In a major upset in one of the most progressive congressional districts in the country, Boston City Councilor Ayanna Pressley is beating longtime incumbent Mike Capuano, WGBH reports.
Pressley, who has no Republican opposition, will become the first woman of color to represent Massachusetts in Congress.
Her victory in the Seventh District means that perennial candidate Althea Garrison will become an at-large city councilor because she came in fifth in the 2017 city elections.
Capuano had been in Congress for 20 years.
In contrast to the Seventh District, Steve Lynch is coasting to victory in the Eighth over game designer Brianna Wu and some other guy.
Unlike Pressley, Boston City Councilor Josh Zakim won't be moving up - he lost, pretty convincingly, to incumbent Secretary of State Bill Galvin.
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Comments
Oh really
By SwirlyGrrl
Wed, 09/05/2018 - 9:56am
You get to tell people whether they were raped or not?
Who the fuck do you think you are to be able to decree these things on your own?
Rape is a huge problem in this country - for men and women. Of course, that gets back to all those nasty statistics and other factual reality thingies that you are fundamentally unable to grok.
Sorry, but whining white male snowflake feels are no basis for a system of government!
Non-existent rape epidemic?
By anon
Wed, 09/05/2018 - 10:14am
Non-existent rape epidemic? Really? I know you may not like them but there are actual facts regarding the raping of women in this country and it is a fucking epidemic whether you believe it or not. You and your uniformed ilk ARE the problem.
I'd say talk to the women in your life but i have a feeling they wouldn't be honest with you b/c you probably agree with the whole "just lay back and enjoy it" thinking.
Better watch out, I'm about to
By Roman
Wed, 09/05/2018 - 4:48pm
lay down a link to The Atlantic to bolster my point here. Last time I did that, my comment was removed.
https://www.theatlantic.com/ideas/archive/2018/09/...
Hey Roman?
By lbb
Wed, 09/05/2018 - 10:15am
Hey Roman?
You're not normal.
HTH, HAND.
"...but this coasts v middle
By dmcboston
Wed, 09/05/2018 - 12:01am
"...but this coasts v middle America/ far left and extreme right is very unhealthy."
There are youtube videos of left/right clashes in Portland and Seattle practically every weekend. Someone's gonna lose an eye. Maybe just rent a stadium and let them go at it until it's over, then the rest of us can go on with our lives.
Problem with the whole concept of coast v middle is that it simply isn't that cut and dry, geographically.
I can't rule out #1 happening. How bad it gets is anyone's guess. Tax revenues this year are apparently up a bit on the federal level. Spending? Not so good.
There is no plan B beyond the dollar.
The only thing that gives me hope is the fact that all my life, someone was preaching doom and gloom...1978...inflation seemed locked in at 12%. We beat that, stabilized the dollar. Hopefully we learned something from 2008.
Actually revenues are down
By Stevil
Wed, 09/05/2018 - 12:48am
Every month in 2018 except January because they hadn't adjusted witholding tables and April when people were paying 2017 taxes with their returns.
The other 5 months through July are down.
As you note, spending is through the roof.
Not that this won't end well. This can't end well.
not a huge lurch to the left
By Chris Jones
Wed, 09/05/2018 - 2:08pm
I don't understand how you think this is a HUGE lurch to the left. If you watched the debates there weren't dramatic differences in the policies Pressley and Capuano espoused (probably the one that generated the most comment was Pressley advocating abolishing ICE while Capuano said he would work to reform it).
Ayanna
By Bugs Bunny
Tue, 09/04/2018 - 9:52pm
Congrats to her. Like Trump you have to respect her campaign and victory, she got the votes.
Yep, but ...
By adamg
Tue, 09/04/2018 - 9:54pm
Unlike Trump, she got the votes.
He got them where it counted
By Waquiot
Tue, 09/04/2018 - 10:02pm
Those would be Electoral College votes.
Yes, I know how the system works
By adamg
Tue, 09/04/2018 - 10:06pm
But let's not forget Dear Leader keeps saying he really won the popular vote, too, and, no, he didn't.
It's so weird that we still have that
By Michael
Wed, 09/05/2018 - 9:20am
Imagine if we learned that some other country that thought of itself as a democracy declared that Candidate A, even though they got many more votes, lost an election because Candidate B did better in the backwards rural provinces. I think we'd make fun of that country.
