Here are my endorsements and commentary about the Boston, MA Democratic primary election on September 1, 2026. I focus here on contested races in my districts, i.e., MA-7, Governor’s Council District 3, and State Senate Suffolk and Middlesex.
U.S. Senate: Ed Markey
Ed Markey has been a regular disappointment since Trump’s second inauguration for not doing enough to oppose the administration. However, at least his heart is in the right place.
In contrast, Seth Moulton is a transphobic asshole and a quintessential “centrist” whose positions shift from day to day for political expediency. If you don’t believe me you’re welcome to read up on him yourself.
Both of our choices in this race are poor, but Moulton is much worse.
Governor’s Council: Margie Palladino
Palladino’s opponent, the incumbent Mara Dolan, has been endorsed by the State Police Association of Massachusetts and the Boston Police Patrolmen’s Association. These are automatic disqualifiers.
And then there’s this, from Palladino’s website:
A Governor’s Council vote on April 1, 2026, underscored the importance of having Governor’s Councillors who remain independent, accountable, and responsive to the people they represent—not only during a campaign, but throughout their entire term of service. During the 2024 campaign for Governor’s Council District 3, a candidate (my opponent) promised domestic violence survivors that protecting survivors and their children would be a priority if elected. After winning the election with the help of the survivors, she voted on April 1, 2026, to confirm a judicial nominee despite serious concerns raised by domestic violence survivors and advocates. For those survivors who had relied on my opponent’s promise, her vote was deeply disappointing.
State Senate: Daniel Lander
Will Brownsberger has done a huge amount of important work during his time as my State Senator. I am grateful for his service and for all he has accomplished. However, as his seniority and power have increased, he has backed away from the true progressivism for which I supported him, culminating in opposing unionization for the Massachusetts Legislature’s staff.
Daniel Lander supports unionization of the legislature’s staff and holds many other deeply progressive positions. He is on the right side of history in this moment. He is also endorsed by Mayor Michelle Wu and Senator Elizabeth Warren.
It’s time for new, progressive leadership in Massachusetts and across the country. Daniel is part of that movement and deserves our support.
August 20, 2026 update to Daniel Lander endorsement
In the spirit of full transparency I feel I must share the following email which I just sent to Daniel Lander:
Hi Daniel,
As you know from my post on Mastodon which was bridged to Bluesky where you replied to it, I intend to vote for you in the primary and have been encouraging others to do so as well.
Having said that, I must take issue with one of the criticisms you levied against Will Brownsberger in the postcard which I received today: “Was paid $20,000 a year to chair a phantom legislative committee”. This is obnoxious and inaccurate and makes me have doubts about the credibility and integrity of your campaign.
First of all, the word “phantom” appears nowhere in the cited Globe article. Using that word in your attack and then citing a Globe article which doesn’t use it is inflammatory, deceptive, and kind of slimy.
Second, the Globe article is a hit piece, and I’m kind of embarrassed that you’re perpetuating the hit. The quote from Brownsberger in the Globe article is 100% accurate: not all committees submit legislation every year, and planning for the census is an ongoing process that happens throughout the years between censuses, especially with Trump doing his best to corrupt the census like everything else. And finally, part of the job of the chairs of these committees is to keep up-to-date and informed about the committee’s domain and decide whether and when hearings and legislation are needed; this is, in fact, why the chairs are paid extra stipends, in compensation for doing exactly this work.
In additon, note that Brownsberger’s census committee has held hearings since the Globe hit piece was published. See, for example.
If you can’t criticize your opponent without resorting to tactics like this, then I question whether you deserve to replace him.
I hope you will take this feedback under advisement.
Regards,
Jonathan Kamens
I sent the email above in response to this postcard which I received today from the Lander campaign:
Suffolk District Attorney: Linda Champion
I am endorsing Linda Champion both because she is a great candidate for the position, and also because all the other candidates in this race are terrible candidates with a lot of baggage. It’s time for a clean sweep to new leadership here as in other races.
Rachael Rollins, in particular, is a crooked, dishonest actor who should be living a life of shameful introspection in a cave, not running for office again just a few years after she was forced to resign due to corrupt conduct as U.S. Attorney [ref].
