Ayanna Pressley | |
|---|---|
 Official portrait, 2021 | |
| Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromMassachusetts's7th district | |
| Assumed office January 3, 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Mike Capuano |
| Member of theBoston City Council at-large | |
| In office January 4, 2010 – January 3, 2019 | |
| Preceded by | Michael F. Flaherty Sam Yoon |
| Succeeded by | Althea Garrison |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Ayanna Soyini Pressley (1974-02-03)February 3, 1974 (age 51) Cincinnati,Ohio, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | |
| Children | 1 stepdaughter |
| Signature |  |
| Website | House website Campaign website |
Ayanna Soyini Pressley (born February 3, 1974) is an American politician who has served as theU.S. representative forMassachusetts's 7th congressional district since 2019. This district, which was once represented byPresidentJohn F. Kennedy andHouse SpeakerTip O'Neill, includes the northern three quarters ofBoston, most ofCambridge, parts ofMilton, as well as all ofChelsea,Everett,Randolph, andSomerville.[1]
Pressley served as an at-large member of theBoston City Council from 2010 through 2019. She was elected to the United States House of Representatives in 2018 after she defeated the ten-term incumbentMike Capuano in theDemocraticprimary election for Massachusetts's 7th congressional district and ran unopposed inthe general election.[2] Pressley was the first black woman elected to the Boston City Council and the first black woman elected to Congress from Massachusetts.[3][4] Pressley is a member of "The Squad", an informal group ofprogressive Congress members.
Pressley was born inCincinnati,Ohio,[5] and raised inChicago,Illinois. Her father, Martin Terrell, struggled with addiction and was incarcerated throughout Pressley's childhood,[6] but eventually earned multiple degrees and taught at the college level.[7] Her mother, Sandra Pressley (née Echols),[8] worked multiple jobs to support the family and also worked as acommunity organizer for theChicago Urban League advocating for tenants' rights.[9] The marriage ended in divorce.[8]Pressley grew up on the north side of Chicago[7] and attendedFrancis W. Parker School,[10] where she was a cheerleader, did modeling andvoice-over work, appeared inPlanned Parenthood bus advertisements, and was acompetitive debater. During her senior year of high school, she was voted the "most likely to be mayor of Chicago" and was thecommencement speaker for her class.[11]
Pressley's mother later moved toBrooklyn, where she worked as an executive assistant and remarried.[8] When Pressley was elected to the Boston City Council, her mother would often attend the public meetings, wearing a hat that said "Mama Pressley".[8]
From 1992 to 1994, Pressley attended theCollege of General Studies atBoston University, before leaving school to take a full-time job at the Boston Marriott Copley Place to support her mother, who had lost her job. She took further courses atBoston University Metropolitan College.[9][11]
Pressley has publicly recounted having been a survivor of a "near decade ofchildhood sexual abuse".[12][13] She has also publicly recounted surviving asexual assault on the campus of Boston University while a student there.[14]
After leaving Boston University Metropolitan College, Pressley worked as a district representative forRepresentativeJoseph P. Kennedy II (D−MA), for whom she had interned during college.[9] She became Kennedy's scheduler, then worked as constituency director, before becoming the political director and senior aide forSenatorJohn Kerry[7] (D-Mass.) In 2009, Pressley served as Kerry's political director.[15]
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Pressley was first elected to the Boston City Council inNovember 2009. Upon being sworn in on January 4, 2010, she was the firstwoman of color to serve in the 100-year history of the Boston City Council.[3][16]
Pressley placed a strong focus on women's and children's issues.[17] Pressley founded the Committee on Healthy Women, Families, and Communities, which addresses issues such asdomestic violence,child abuse, andhuman trafficking. She worked collaboratively with community members to develop acomprehensive sex education and health curriculum which was implemented inBoston Public Schools.[18]
In June 2014, the Boston City Council unanimously passed an ordinance Pressley coauthored with CouncilorMichelle Wu, which prohibits its city government "from contracting with any health insurer that denies coverage or 'discriminates in the amount of premium, policy fees, or rates charged...because ofgender identity or expression". This ordinance guaranteed healthcare (includinggender reassignment surgery,hormone therapy, andmental health services) totransgender city employees and their dependents. Pressley declared, "We can't be a world-class city if anyone is made to feel like a second-class citizen."[19][20]
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Pressley worked on the issue ofliquor licenses in the city.[21] The ultimate product of Pressley's push was the passage of state legislation in 2014 granting Boston the authority to distribute 75 additional liquor licenses over three years, with the aim of distributing them to less advantaged neighborhoods to increase economic activity in those neighborhoods. However,The Boston Globe's Meghan Irons observed that an unintentional impact of this was that, "it created uneven competition. It left out certain neighborhoods. It allowed businesses that were already established to get the licenses."[21] Nevertheless, in 2018,The New York Times called Pressley's work on the matter a "major accomplishment".[22] To remedy the shortfalls, Pressley worked with Mayor Walsh to further expand the number of new available liquor licenses.[21] In 2017, Pressley and Mayor Walsh unveiled a proposal to increase the number of liquor licenses in the city by 152 over three years, with the majority of licenses being granted to underserved communities.[23]