Exactly
By SwirlyGrrl
Wed, 09/05/2018 - 9:58am
We would also make fun of them if Candidate A, midway through their term, was still whining and braying about having *really* won all the votes!
That's backwater banana republic shit.
Actually
By Waquiot
Wed, 09/05/2018 - 9:59am
There are several other countries that elect their head of government by single seat constituencies, meaning what has happened in the US a few times has happened. Interestingly, more mocking comes with those proportional systems where there is never a majority and far right parties get to flourish (watch the Swedish elections)
What happens in the US is that candidates that take the “backwards rural provinces†for granted lose. And I’m sure the people of Michigan, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin appreciate your characterization of their states.
I'm not worried
By Michael
Wed, 09/05/2018 - 10:12am
If there's one thing I know about rural Trump supporters, it's that they're definitely not delicate snowflakes who need safe spaces from having their feelings hurt
Haaaaahahaha
By lbb
Wed, 09/05/2018 - 11:13am
You don't actually know many rural Trump supporters, do you?
Sarcasm
By SwirlyGrrl
Wed, 09/05/2018 - 11:21am
I think it was sarcasm.
[img=350x400]https://meme.xyz/uploads/posts/t/l-33298-unlike-u-...
FEW Democracies Elect the Chief Executive by Popular Vote
By Aeroguy
Wed, 09/05/2018 - 10:26am
Very few.
Most democracies have a parliamentary system.
The Chief Executive is somewhat similar the U.S. Speaker of House. He/She is selected by the party with the most seats in the lower chamber.
The 'popular vote' is irrelevant. Usually, it's not even tallied.
The U.K., Germany, Israel and Canada are among the many such countries.
Two alleged democracies have a popularly elected Chief Executive -- France and Russia.
In both, HRC would not have won. There would have been a runoff election.
The Chief Executive must receive a Majority, not a plurality (which HRC did).
Trump received a Majority of the Electoral College, 306 of 538.
That's a Constitutional requirement.
Finally, there might not be a United States without the Electoral College. The EC was the compromise that enticed smaller states to join in forming the U.S.
That can be changed by Constitutional Amendment. But not by complaining.
Whatever you feel or type ,
By anon
Thu, 09/06/2018 - 7:54am
Whatever you feel or type , he is the President. There are people out there , more than one , that don't disregard his views , and at the same time , disregard yours!
Cool about Pressley.
By ZachAndTired
Tue, 09/04/2018 - 10:06pm
Cool about Pressley.
Bummer about Lynch. I can't fathom how that guy wins Democratic primaries. He's a Republican running with a D next to his name.
Hehe
By Roman
Tue, 09/04/2018 - 10:17pm
If it weren't for the strength of machine politics in this state then you'd see something a lot closer to 50/50 numbers in the state house and Senate than the apparent blue blowout you think you have now. Hell if I were to get into politics, I might change my affiliation and run the Democrat primary just to have half a chance.
Uh-huh
By JohnAKeith
Tue, 09/04/2018 - 10:46pm
People like you never run for office.
There were twice as many
By dano
Wed, 09/05/2018 - 9:10am
There were twice as many Democratic primary votes as Republican votes cast in the primaries for governor last night. Republicans don't even bother to run candidates for half of statewide races here. You can't chalk either of those up to Democratic "machine politics".
Your imaginary close-to-50/50 split is in reality due to self-selection bias and the echo-chamber effect (both of which we're all guilty of, from time to time).
I don't think "machine politics" is the issue
By SwirlyGrrl
Wed, 09/05/2018 - 11:29am
Republicans have "machine politics", too - but it doesn't work unless you have solid numbers of voters to put through those machines.
In MA, the GOP doesn't have those numbers. Take a look at the MA House, which has geographically small districts. More GOP representation than the senate, perhaps, but still small numbers overall.
Check this out: even if the districts were bizarrely contorted to favor republicans, we would likely have at most 2 US Reps. Even though they are highly competitive, only one district has better than even odds of going red: https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/redistricting...
Of course, strong GOP candidates can draw solid numbers of democrats in this state under the right conditions.
Maybe the GOP machine needs to start cloning Martha Coakley?
Machine politics - in the Republican party?
By fungwah
Wed, 09/05/2018 - 12:16pm
Can you explain how this machine is preventing these Republican candidates from even getting their names on the ballot? Because every time I go to vote, there's a ton of uncontested spots with only Democrats running - if there's actually close to 50/50 Democrats and Republicans in the state, you'd think a few of them would bother to register as candidates.
