N2N-MA works on behalf of candidates for elected office who have been endorsed by a statewide committee of activists and volunteers. Here are the stories of our most significant elections.

2007 Elections

Jim O’Day
In a hard-fought race, N2N-MA went head-to-head with the Worcester political establishment and stunned the pundits by electing underdog Jim O’Day as the next State Representative for the 14th Worcester District. While the entire political machine endorsed a local official, we got behind Jim O’Day, a social worker, a member of SEIU’s executive board, and someone we can count on to fight for working families. In N2N-MA’s precincts, Jim O’Day got 90% of the vote! This proved, once again, that low-income voters in the district’s largest public housing developments are a significant voting bloc, capable of having a decisive impact in the outcome of local elections. In the end, with added support from other voters throughout the district, Jim won his 3-way primary with 41% of the vote.

2006 Elections

Willie Mae Allen
With N2N-MA’s backing, Willie Mae Allen won her race for State Representative in Dorchester/Mattapan with 52% of the vote. N2N-MA designed her campaign plan and had a full-time organizer working on her election, emphasizing the importance of volunteer recruitment and face-to-face voter contact. Willie Mae, with 38 years experience as a community activist, will be a strong voice for all progressive causes and we are excited to have her leadership in the State House.

Steve D’Amico
When conservative Phil Travis resigned from his seat, Mass Alliance, the statewide progressive alliance housed at N2N-MA, seized the opportunity to replace one of the state’s most right-wing representatives with progressive Steve D’Amico. Steve, a lifelong organizer and community activist from Seekonk, won his election thanks to the help of Mass Alliance and its member groups, led by our sister organization, the Coalition Social Justice. They organized door-to-door canvasses, ran phone banks, and helped design his message and direct mail campaign. In the end, Steve won his primary by 408 votes.

2005 Elections

Linda Dorcena Forry
N2N-MA played a critical role in the election of Linda Dorcena Forry, a Haitian-American woman who replaced Tom Finneran as State Representative for Dorchester, Mattapan, and Milton. We sat on her Steering Committee and helped to coordinate her phone banks and door-to-door canvasses. Volunteers from N2N-MA and the Coalition for Social Justice made more than 5,000 phone calls and sent district-wide mailings about her positions on affordable housing and health care. In the end, Linda won a five-way race by a landslide, defeating her next closest challenger – a conservative – by nearly two to one.

Pat Jehlen
N2N-MA was part of a major effort to get one of our most progressive State Representatives - Pat Jehlen - elected to the State Senate. We made 1,000 calls to voters, created a district-wide mail piece, recruited dozens of volunteers, and ran an Election Day phone bank to get out the vote. Political pundits predicted a close election but Jehlen won her primary by over 2000 votes.

2004 Elections

Carl Sciortino
With N2N-MA’s backing, Carl Sciortino defeated 16-year Somerville incumbent and Taxation Committee Vice-Chair, Vinnie Ciampa, by less than 100 votes. N2N-MA’s electoral organizing went head-to-head with the best Speaker Finneran could muster for Ciampa, his highest priority lieutenant to defend. And we won – thanks to a highly-organized coalition of activists fighting for fair taxes and equal marriage.

John Keenan
N2N-MA’s support of John Keenan’s campaign ended ultra-conservative Mike Ruane’s 30-year reign as State Representative in Salem. In 2002, N2N-MA activist Heather Pickard rattled Ruane with a 42% showing. And, in 2003, Lucy Corchado, another N2N-MA volunteer, defeated Ruane’s aide for City Council. Encouraged by the strength of those campaigns, progressive John Keenan announced that he would run against Ruane. And, Ruane – intimidated by the challenge – resigned. Instead, he backed his aide and At-Large City Councilor Joan Lovely, who became the favorite to win the race. But John ended up getting 60% of the vote, winning his largest margin of victory in the Point neighborhood, N2N-MA’s power base in Salem.

