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Health & Fitness

Progressive Massachusetts Members Overwhelmingly Vote to Endorse Jason Lewis

Lewis continues to gain support among key members of the Progressive community in the lead up to the March 4th special Democratic primary.

 Yesterday, Progressive Massachusetts announced that its members voted to endorse State Rep. Jason Lewis in the special Democratic primary to fill Katherine Clark’s seat.  Progressive Massachusetts is a statewide network focused on grassroots organizing for progressive change in Massachusetts.  They only endorse with a super-majority vote of their membership.  Lewis received “overwhelming” support in the process in order to earn the group’s endorsement.

Jason Lewis has clearly emerged as the progressive candidate in this special Senate primary, having earned the endorsements of almost all of the legislative “Progressive Caucus,” every key progressive organization and coalition in the state, and the vast majority of progressive local leaders across the district.  This creates a stark contrast between Lewis and his main opponent Chris Fallon who gained notoriety for supporting Scott Brown against Elizabeth Warren in the hotly contested 2012 Senate election.

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A current list of who has endorsed Lewis can be found at www.electjasonlewis.com/endorsements.

Lewis’s Campaign Manager, Suzanne Schlossberg, said that these kinds of coalitions are critical to run a successful campaign on a tight special election schedule.  “There’s not a lot of time for voters to figure out what’s at stake in a race like this, so having every progressive leader in Massachusetts who’s weighed in all saying that Jason Lewis is the clear progressive choice, makes it a lot easier,” she said.  “Jason has proved to be an effective progressive leader not just in words, but in deeds, and that’s why these leaders are joining with him now.”

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Progressive Massachusetts members cited Lewis’s progressive leadership in the House, and his focus on a strong grassroots campaign across the entire district as reasons for their endorsment.  “I'm very impressed with Jason's consistent outreach to various communities in Malden, which is an incredibly diverse city,” said one member.  “No candidate should ever take any group of voters for granted, and Jason is proving that he wants to earn every vote, even on his opponents' home turf.”

Thanking the members of Progressive Massachusetts, Lewis explained “As you know, what is at stake in this election is whether we will be successful in promoting our shared progressive values, and continuing to work on the issues that matter to us and to the prosperity of the Commonwealth. I've enjoyed working side by side with you in the past, and only with your help can we continue to be successful in this special Democratic primary."

Lewis currently serves as state representative for the 31st Middlesex District, including Stoneham and Winchester.  Lewis is the vice-chair of the Joint Committee on Public Health, and co-founded the legislature's Prevention for Health Caucus. He has led efforts in the legislature to improve the quality of healthcare for all and to ensure that all public schools receive adequate and equitable funding.

Lewis attended public schools, and received his undergraduate degree and MBA from Harvard. He and his wife Susan, a middle school science teacher, are the proud parents of two daughters, Sophie and Jessie. Before Lewis was elected state representative, he helped build two successful software companies, which created hundreds of high-tech, good-paying jobs.

The special Democratic primary for the 5th Middlesex State Senate seat will be held on March 4th, and the General Election will be held on April 1st. The senate district includes the cities and towns of Malden, Melrose, Reading, Stoneham, Wakefield, and parts of Winchester.

For more information about Jason Lewis please visit www.electjasonlewis.com

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