By G. Michael Dobbs
HOLYOKE – It was a case of political déjà vu.
Holyoke Mayor Alex Morse recalled how some people said he was too young to run for mayor eight years ago and that he should wait his turn.
Now, some people are saying Morse should do the same in his announced race against Congressman Richard Neal, the long-time representative for Congressional District 1 and now the chair of the House Ways and Means Committee.
Morse, however, is undaunted by political common wisdom and has, as he did before, gathered supporters together – this time about 150 at the Unicorn Inn on High Street on July 22 – to announce a grassroots campaign over the next 14 months to unseat Neal.
Morse was first elected mayor of Holyoke in 2011 at age 22, becoming the city’s youngest mayor ever and its first openly gay mayor, and is now serving his fourth term. His election at the time garnered national attention.
Before the announcement, Morse told Reminder Publishing that he was responding to the “urgency of the moment,” adding “I’m not one to go by conventional wisdom.”
Morse said he believes western Massachusetts is a reflection of the nation as a whole in its make-up and challenges. He wants to “highlight the progress made in Holyoke,” which he believes serves as a “road map” for his campaign.
Reporter Stephanie Murray, writing on July 22 on Politico, said, “Taking on a powerful incumbent is tough, and Neal has plenty of money in the bank. The Springfield lawmaker has close to $4 million in cash on hand, according to campaign finance records. Morse’s campaign says it aims to raise upwards of $3 million to compete. Neal’s 2018 primary challenger, Springfield attorney Tahirah Amatul-Wadud, only raised $146,000 last cycle.”
When asked about this issue of campaign financing, Morse had a two-part response: “This campaign isn’t going to be won by who raises the most money.”
His second reaction is he will not take any PAC money, but will rely on individual donations made by supporters. Instead, he plans to mirror the approach he had to winning the Holyoke race eight years ago: old-fashioned door knocking and other grassroots approaches.
His primary campaign thrust is to “show up everywhere and listen to everybody,” he explained.
Morse said he will stump in all 87 communities in the district and plans to conduct 12 town hall meetings during the campaign. He said, “there is a common thread between these communities,” and cited issues such as education reform, climate change, economic development, among others.
One of those issues is the opioid addiction crisis, which he said affects all of the communities in the district — urban, suburban and rural. He asserted much progress has been made in Holyoke in dealing with the crisis.
His campaign press release emphasized that during his tenure “private investment at an all-time high, unemployment at a 25-year low, crime down 40 percent, and the high school graduation rate having increased from 49 percent when Morse took office to 72 percent today. He has also transformed city government, making it more open and accessible, and was one of the first mayors in the country to declare his city a sanctuary city for undocumented immigrants.”
A campaign aide confirmed that Morse will not resign from his position nor would he take a leave of absence during the campaign.
During his announcement, Morse showed a video that introduces his life and record. It stressed his working class roots in Holyoke.
“What we want to build is a movement where everyone is on level ground,” he said.
Morse admitted during his speech he was inspired by the wins recently across the country of progressive Democrats to the House.
While he did not criticize Neal, Morse did allude to statements about the congressman and the support he has received from PACs. “The only special interest I will have are the people of the First Congressional District,” he said.
The audience expressed enthusiasm about Morse and his candidacy, but the nature of the race against Neal was evident in only one Holyoke city official – City Councilor Gladys Lebron-Martinez – attending the kick-off.
Holyoke state Rep. Aaron Vega stated on Facebook, “In response to today’s news, I want to share some thoughts. Though it may seem challenging at times, we are fortunate to live in a democracy that’s thrived for hundreds of years. Elections are the bedrock of that democracy and it will be in the good hands of the people of the 1st Congressional District to decide who will represent us in the United States Congress. This is the democratic process in action. I have a strong working relationship with both Mayor Morse and Congressman Neal, and I wish them both well in the campaign ahead. My focus is on the work of being State Representative for the city of Holyoke. I’m working with my colleagues to address public school funding across the Commonwealth and for our own district. We will certainly be tackling the rising cost of health care and challenges with our transportation and infrastructure in this legislative session as well. We all have to earn the votes of our constituents by focusing on the work at hand.”