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In 2017, the Council passed the Equity in City of Boston Contracts Ordinance, which was sponsored by Pressley and Councilor Michelle Wu. It required that the city create a supplier diversity program to conduct outreach to female and minority-owned businesses in regards to the city's contracting process. It also required the city to actively solicit bids from at least one female-owned business and one minority-owned business for contracts under $50,000. It also created a quarterly reporting requirement for the city.[24]
According to Erin O'Brien, a political science professor atUniversity of Massachusetts Boston, Pressley did not have the reputation for being controversial or an outsider during her time on the City Council.[25] O'Brien, in 2018, observed that the city's "old guard" viewed Pressley as a "showboat" but that, "in manycommunities of color, she is viewed as incredibly exciting and voicing issues the council has ignored."[22]
In the Boston City Council election ofNovember 2011, Pressley finished first among at-large candidates with 37,000 votes. She led in 13 of the city's 22 wards and finished second in three others. Pressley won Boston's communities of color and many progressive neighborhoods. In all, she placed first in more than half of Boston's 22 wards.[26] Pressley placed first ticket again inNovember 2013 andNovember 2015, and placed second inNovember 2017 behind only Michelle Wu.[27][28][29]
While on the Boston City Council, Pressley was one of the first notable Massachusetts politicians to endorseElizabeth Warren's successful campaign inMassachusetts' 2012 U.S. Senate election. Pressley would later endorseWarren's 2020 presidential campaign.[30]
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In January 2018, Pressley announced her challenge to incumbent United States RepresentativeMichael Capuano in the 2018 Democratic primary nomination for theMassachusetts's 7th congressional district.[31] With aCook Partisan Voting Index of D+34, the 7th is by far the most Democratic district in New England. No Republican even filed, though any Republican would have faced very long odds given the district's heavy Democratic bent. The GOP has only nominated a candidate in this district five times since longtime SpeakerTip O'Neill retired in 1986, and had last done so in 1998.
The 7th district is traditionally Democratic and is the state's only district where the majority of residents are not white. Capuano received endorsements from civil rights veteran and U.S. RepresentativeJohn Lewis of Georgia as well as U.S. RepresentativeMaxine Waters of California.[32]
For years before she challenged him, Pressley had been speculated as a likely top contender to succeed Capuano if he were to retire.[33]
Pressley was endorsed by the editorial boards of bothThe Boston Globe[34] and theBoston Herald[35] as well as a local chapter of the hotel and electrical worker union.[36] Grassroots movements includingDemocracy for America,Brand New Congress and theJustice Democrats supported Pressley.[37] She received the endorsements of former Massachusetts Democratic Party chairJohn E. Walsh,[38] Massachusetts Attorney GeneralMaura Healey,[6] formerNewton mayorSetti Warren[39] and Boston city councilorMichelle Wu.[40] The nomination win inNew York's 14th congressional district ofAlexandria Ocasio-Cortez over long-time representativeJoseph Crowley increased the visibility of Pressley's campaign.[41][42] While some political commentators distinguished Pressley's campaign from the one of Ocasio-Cortez as Capuano was understood to have one of the most progressive records in Congress, the incumbents both represented districts in which the majority of voters are not white.[43]
Like Capuano, Pressley campaigned as a staunch progressive, acknowledging that her voting record would likely be similar to that of Capuano. However, she argued that simply maintaining a reliably liberal voting record was insufficient to address the changing needs of a district that had undergone significant demographic and cultural changes. She also claimed that the district needed to be represented by someone who would take a more aggressive role in opposing the presidency ofDonald Trump. She campaigned with the slogan "change can't wait", and promised that she would bring "activist leadership".[44]
In the September 4, 2018, Democraticprimary election, Pressley defeated Capuano by a margin of 59% to 41%.[45] The primary victory was a surprise,[45] as the last poll before the election showed Capuano with a significant lead, 48% to 35%.[46] Part of the reason the polls may have been inaccurate was a surge in the number of primary voters. According to the Boston NPR stationWBUR, 24 percent of primary voters in the 7th district primary had not voted in the five previous primaries. The percentage of new voters included a disproportionate number of Hispanic and Asian voters.[47] She won the general election unopposed.[48]
Pressley was unopposed for the Democratic nomination.[49] Rayla Campbell, a claims adjuster and occupational zoning activist fromRandolph, mounted a write-in campaign as a Republican.[50][49] Pressley won the general election, securing a second term.
