Becky Grossman: Candidate Profile 4th Congressional District

NEWTON, MA —Nearly a dozen candidates, including nine Democrats and two Republicans, are vying to represent the Massachusetts 4th Congressional District — which runs from Newton and parts of Brookline, Wellesley and Hopkinton and down to the South Coast — as Rep. Joe Kennedy leaves to challenge Sen. Ed Markey for his seat in the senate.

To get to know the candidates, Patch asked candidates to answer questions about their campaigns and will be publishing candidate profiles as election day draws near.

Among those running in the Democratic Primary Sept. 1, is Becky Grossman, 40, of Newton.

In 2010 Grossman moved to Newton, where she' and her husband Ben have raised their daughter Madeline, 9, and Jack, 6, alongside four generations of the family, including her children's great-grandmother who has lived in the city since 1946.

If her name sounds familiar beyond the fact that she has been an at large member of the Newton City Council since 2017, that's because her father-in-law is Grossman, former Massachusetts State Treasurer, former Democratic National Committee Chair, and former Massachusetts Democratic Party Chair.

Grossman has her bachelors in economics from Cornell University and JD and MBTA degrees from Harvard University.

Here's what Grossman had to say about running:

What politicians have inspired you and might you model your time in Congress after?

Representative Katherine Clark is a member of Congress who I truly admire. She demonstrates a tremendous amount of empathy and her leadership style is warm and approachable. Rep. Clark is also in touch with the needs of working families, establishing herself as a national leader in early childhood care and education. I would be honored to work alongside her in Congress.

How would you summarize your campaign in 3 words?

Mom. Progressive. Fighter.

The single most pressing issue facing our district is _______, and this is what I intend to do about it.

Economic inequality. From the north to the south, there’s a five times differential in annual median household income, and those communities who never fully recovered from the 2008 financial crisis have been the hardest hit by this crisis. We need to strengthen the interconnections between all parts of the district – literally in the case of transportation, but also with respect to planning and economic development. What’s necessary to make it happen is a Congresswoman with the vision to see the possibilities – and the federal funding to support them. If I’m so fortunate to be elected, I’m eager to join the Small Business Committee and I’m dedicated to assigning a member of my staff to prioritize bringing economic development, small business growth, and access to capital to the South Coast and the Gateway Cities.

What are the critical differences between you and the other candidates seeking this post?

What sets me apart from the field is the passion that I bring to the issues, and the lens through which I see all policymaking. I’m running for Congress with the fierce urgency of a mom who’s fed up by what’s going on in this country and determined to make change. Only 25 of 435 members of Congress are moms of school-aged children. And in a moment when working families (and especially working moms) are getting crushed by the pandemic, the child care industry is on the brink of collapse, the climate crisis intensifies every day, and gun violence continues to threatens our kids and our communities, it’s clear that we’re abdicating our responsibility to leave a better world for the next generation. I believe that if we had 100 or 200 moms in Congress, it would change the conversation in Washington completely.

In what way has the current officeholder failed the district? What will you do better?

Up until recently, Congressman Kennedy did not support marijuana legalization, and I wish he had been supportive of that effort earlier. The war on drugs has significantly and disproportionately impacted communities of color, which is why I was proud to support the legalization ballot initiative here in Massachusetts.

I support:

Green New Deal, Healthcare for all, Eliminating the filibuster, The 1619 Project in schools, Transgender troops in the military

I do not support:

Medicare for all

Repealing the second amendment

What should Congress do to help the economy?

The best thing we can do for the economy now is to suppress the virus, because we won’t be able to recover until everyone is safe and also feels safe. We must also take short-term measures to keep working families afloat, including restoring enhanced unemployment benefits, expanding SNAP benefits, distributing another round of stimulus checks, and providing financial relief to state and local governments. In the long-term, we need to act to remedy the deep inequities that this pandemic has laid bare. It’s time to recenter our priorities and build a more resilient economy that supports, rather than penalizes, working families, while also laying the groundwork for the clean energy future that we need. We should start by bailing out child care providers and then making significant investments to deliver quality, affordable child care for every family. Rebuilding the middle class, providing pathways to opportunity for those struggling to get into the middle class, tackling the racial wealth gap, and recovering equitably from this economic crisis all start with an affordable and accessible child care system. These investments should go hand-in-hand with complementary policies to bolster economic security for working families, such as paid family and medical leave. We should further mobilize our federal resources and put millions of people back to work by investing in infrastructure, public transit, and high-paying renewable energy jobs. By focusing on these areas, we can lift up working people and strengthen our economy while simultaneously tackling important climate goals.