Not that hard to fathom
By Waquiot
Tue, 09/04/2018 - 10:39pm
If you know the district.
Since, well, you can't fathom it, here's the district in a nutshell. It is full of "Reagan Democrats" who haven't fully morphed into Trump Democrats yet. Lynch fits that bill. Back in 2001, someone (perhaps some whose name rhymes with fakes) leaked an old arrest record that befell Lynch in 1980. It seemed that there were some protesters that were supporting the Iranian Revolution. Young Stephen took offense, what with 52 Americans being held by the revolutionaries in Tehran at the time, and got a bit physical. A less astute politician put this out, thinking that it would hurt Lynch. In the end, it helped him.
The average voter in Weymouth is very different than the average voter in Somerville. That's why, in my view, assuming the district boundaries stay relatively stable, Lynch's greatest threat in the next few cycles is not a fellow Democrat but a Republican who can channel John McCain.
that district though
By Parkwayne
Tue, 09/04/2018 - 10:49pm
any change it will get redrawn in 2020? Sure, it might lose a seat to the GOP but for the health of the country, we need to move away from partisan gerrymanders of ALL varieties. I'll give be fine with making that one competitive to a Charlie Baker republican for basic moral/ethical reasons.
Well, you're living in the state...
By dmcboston
Wed, 09/05/2018 - 12:04am
...that [i]invented[/i] the gerrymander.
Lynch never challenged
By Mark-
Wed, 09/05/2018 - 12:15am
Lynch won the first time by splitting the liberal vote. He has never, never had a serious challenge since.
Brianna Wu seemed like she might be capable of that, and she certainly had everything going for her, but somehow she managed to fade into obscurity months before the election. I checked out her webpage a couple of weeks ago, and it hadn’t been updated since spring. Plus, her identity as some kind of Gamergate victim probably left most voters in the district scratching their heads.
A campaigner like Ayanna Pressley would have tossed Lynch a lot more easily than Capuano. This district is not all that conservative.
Some Other Guy ...
By Aeroguy
Wed, 09/05/2018 - 6:56am
Christopher Voehl, from Milton and a UPS?
He never really mounted a campaign.
http://www.patriotledger.com/news/20180129/milton-...
what a ridiculous statement
By anon
Wed, 09/05/2018 - 4:39pm
"some kind of"??
way to sneak in a little discrediting-of-a-victim, bro. proud of yourself?
the attacks made on her by the gamergate criminals were well documented and she was one of the central figures of that whole gross episode.
I just spoke to Althea, she is vey happy for Ayanna
By kevinmccrea
Tue, 09/04/2018 - 10:14pm
Althea hadn't received the definitive news until I relayed it to her.. She has been out campaigning with Ayanna and Maura Healey and has been spreading the word with her people to vote for Ayanna as well.
I think objective people who give Althea a chance are going to be impressed by her hard work and honest attitude about public service.
Please give her a chance to show what she can do!
Omg, I had forgotten about this
By Dot net
Wed, 09/05/2018 - 12:15am
https://www.dotnews.com/2018/althea-garrison-back-...
I guess we’ll being seeing a lot more of Althea. I am dying to see how such a lovabley weird maverick indie-conservative shakes things up around here. Not that I have ever voted for her, but she’s an everywoman that is concerned about T fares and her neighborhood.
Really?
By eekanotloggedin
Wed, 09/05/2018 - 9:14am
Exactly how much of a chance should I give a transgender woman who is adamantly against LGBT rights?
Hold her accountable
By SwirlyGrrl
Wed, 09/05/2018 - 10:03am
Call her office regularly and have others call her office regularly. Demand constituent services and attention. Ask tough questions. If she cold shoulders you, make sure social media knows about it. You know the drill. If she wants to do the job she wanted to have for so long, well, she needs to pay attention.
Give is the real news...
By Marco
Tue, 09/04/2018 - 10:45pm
Is Stephen Murphy continuing his free ride on the MA taxpayer train or what?
Yes
By adamg
Wed, 09/05/2018 - 7:28am
Murphy won.
DAMMIT
By Marco
Wed, 09/05/2018 - 8:51am
That guy needs to teach a class or write a book. I want in on his scam!