Presley ran for a third term and defeated Republican Donnie Palmer in the general election. Palmer was the first Republican to run without a write-in campaign since 1998.
Pressley ran unopposed in the Democratic primary and the general election, securing a fourth term representing District 7.
Pressley is the first black woman elected to represent Massachusetts in Congress.[51] With the November election victory ofJahana Hayes inConnecticut's 5th congressional district,[52] they became the first womenof color to be elected to Congress fromNew England.[53][54]
Pressley is a member of the informal group known as "The Squad", whose members form a unified front to push forprogressive changes such as the Green New Deal and Medicare-for-all. The other original members of "The Squad" areIlhan Omar (D-MN),Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), andAlexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-NY).[55] Pressley is the oldest and most politically experienced of the four, and she was asked by the group to act as their spokesperson after then-President Donald J. Trump attacked them.[25]
In an interview withThe Boston Globe in July 2019, Pressley said her office receiveddeath threats after President Trump's tweets on July 14, 2019, and in general since her election.[56]
In May 2019, Pressley gave thecommencement address to the graduates of the University of Massachusetts Boston, saying they are "President Trump's worst nightmare". In her speech, she said, "Represented here today are dreamers and doers, immigrants, people of every race identity, every gender identity and sexuality, sisters rocking Senegalese twists and hijabs."[57]
On September 17, 2019, Pressley filed aresolution that called for the House Judiciary Committee to launchimpeachment proceedings against Supreme Court JusticeBrett Kavanaugh.[58]
In November 2019, Pressley introduced a criminal justice reform resolution that called for decriminalizing consensualsex work, abolishingcash bail,legalizing marijuana, abolishingcapital punishment andsolitary confinement, and shrinking the U.S. prison population by greater than 80 percent. The house resolution was called The People's Justice Guarantee.[59]
In July 2021, Pressley joinedCori Bush andIlhan Omar in sleeping on the steps of the U.S. Capitol to protest the expiration of the eviction moratorium during theCOVID-19 pandemic in the United States.[60]
On November 5, 2021, Pressley was one of six House Democrats who broke with their party and voted against theInfrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, as it was decoupled from the social safety net provisions in theBuild Back Better Act.[61][62]
In May 2025, Pressley, along withZach Nunn (R-IA) andLauren Underwood (D-IL), introduced the bipartisan HEALTH for MOM Act, which aims to expand access to maternal healthcare in areas lacking maternity care.[63][64]
Pressley's political positions align with theprogressive wing of the Democratic Party.[73][74][75] Her policy priorities reflect a focus onracial andeconomic justice,healthcare reform, and addressing systemic inequities.
