Pressley offers fresh voice
In the race for the Democratic nomination for the Massachusetts 7th Congressional District, one candidate is looking to save his seat while the other intends to reinvent it.
Ayanna Pressley is a creative, dynamic, energized, motivated leader and is perfectly positioned, now, to represent the people of her district.
Pressley drew a line in the sand for the Massachusetts Democratic power structure and challenged the establishment to think differently.
“What this district deserves and what these times require is activist leadership,” Pressley said at a recent debate, “Someone who will be a movement and a coalition builder.”
She intends to take a regional approach to housing, health care, gun violence and economic issues, rather than merely rely on the fruits of national legislation to trickle back to the district.
Pressley lives in the community that has benefited the least from having the advantage of being in perhaps the bluest of the blue districts in the country. She feels that she is specially suited to represent the interests of the community — and identity is certainly part of the equation.
“Representation does matter,” she said, “That is not the impetus for my run, but I’m not going to pretend that representation doesn’t matter. But it doesn’t matter so we have progressive cred about how inclusive and representative we are. It matters because it informs the issues that are spotlighted and emphasized and it leads to more innovative and enduring solutions.”
Though her opponent, Mike Capuano, is a Somerville guy through and through, he has spent the past 20 years in Washington, D.C. Ayanna Pressley has been in her district and there is value in being rooted among the people she will represent.
She has all the #resist bona fides that one would expect of a progressive Democrat representing Massachusetts, but she is also sternly pragmatic and indicated she would work with President Trump on some issues, such as infrastructure and primarily criminal justice reform. “I can work with anyone in the name of progress,” she said.
Pressley has already demonstrated her leadership abilities by fearlessly challenging norms. In 2009, she was elected to the Boston City Council, making her the first black woman to do so.
Now, she is taking on the Democratic power structure by challenging an entrenched, 20-year incumbent. Capuano is a 10-term congressman who has lined up support from Mayor Martin J. Walsh, former Gov. Deval Patrick and U.S. Reps. Maxine Waters and John Lewis.
Pressley is not deterred, though, nor should she be. Her sheer determination and perseverance is serving her well. She has a major command of the issues and is able to think on her feet and proved so in the debates with her opponent.
She articulates her vision for the 7th District powerfully, with energy and conviction. But she does not intend to be measured just by her voting record but by big ideas. She doesn’t just want to vote, she wants to legislate.
Ayanna Pressley is such a powerful persona that her election would change the dynamic of the entire Massachusetts congressional delegation. She’d be an instant leader.
“I believe in the power of us and I have seen that finally we are understanding that we are one human family and our destinies are tied,” she told a recent debate audience.
Voters should be excited about the prospects of a Pressley victory. She noted that the district’s deep blue status meant that “We can be bold . ... We can be unrestrained, we can be innovative . ... We can be unencumbered.”
Make no mistake, Pressley’s campaign is not a vanity run and its utility is not symbolic, though she would be the first African-American woman to serve in the congressional delegation. For the energy and experience she would bring to the congressional delegation, we endorse Ayanna Pressley for Congress.