The representative for the 1st District was asked about former President Donald Trump picking first-term Ohio Senator and “Hillbilly Elegy” author J.D. Vance as his running mate at this week’s Republican National Convention in Milwaukee.
“Yes, well, I read his book, and I'm disappointed that I read it," said Neal. "And that's not a partisan statement. When I read the book, I thought that it was great hope for some of the changes that might alter the manner in which we talk to each other in America, and I thought that he spoke to a certain grievance that we all had to take into consideration as part of the political lexicon. But then to see him collapse those ideas and ideals during the last couple of years is dismaying. I thought that he offered a fresh glimpse at one time, a pretty interesting experience that he had in life, hardscrabble. Many of us have experienced that, by the way. I know that that seems impossible for someone that he'd make that observation, but the two of us came to very different conclusions about how best to address it.”
Neal said he isn’t sure how necessary the pick was for the Republican Party’s efforts to lock down Ohio and its 17 electoral votes. Trump carried the state by 8% in the 2020 election.
“I mean, we're down to six states, probably really down to three states and one congressional district," he said. "And I don't think anybody would have thought that Ohio was in doubt.”
Asked about the weekend’s attempted assassination of Trump at a rally in Pennsylvania, Neal described the act as “an outrageous attempt on our democracy.”
“At the same time, I don't think it'll have much of an impact," he continued. "I think people will settle back to their previous views. I'm pretty amazed that despite all of the controversy that has taken place, this is still a very close presidential race, and I think that, as we examine it, it's because there are so few people in American democracy now that are undecided. I mean, I think that probably 92% of the American people six months ago had decided. That number's not shifting. I mean, there are so few persuadables left in our political system.”
Neal was asked if he’s continuing to back President Joe Biden’s re-election campaign after a series of disastrous media appearances starting with his first debate with Trump in June.
“So, I think that it's up to Joe Biden to decide," he answered. "It's up to him. I've been a friend of his for a long period of time. I'm going to say this too, if I can- He's done a really good job. I mean, the Inflation Reduction Act, I wrote that legislation in the Ways and Means Committee. How about the infrastructure bill? How about the CHIPS act? How about the Butch Lewis Act? I mean, it's astounding what's happened. And for people that are interested in environmental science, what's in that Inflation Reduction Act is unparalleled in the history of the world- $412 billion worth of tax credits to help us take the transition to renewable energy.”
Turning to his own re-election bid, WAMC asked Neal – first elected in 1988 – to respond to criticism from his opponent, Independent Nadia Milleron of Sheffield, that he represents corporate interests in Washington.
“I think that the career that I've had has been marked by achievement upon achievement upon achievement, and I think that voters have sided with me in a lot of elections, and my sense is that we intend to vigorously continue to pursue the reelect," the candidate responded. "So, I’m not surprised that you might hear that criticism, but at the same time, I don't think the evidence supports it. I think it's fair to say the Teamsters union and the AFL-CIO, they'll come down on my side.”
As reported by Sludge, Neal’s campaign was the most heavily reliant of any in the House on corporate donations in 2019, taking in $1.4 million from political action committees or PACs attached to corporations and business interests. At the time, he served as chair of the influential Ways and Means Committee, which writes the tax code.
In the second half of 2021, Neal’s leadership PAC – the Madison PAC, which the candidate can use to donate to fellow Democrats – raised a record $418,000 in donations, overwhelmingly from corporations and business trade associations, which accounted for 85% of the total.
According to campaign contribution analysis nonprofit OpenSecrets, the campaign committee for Neal’s current bid is overwhelmingly supported by PACs – over 73% – and large individual contributions – 22%. Small individual contributions of less than $200 make up just 0.07% of the total.
Of the roughly $2.5 million raised by both his 2023 and 2024 campaign committee and leadership PAC, corporate donations include $355,000 from individuals and PACs related to the insurance industry, over $206,000 from the real estate industry, over $205,000 from the health professionals industry, and more than $180,000 from the securities and investments industry.
In combined PACs and individual donors, asset management titan Fidelity Investments – which handles $4.9 trillion in assets around the world – is Neal’s largest contributor with over $34,000. The second largest in collected donations is Rock Holdings, the parent company of mortgage lending giant Rocket Mortgage, with over $33,000. Health insurance behemoth Blue Cross/Blue Shield is in third with over $26,000.
“I think it speaks to the interests of the people of Massachusetts," said Neal. "I think that I've had a broad swath of support from people from all walks of life. I've been a pro-growth Democrat, and I think that the work we've done time and again is quite indicative of the support that has been engendered to me on election days.”
WAMC asked Neal, who has not held a town hall meeting with constituents in the Berkshires since 2017, if he plans to hold one before the vote.
“Sure, we've done that in the past," he responded. "And I think as a campaign goes on, we'll have a chance to ascertain that as well.”
The general election is November 5th.