Pressley is an advocate ofMedicare for All.[76]
In 2019, Pressley joined with Massachusetts Attorney GeneralMaura Healey and Boston City Councilors Michelle Wu and Lydia Edwards in a digital campaign aimed at urging Massachusetts state lawmakers to adopt theRoe Act, a proposed state statue intended to codify the protections of abortion care provided in theRoe v. Wade U.S. Supreme Court decision (which was stillgood law at the time).[77]
In May 2019, Pressley and SenatorCory Booker introduced the Healthy MOMMIES Act, legislation that would expand Medicaid coverage in an attempt to provide comprehensiveprenatal, labor, andpostpartum care with an extension of the Medicaid pregnancy pathway from 60 days to a full year following birth to assure new mothers have access to services unrelated to pregnancy. The bill also directed Medicaid and theChildren's Health Insurance Program's Payment and Access Commission to report its data regardingdoula care coverage under state Medicaid programs and subsequently develop strategies aimed at improving access to doula care.[78]
Pressley has supported theU.S. national anthem protests, which have been used to bring attention to the disproportionate rate at whichpolice brutality affects black people.[79]
On March 5, 2019, Pressley proposed lowering thevoting age from 18 years old to 16 in an amendment she introduced in Congress. This was her first amendment on the House floor and was intended to amend theFor the People Act of 2019. Her amendment was defeated 305–126–2, with a slight majority of the Democrats and one Republican voting in favor.[80]
On December 5, 2019, Pressley, Cory Booker, and RepresentativesCedric Richmond,Marcia Fudge, andBarbara Lee introduced the Create a Respectful and Open World for Natural Hair (CROWN) Act to ban discrimination based on hair textures and hairstyles that are commonly associated with a particular race or national origin.[81]
In June 2018, Pressley called for the defunding ofU.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, saying the law enforcement agency poses an "existential threat" to immigrant communities.[82] In June 2019, Pressley was one of four Democratic representatives to vote against the Emergency Supplemental Appropriations for Humanitarian Assistance and Security at the Southern Border Act (H.R. 3401), a $4.5 billion border funding bill sponsored byNita Lowey that required Customs and Border Protection enact health standards for individuals in custody such as forming standards for individuals for "medical emergencies; nutrition, hygiene, and facilities; and personnel training."[83][84][85]
In 2018, Pressley said that she would make ending sexual violence a major priority of her work in Congress.[86]
Pressley supportsdecriminalizing sex work, saying it "would improve the health and safety of sex workers and put them on the path to greater stability." She argued that sex work is the only work available to somemarginalized people, especiallytransgender women of color and that they would be less at risk if they could self-advocate and report unlawful acts committed against them.[87]
On April 9, 2019, Pressley was one of four House Democrats to introduce the Be HEARD Act, legislation intended to abolish the tipped minimum wage along with ending mandatory arbitration and pre-employmentnondisclosure agreements. The bill would also give workers additional time to report harassment.[88][89]
On July 23, 2019, Pressley voted in favor ofH. Res. 246, a House Resolution introduced by Illinois CongressmanBrad Schneider that formally condemns theBoycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement againstIsrael. The resolution passed 398–17; Pressley was the only member of "the Squad" to vote in favor of it.[90][91][92] On September 23 Pressley was one of eight Democrats to vote against the funding of Israel'sIron Dome missile defense system.[93][94]
Speaking at a fundraiser withIlhan Omar inSomerville, Massachusetts, Pressley condemned the2020 Baghdad International Airport airstrike that killed Iranian generalQasem Soleimani, saying: "It is consistent with the impulsive, reckless, short-sighted foreign policy of the occupant of this White House who I think proceeds as if he's engaging in a game of Battleship and does not prioritize diplomacy."[95]
In 2023, Pressley was among 56 Democrats to vote in favor of H.Con.Res. 21 which directed PresidentJoe Biden to remove U.S. troops fromSyria within 180 days.[96][97]
On July 18, 2023, she voted against, along with eight otherProgressiveDemocrats (Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez,Cori Bush,Jamaal Bowman,André Carson,Summer Lee,Ilhan Omar,Delia Ramirez, andRashida Tlaib),congressionalnon-binding resolution proposed byAugust Pfluger which states that "the State of Israel is not aracist or anapartheid state", that Congress rejects "all forms of antisemitism and xenophobia" and that "the United States will always be a staunch partner and supporter of Israel."[98]
