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Following Primary Results, Berkshire Politicians Reflect On Endorsements

A pale red headed man speaks into two mics
Josh Landes
/
WAMC
Congressman Joe Kennedy campaigning in Pittsfield in 2019.

After the Massachusetts primary, Berkshire County politicians are taking stock of their endorsements.

Making state electoral history, Congressman Joe Kennedy III became the first in his family to lose a race as his bid to unseat U.S. Senator Ed Markey in the Democratic primary fell short.

“My support of Joe was because I connected with Joe and I felt that he would show up in our community and that he would listen and he would fight for us," said Berkshire County District Attorney Andrea Harrington. She ran for office as a progressive on a reform platform in 2018 and was one of Kennedy’s biggest supporters in the state’s westernmost region.

“And also that he would be really effective in campaigning for other Senate Democrats across the country," continued Harrington. "He did that for congressional House candidates and helped to flip the House blue.”

Kennedy – who lost the election by almost 150,000 votes – performed woefully in largely rural Berkshire County, carrying just seven of its 32 municipalities. He fared better in urban centers like Springfield, Worcester, New Bedford and Lowell.

“Joe’s support was really with people who are not being served well right now by the status quo," said Harrington. "His support was with people who are more working class and communities of color, and the campaign’s focus was on getting those populations out to vote – and they just couldn’t build a big enough coalition to carry the day.”

Despite Kennedy’s loss, Harrington said she wasn’t unhappy with Markey continuing in office. She described him as a great progressive choice for the state and hailed the significance of contested primaries.

“I think that it makes our elected officials, including myself, more responsive to the community," said the DA. "It gets elected officials in particular to come out here to Berkshire County which can feel forgotten and left behind.”

Moving forward, Harrington says she hopes the state Democratic Party focuses more on economic and racial disparities in the commonwealth – as well as the divide between the Eastern and Western halves of the state.

“We have a lot fewer resources. We have people that are struggling. And for me, when we talk about public safety and we talk about who’s safe in our community, we have a very safe community for people like myself," said Harrington. "But there are the vulnerable people here, people that are struggling with mental illness and substance abuse disorder who are living on the margins. Those are people that are not safe, and we as Massachusetts and the Democratic Party really needs to be focusing on how we build health and safety for people that are not being served.”

Meanwhile, in the Democratic primary in the first House district, Holyoke Mayor Alex Morse lost to Congressman Richard Neal. Morse lost Pittsfield, Berkshire County’s largest community, by almost 2,000 votes despite having endorsements from 8 of 11 city councilors.

“You know, I think endorsements in general are just telling voters who you believe in and who you think may do the job. It’s up to the candidates to convince other people. You know, some people listen to your endorsements, other people don’t," said At-large councilor Pete White, who endorsed Kennedy and Morse. “You know, I’ve never put too much into endorsements. They are what they are. Sometimes they help – sometimes they’re not enough.”

Great Barrington, one of the few municipalities Morse carried, also backed Bernie Sanders’ presidential bid this year.

“There were no terrible candidates. It wasn’t like the general election," said selectboard member Ed Abrahams, who endorsed Morse. “Great Barrington, very Western Massachusetts, is looking for somebody different. We didn’t get it. But what we have, again, Richard Neal – there’s nothing wrong with him.”

In the November 3rd general election, Neal will run unopposed while Markey faces Republican Kevin O’Connor.

Josh Landes has been WAMC's Berkshire Bureau Chief since February 2018, following stints at WBGO Newark and WFMU East Orange. A passionate advocate for Western Massachusetts, Landes was raised in Pittsfield and attended Hampshire College in Amherst, receiving his bachelor's in Ethnomusicology and Radio Production. His free time is spent with his cat Harry, experimental electronic music, and exploring the woods.
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