One week before the Massachusetts state primary on Sept. 1, Holyoke Mayor Alex Morse has picked up an endorsement by US Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez’s national political action committee “Courage to Change” in his run for US Congress.
“When AOC took on an entrenched incumbent, she changed the Democratic Party for the better,” Morse said in an Aug. 25 statement. “It would be an honor to serve alongside her in Congress to fight for progressive change that benefits working families.”
Morse’s reference to Ocasio-Cortez’s “entrenched incumbent” also refers to his own campaign to take US Rep. Richard E. Neals’ long-held seat in Congress. As The New York Times explains it:
The endorsement from Courage to Change, announced by Mr. Morse in a statement on Tuesday, gave a significant lift to his upstart campaign a week before what is expected to be a heated primary election that pits the Holyoke mayor against Neal, 71, who has been in Congress since 1989, the year Mr. Morse was born.
It was also a remarkable intervention by Ms. Ocasio-Cortez, the first-term progressive from New York who has become the face of the insurgent left, against one of her party’s most influential members. As chairman of the Ways and Means panel, which controls tax legislation and social safety net programs, Mr. Neal holds enormous sway over all manner of policy issues. He is the most prominent Democrat Ms. Ocasio-Cortez has sought to oust since taking office.
Ms. Ocasio-Cortez herself had no immediate comment on her decision to wade into the contest, a spokeswoman said on Tuesday, referring reporters to Mr. Morse’s campaign.
The endorsement came after a tumultuous few weeks for Mr. Morse, who considered dropping out of the race this month after accusations of “numerous incidents” of unwanted and inappropriate advances toward students at the University of Massachusetts, Amherst, where he was a guest lecturer.
Mr. Morse acknowledged some consensual relationships with students and apologized to anyone he had made uncomfortable with his behavior. But he opted to remain in the race after The Intercept published messages from some of the students who had lodged accusations, revealing that they had discussed how they might damage his campaign. One suggested the effort might help his career prospects with Mr. Neal, though Mr. Neal has denied any involvement.
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