She condemnedHamas's October 2023 attack on Israel.[99] On October 16, 2023, Pressley signed a resolution calling for a ceasefire in theGaza war.[100] She said on the press call: "Let me make it plain: the murder of innocent Israeli civilians by Hamas is horrific and unacceptable. And the murder of innocent Palestinian civilians is a horrific and unacceptable response from Israel. Vengeance should not be a foreign policy doctrine."[101]
In February 2021, Pressley supported a plan to cancel up to $50,000 infederal student loan debt for approximately 44 million Americans. She urged President Biden to forgive the debt throughexecutive order rather than the legislative process, which she argued would be stalled bypartisan gridlock.[102] Pressley toldThe Boston Globe, "It's about an equitable economic recovery. If people really do believe that Black Lives Matter, then the only receipts that matter in this moment are budgets and policies."[103]
As a city councilor, Pressley introduced an ordinance prohibiting employers from using credit scores to assess prospective and existing hires.[104]
As a congresswoman, Pressley was the author of a credit report reform bill titled the "Comprehensive Credit Reporting Enhancement, Disclosure, Innovation, and Transparency Act" ("CREDIT Act"). It passed the House 221-to-189 in January 2020. The resolution would have:[105]
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During the2016 Democratic Party presidential primaries, Pressley endorsedthe candidacy ofHillary Clinton.[106]
In November 2019, Pressley endorsedthe candidacy of Senator Elizabeth Warren for president ahead of the2020 Democratic Party presidential primaries.[107] This set Pressley apart from the other three members of "The Squad", who had endorsedBernie Sanders.[108] Pressley, who was named one of Warren's three national co-chairs, became a prominent surrogate on the campaign circuit.[109] After Warren's withdrawal, Pressley did not transfer her support toJoe Biden or Bernie Sanders[110] until the time of theDemocratic National Convention, when she endorsed Biden for president.[111]
Pressley supports prison reform and supports programs forprisoner reentry that start well before an inmate has been released. In 2020, Pressley's husband, who spent ten years in prison, testified before theUnited States House Judiciary Subcommittee on Crime, Terrorism and Homeland Security saying "All the other things that organizations can offer, like identification cards, are important, but it all starts with where you lay your head at night." In the autumn of 2019, Pressley introduced a resolution calling for an overhaul of the criminal justice system called the People's Justice Guarantee.[112]
In early June 2020, Pressley andLibertarian representativeJustin Amash introduced theEnding Qualified Immunity Act.[113][114] The act would remove from law enforcement officers, and other officials, the protection ofqualified immunity that had routinely protected them from prosecution when they could claim that acts that would otherwise trigger criminal charges had been committed as part of performing their official duties.[115]
Pressley advocates for makingpublic transit fare-free for users. In 2020, she co-authored the Freedom to Move Act with SenatorEd Markey, which would have offered $5 billion in annual competitive grants totransit agencies that offer fare-free transit access.[116] She and Markey reintroduced the bill in April 2023.[117]
On November 5, 2021, Pressley was one of six House Democrats who broke with their party and voted with a majority of Republicans against theInfrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, a $1.2 trillion infrastructure spending bill.[118][119]
On February 12, 2025, Pressley reintroduced a bill to establish a commission to study and developreparation proposals for African Americans. Pressley said in anNBC News interview. "We find ourselves in a moment of emboldened white supremacy and anti-Black racism, and a weaponized Supreme Court that is actively gutting protections and progress that has been made".[120]
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Pressley lives inBoston'sDorchester neighborhood with her husband, Conan Harris,[121] and her stepdaughter.[3]In January 2019, her husband resigned from his position as a senior public safety adviser at Boston City Hall to form his ownconsulting firm, Conan Harris & Associates.[122]
Pressley has stated that she is a "woman of faith" who "grew up in the church" and she is the granddaughter of a Baptist preacher.[123][124] Pressley's paternal grandmother died during childbirth in the 1950s.[125]
