*
John F. Kennedy (1961–63)
U.S. Senators
*
Robert Rantoul Jr.
Robert Rantoul Jr. (August 13, 1805August 7, 1852) was an American lawyer and politician from Massachusetts.
Rantoul was a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives (1835–1839), the commission to revise the laws of Massachusetts, an ...
(1851)
*
David I. Walsh
David Ignatius Walsh (November 11, 1872June 11, 1947) was an American politician from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. A member of the Democratic Party, he served as the 46th Governor of Massachusetts before serving several terms in the Unite ...
(1919–25, 1926–47)
*
Marcus Coolidge (1931–37)
*
John F. Kennedy (1953–60)
*
Benjamin A. Smith II
Benjamin Atwood Smith II (March 26, 1916 – September 26, 1991) was an American politician who served as a member of the United States Senate from December 1960 until November 1962.
Early life and education
Smith, who was named for his grandfat ...
(1960–62)
*
Ted Kennedy (1962–2009)
*
Paul Tsongas
Paul Efthemios Tsongas (; February 14, 1941 – January 18, 1997) was an American politician who represented Massachusetts in the United States Senate from 1979 until 1985 and in the United States House of Representatives from 1975 until 197 ...
(1979–85)
*
John Kerry (1985–2013)
*
Paul G. Kirk (2009–10)
*
Mo Cowan
William Maurice Cowan (born April 4, 1969) is an American lawyer who served as a United States Senator from Massachusetts from February 1, 2013, to July 16, 2013. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously served as legal counsel and chief ...
(2013)
U.S. Representatives
before 1874
1875–1899
1900–1924
1925–1949
1950–1974
1975–1999
Governors
State legislature
Speakers of the House
President of the Senate
Other statewide offices
Attorney General
Treasurer
Secretary of the Commonwealth
Auditor
List of party chairpersons
See also
*
Massachusetts Republican Party
*
Political party strength in Massachusetts
*
2020 Massachusetts general election
The 2020 Massachusetts general election was held on November 3, 2020, throughout Massachusetts. Primary elections were held on September 1, 2020.
At the federal level, all nine seats in the United States House of Representatives were conteste ...
References
Notes
Further reading
*Abrams, Richard M. ''Conservatism in a Progressive Era: Massachusetts Politics 1900-1912''. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 1964
*Brown, Richard D. ''Massachusetts: A Bicentennial History''. New York: W.W. Norton & Company, Inc., 1978
*Darling, Arthur B. ''Jacksonian Democracy in Massachusetts''. The American Historical Review, Vol. 29, No.2. (Jan, 1924), pp. 271–287
*
Gamm, Gerald H. ''The Making of the New Deal Democrats: Voting Behavior and Realignment in Boston, 1920-1940''. Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1989
*Goodman, Paul. ''The Democratic-Republicans of Massachusetts: Politics in a Young Republic''. Cambridge, Massachusetts: Harvard University Press, 1964
*Hennessy, Michael E. ''Four Decades of Massachusetts Politics: 1890-1935''. Norwood, Mass.: The Norwood Press, 1935
*Merriam, C.E. ''State Central Committees: A Study of Party Organization''. Political Science Quarterly, Vol. 19, No. 2. (June, 1904), pp. 224–233.
*Robinson, William A. ''Jeffersonian Democracy in New England''. New Haven, Conn.: Yale University Press, 1916.
External links
Massachusetts Democratic PartyCollege Democrats of Massachusetts (CDM)Young Democrats of MassachusettsProgressive Democrats of Massachusetts
{{MassachusettsPoliticalParties
Massachusetts
Democratic Party