Democratic Party Reform Is Long Overdue

On January 28, the chair of the Massachusetts Democratic Party, Steve Kerrigan, held a "listening session" for Democrats in the Seventh Congressional District. Below are my remarks to the chair:

The 2024 election results show that the Massachusetts Democratic Party is continuing to lose its connection to the working class. While Democrats’ margins in wealthy Boston suburbs like Newton and Wellesley receded by only five points or less, in Lowell, the decline was eleven points; in New Bedford, it was sixteen. In Lawrence, the swing toward Trump was a whopping thirty-one points. Worse, Trump won outright in Fall River, Westfield, Dracut, Tewksbury Middleborough and many smaller communities!

MassDems must respond to this trend with bold action, clear reforms, and a commitment to the priorities of working families. Our failure to do so will all but guarantee further erosion of support and eventually even more serious electoral losses.

A winning path forward requires revitalizing the party's infrastructure and building coalitions that can win bold solutions on jobs, housing and climate at the Statehouse. But for that to happen, our party must address the root causes of our decline.

Let's face it, we've grown far too reliant on corporate donors, consultants, and top-down strategies.

The 2025 MassDems convention is an opportunity to adopt a Reform Agenda that signals we are serious about restoring trust and rebuilding the party as a force for working people. The core of that reform message needs to start with the following:

• Banning dark money in our primaries and reject corporate money
• Investing in grassroots organizing
• Holding our elected officials accountable to our party's Progressive Platform

Massachusetts progressives have been calling on the party's leadership for these and other institutional changes for years. With the decline in support from working class voters (especially voters of color) in Massachusetts last November, the urgency is now undeniable.

Instead of viewing progressives as adversaries, it's time to recognize us as partners capable of reconnecting the party with the voters who have felt ignored.

The state convention will be the party's best opportunity to offer a real, working-class alternative—one rooted in bold economic policies, grassroots organizing, and a rejection of corporate influence.

Now is the time to seize this moment and work together for a Massachusetts Democratic Party that serves the people, not the powerful.

Rand Wilson is a member of the Somerville Ward 6 Democratic Committee and Our Revolution Massachusetts.