Ed Augustus
Ed Augustus, Congressman Jim McGovern’s former chief of staff, won the open State Senate seat previously held by conservative Guy Glodis in Worcester. The election became a rematch of the 1996 McGovern vs. Blute campaign for Congress, as Ed defeated Robi Blute, the right-wing former-Congressman’s wife, by a wide margin. Ed’s victory gives Worcester the most progressive representation of any big city in Massachusetts!

Jen Flanagan
With N2N-MA’s help, Jen Flanagan of Leominster won her Democratic primary by 800 votes and went on to win the general election by a large margin. It is a huge political gain to have a Democrat who is responsive to low-income communities represent this swing district.

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2003 Elections

Lucy Corchado
The 2003 elections were historic for N2N-MA – we elected our first volunteer leader to public office. Lucy Corchado, a low-income Latina and longtime N2N-MA activist, won a seat on the City Council in Salem. Over 50 volunteers got involved with the campaign, electing her with 60% of the vote over the legislative aide of conservative State Representative Mike Ruane. Lucy is the first district councilor to come out of the Point, the predominantly Latino neighborhood in Salem where we organize.

2002 Elections

Thomas McGee
A special election for State Senate in March of 2002 allowed us to significantly expand our organizing in Lynn while supporting progressive State Representative Tom McGee for Senate. We carried out Voter Empowerment Campaigns in three of the lowest-income precincts in the city and involved over 30 low-income volunteers in the campaign. This led to disproportionately high turnout in our precincts relative to others in the city. We also helped manage his district-wide voter contact program. Our support for Tom McGee helped him defeat his opponent 76% to 24%.

Heather Pickard
Heather Pickard, an N2N-MA activist and low-income single mother from Salem, ran for State Representative against Mike Ruane, a 28-year incumbent with the worst Democratic voting record on progressive issues. While she did not win the election, Heather was the overwhelmingly favorite in precincts with high low-income & Latino populations. Voters in these areas turned out in record numbers and proved that they do pay attention and vote for candidates who will represent their interests on Beacon Hill. As a single mother and former welfare recipient who had never run for public office before, Heather sent a message to the State House that cannot be ignored.

David Sullivan
David Sullivan, a State Representative from Fall River, took a particularly courageous stance when he led the fight to prevent the demolition of Watuppa Heights public housing. His willingness to stand alone for the lowest-income families in the city made him particularly vulnerable to opponents in his re-election campaign. N2N-MA’s Southeastern Massachusetts affiliate, the Coalition for Social Justice, led the fight to protect his seat, resulting in his re-election with nearly 60% of the vote.

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2000 Elections

Jim Leary
Our most significant election in 2000 was the defeat of conservative State Representative Bill McManus in Worcester. McManus, close to both Governor Cellucci and House Speaker Tom Finneran, stormed out of a public meeting with constituents in Great Brook Valley public housing, announcing: “I don’t care who you people vote for.” Progressive Jim Leary challenged McManus for the seat. N2N-MA mobilized Worcester’s largest public housing developments to support Leary. We also organized his field campaign – door knocking, calling and mailing every voter in the district three times by Election Day. As a result, Leary won with 71% of the vote. This was the biggest margin of victory against a member of House Leadership in state history.

Bob Spellane
This same year, progressive housing activist Bob Spellane was also elected to an open seat for State Representative in Worcester. Spellane had a tight 4-way race with another progressive and two conservative candidates. N2N-MA formed a broad coalition of labor unions and community groups to unite behind Spellane. This grassroots organizing and our intensive voter turnout campaign prevented a spoiler situation where a right-wing candidate could have won the narrowly-decided race.

1996 Elections

Jim McGovern & John Tierney
Our voter turnout efforts in 1996 helped to un-elect Republican Congressmen Peter Blute & Peter Torkildsen. They were replaced with liberal Democrats Jim McGovern & John Tierney, giving Massachusetts one of the most progressive Congressional delegations in the country. In both districts, our year-long campaigns to build low-income and working class enthusiasm for the issues at stake in the election led to impressive increases in voter turnout. As a result, McGovern won a surprise landslide victory and newly-registered voters from Lynn’s low-income housing developments accounted for more than double Tierney’s margin of victory.

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