Describe the other issues that define your campaign platform:

1. Taking on the NRA and finally tackling gun violence in this country. When my son Jack started kindergarten this year, like so many parents, I had to fumble my way to find the words to tell him how to run in a zig-zag pattern or find a quiet place to hide if a scary person with a gun were to show up at his school. That is not a conversation that any parent should need to have with their child or a fear that any child should have going to school. Gun violence has torn too many families and communities apart – and disproportionately communities of color – for too long and the NRA continues to threaten our kids' safety. That’s why I’ve campaigned on an aggressive gun violence reform platform, calling for restoring the assault weapons ban, implementing universal background checks, closing the gun show loophole, disarming domestic abusers, and establishing a national “red flag” law.

2. Fighting for an ambitious climate agenda. We’re hurtling toward a future where the everyday realities of climate change overshadow everything. The climate crisis has already arrived, and this pandemic in particular has highlighted how low-income communities and communities of color bear the brunt of the effects. Our planet is in peril and we need to finally get serious about fighting back. I believe that we must leverage our federal resources to reach carbon neutrality, to overhaul our transportation and infrastructure systems, and to uplift millions of Americans with good-paying jobs – all while prioritizing environmental justice for frontline, low-income, and minority communities.
3. Getting money out of politics. Progressives have many bold ideas that will set this country on a better path forward, but the corrosive influence of money in politics stands in the way. Whether it's Big Pharma indiscriminately jacking up prescription drug prices or Big Oil persuading the Trump Administration to roll back environmental regulations, we see a direct link between money and legislative outcomes that favor those who can buy influence. That’s why I support enacting H.R. 1, cracking down on the revolving door between public office and lobbying, and a constitutional amendment to overturn Citizens United.

What accomplishments would you cite as evidence you can handle this job?

I’m fortunate to have had a variety of career experiences and leadership roles across different sectors. I left my home in New Jersey to go to school at Cornell University, where I graduated Phi Beta Kappa and earned an Economics degree while serving as an elected student leader. Eventually, I moved to the Boston area to earn my joint JD and MBA degrees at Harvard Law School and Harvard Business School, both of which I graduated with honors.

From there, I’ve worked as an Assistant District Attorney, as Director of Operations on my father-in-law’s statewide campaign for Treasurer in Massachusetts, and since my election in 2017, as an At-Large City Councilor in Newton. Most recently, I was appointed Chair of the Council’s Finance Committee, a challenging role in which I recently steered the Council’s rigorous budget process. On the Council, I’ve been an unwavering advocate for affordable, transit-oriented development, local efforts to combat the climate emergency, and early childhood education.

The best advice ever shared with me was ...

“You have one mouth and two ears. Use them in that proportion.”

My favorite aspect of this district is...

One of my favorite features of the 4th District is that we are a hub for higher education. From Boston College, to liberal arts schools like Wellesley and Wheaton, to community colleges like Bristol and Mass Bay, to religious schools like Hebrew College in Newton, the 4th District offers such a wide range of accessible opportunities for our young people to pursue their passions and the paths that work best for them. I’m proud that our District is playing a significant role in developing the leaders of our future, and as Congresswoman I will be eager to partner with students and faculty at these tremendous institutions.

What else would you like voters to know about you and your positions?

I decided to run for the City Council just a few days after Donald Trump was elected. I saw his divisive and hateful campaign, and like many people, I thought that there was more that I could do to fight for our values. I feel that same motivation even more strongly today. The NRA continues to threaten our kids and our streets; our planet is in peril; drug companies are charging thousands of dollars for prescription drugs that people like my mom need to stay alive; and shortsighted leadership in Washington in response to COVID-19 has resulted in devastation for families across this country. I believe we have a responsibility to leave a better world for our kids –– that’s why I’m in this fight, and that’s the passion that I bring to this race and all of our most urgent challenges as a country.

Campaign website and social media:

Facebook @BeckyWalkerGrossman Twitter: @BeckyWGrossman

website: beckygrossman.com

Read more:

• Newton Candidate Profile 2019 : Becky Grossman for City Council
• Newton's Grossman Declares Run For Kennedy's Seat In Congress...
• Students Host Debate For 4th Congressional District

Other candidate profiles for the 4th Congressional District:

• Jesse Mermell
• Chris Zannetos
• Ihssane Leckey

Are you running for office in Brookline? Contact Jenna Fisher at Jenna.Fisher@patch.com for information on being featured in a candidate's profile and submitting campaign announcements to Brookline Patch.