God Bless Councilor-elect Althea Garrison
By O-FISH-L
Wed, 09/05/2018 - 3:01am
---
History tonight as we elect the first African-American woman to Congress in MA and the first African American transgender Republican (not sure if she still is) to the City Council. I don't know Ayanna but Althea was pro-life and pro-traditional marriage when she served as a Republican in the House of Representatives. Disparaging Althea as a "perennial candidate" on this site is laughable as she has now served (once sworn in) in the House and the Council and holds many college degrees.
If Capuano has any class (let's get bloody in the streets?) he will resign tomorrow and allow Pressley to take her seat and gain the extra three month seniority instead of waiting until January. It would help her on committee assignments, better office space and the like. Then Althea could be sworn right in to the Council.
That’s...not how it works. If
By JeanneM
Wed, 09/05/2018 - 7:55am
That’s...not how it works. If Capuano were to resign today Pressley would not automatically get his seat. Because she doesn’t have his seat yet. Granted it is a formality at this point, but she still has to win the general election in November. All that would happen in your scenario is an empty seat in Congress for four months.
god bless
By SwirlyGrrl
Wed, 09/05/2018 - 2:45pm
I'm not sure why you keep braying that here.
Paraphrasing Jesus: God bless EVERYONE!
Not just select people that Fishy likes or wants to demean in some way.
Garrison gets her due and that is a good thing. She has put in the work and her ship is now coming in. We call it "participatory democracy" for a reason - if you don't participate, you can't be elected.
p.s. unless you are her doctor or intimate partner, her gender identity is none of your business.
Althea Gibson?
By Rob
Wed, 09/05/2018 - 10:21am
Althea Gibson?
:-)
FAULT!!!
"No, ma'am. Mayor Daly does not eat here. Mayor Daly is dead, ma'am."
Don't feel too bad about the Freudian typo - I was commenting somewhere yesterday about Liz Miranda and ended up posting "Liz Walker"
OOPS!
By SwirlyGrrl
Wed, 09/05/2018 - 2:46pm
Nice catch - corrected!
Records Management practices of deficient Council Central Staff?
By theszak
Wed, 09/05/2018 - 6:03am
[b]Records Management practices[/b] corrupted by deficient Council Central Staff at Boston City Council might have another chance for improvement with the new City Councilor.
a) [b]Roll Call Votes data[/b] isn't online sortable by Topic,
b) [b]Map with Names of Bordering Streets clearly indicated[/b] between adjacent neighboring Districts isn't online for folks nearby Bordering Streets, for upcoming Redistricting. Bad current maps obscure Names of Bordering Streets.
c) [b]Stenographic Record public funded[/b] for Council Public Meetings, a more accurate document than inaccurate video captions is hidden from deaf folks, hidden from all folks.
There is this new record keeping software called
By bulgingbuick
Wed, 09/05/2018 - 8:56am
Omarosa. It records all kinds of shit.
I wonder what could have been
By SwirlyGrrl
Wed, 09/05/2018 - 9:16am
So much amazing political experience and intellectual firepower in the 3rd that it still hasn't been called.
Too bad some of the relative newcomers to that area couldn't have moved to Hingham instead of Concord. Lynch might have had to break a sweat. It would have been good for him.
Spending
By adamg
Wed, 09/05/2018 - 9:26am
Dudebros outside the district
By adamg
Wed, 09/05/2018 - 9:27am
I dunno
By SC from JP
Wed, 09/05/2018 - 9:44am
It seems fairly clear being a woman and/or POC is, in fact, an asset in this cycle. They're winning a ton of Dem primaries.
That's not to say that Pressley (and her fellow-travelers like AOC) didn't put in the work, or that it's not an extremely impressive achievement to knock off a popular incumbent.
But there really wasn't much policy space between Pressley and Capuano. You're left with representation/identity, and some difference in political style. It's not a value judgment... I don't actually think there's anything wrong with that.
Yes, and ...
By SwirlyGrrl
Wed, 09/05/2018 - 10:39am
She worked for some pretty big name politicos and was a city councilor and had been recognized as "up and coming" and "person to watch" etc. But butthurt dudebros aren't known for actually looking at such things.
What should be looked at is the degree of gerrymandering in this district and MA 9, too. The population gradients don't account for the degree of wandering.
Here's an exploration of various ways that districts could be redrawn for different purposes. The interesting thing is that none of these ways end up with a very high likelihood that MA would elect a republican US rep - but many look much better than the current brainstem-shaped mess that is the 8th. https://projects.fivethirtyeight.com/redistricting...
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