She has been public about her experience as a survivor of child sexual abuse,[126] and also of having been sexually assaulted while a student at Boston University.[14]
In January 2020, Pressley revealed that she had been diagnosed withalopecia areata, resulting in the loss of all of her hair; she said in a public announcement, "I want to be freed from the secret and the shame that that secret carries with it."[127] In 2022, she appeared in the docuseriesThe Hair Tales, where she discussed her experience of alopecia.[128] AfterWill Smith slapped Chris Rock at the Oscars, Pressley sent out a tweet supporting Smith’s violent actions as a husband of someone with alopecia, which she later deleted.[129]
Pressley is a member of thenonprofit social and service organizationThe Links.[130]
| 2009 Boston City Council at-large election | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidates | Preliminary election[136] | General election[137] | ||
| Votes | % | Votes | % | |
| John R. Connolly (incumbent) | 35,182 | 18.08 | 51,362 | 18.35 |
| Stephen J. Murphy (incumbent) | 30,365 | 15.61 | 51,008 | 18.22 |
| Felix G. Arroyo | 25,859 | 13.29 | 45,144 | 16.13 |
| Ayanna Pressley | 16,866 | 8.67 | 41,879 | 14.96 |
| Tito Jackson | 12,535 | 6.44 | 30,203 | 10.79 |
| Andrew Kenneally | 12,653 | 6.50 | 24,249 | 8.66 |
| Tomás González | 10,122 | 5.20 | 18,310 | 6.54 |
| Doug Bennett | 10,529 | 5.41 | 16,842 | 6.02 |
| Ego Ezedi | 9,260 | 4.76 | ||
| Hiep Quoc Nguyen | 7,691 | 3.95 | ||
| Sean H. Ryan | 6,665 | 3.43 | ||
| Jean-Claude Sanon | 5,386 | 2.77 | ||
| Robert Fortes | 5,071 | 2.61 | ||
| Bill Trabucco | 3,132 | 1.61 | ||
| Scotland Willis | 2,639 | 1.36 | ||
| all others | 595 | 0.31 | 951 | 0.34 |
| Candidates | 2011 Boston City Council at-large election[138] | |
|---|---|---|
| Votes | % | |
| Ayanna Pressley (incumbent) | 37,532 | 21.42% |
| Felix G. Arroyo (incumbent) | 35,483 | 20.25% |
| John R. Connolly (incumbent) | 32,827 | 18.74% |
| Stephen J. Murphy (incumbent) | 26,730 | 15.26% |
| Michael F. Flaherty | 25,805 | 14.73% |
| Will Dorcena | 8,739 | 4.99% |
| Sean H. Ryan | 7,376 | 4.21% |
| 2013 Boston at-large City Council election | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Candidate | Primary election[139] | General election[140] | ||
| Votes | % | Votes | % | |
| Ayanna Pressley (incumbent) | 42,915 | 16.71 | 60,799 | 18.30 |
| Michelle Wu | 29,384 | 11.44 | 59,741 | 17.98 |
| Michael F. Flaherty | 39,904 | 15.54 | 55,104 | 16.59 |
| Stephen J. Murphy (incumbent) | 31,728 | 12.35 | 44,993 | 13.54 |
| Annissa Essaibi George | 12,244 | 4.77 | 30,538 | 9.19 |
| Jeffrey Michael Ross | 13,939 | 5.43 | 28,879 | 8.69 |
| Martin J. Keogh | 15,743 | 6.13 | 26,500 | 7.98 |
| Jack F. Kelly III | 11,909 | 4.64 | 23,967 | 7.22 |
| Catherine M. O'Neill | 10,952 | 4.26 | ||
| Althea Garrison | 10,268 | 4.00 | ||
| Ramon Soto | 9,928 | 3.87 | ||
| Philip Arthur Frattaroli | 5,832 | 2.27 | ||
| Gareth R. Saunders | 5,363 | 2.09 | ||
| Christopher J. Conroy | 3,433 | 1.34 | ||
| Seamus M. Whelan | 3,118 | 1.21 | ||
| Francisco L. White | 2745 | 1.07 | ||
| Douglas D. Wohn | 2,382 | 0.93 | ||
| Frank John Addivinola Jr. | 2,240 | 0.87 | ||
| Keith B. Kenyon | 1,950 | 0.76 | ||
| Jamarhl Crawford | 21† | 0.01 | ||
| all others | 832 | 0.32 | 1,658 | 0.50 |
† write-in votes
| Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ayanna Pressley (incumbent) | 31,783 | 24.21 | |
| Michelle Wu (incumbent) | 28,908 | 22.02 | |
| Michael F. Flaherty (incumbent) | 26,473 | 20.16 | |
| Annissa Essaibi George | 23,447 | 17.86 | |
| Stephen J. Murphy (incumbent) | 19,546 | 14.89 | |
| Jovan J. Lacetwrite-in | 95 | 0.07 | |
| Charles Yanceywrite-in | 39 | 0.03 | |
| Jean-Claud Sanonwrite-in | 25 | 0.02 | |
| Andrea Campbellwrite-in | 13 | 0.01 | |
| all others | 959 | 0.73 | |
| Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Michelle Wu (incumbent) | 65,040 | 24.47 | |
| Ayanna Pressley (incumbent) | 57,520 | 21.64 | |
| Michael F. Flaherty (incumbent) | 51,673 | 19.44 | |
| Annissa Essaibi George (incumbent) | 45,564 | 17.14 | |
| Althea Garrison | 18,253 | 6.87 | |
| Domingos DaRosa | 11,647 | 4.38 | |
| William A. King | 8,773 | 3.30 | |
| Pat Payaso | 6,124 | 2.30 | |
| all others | 1,230 | 0.46 | |
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Ayanna Pressley | 60,046 | 58.6 | |
| Democratic | Mike Capuano (incumbent) | 42,430 | 41.4 | |
| Total votes | 102,476 | 100 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Ayanna Pressley | 216,557 | 98.2 | |
| n/a | Write-ins | 3,852 | 1.8 | |
| Total votes | 220,409 | 100.0 | ||
| Democratichold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Ayanna Pressley (incumbent) | 142,108 | 98.6 | |
| Democratic | Other | 1,979 | 1.4 | |
| Total votes | 144,087 | 100 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Ayanna Pressley (incumbent) | 267,362 | 86.6 | |
| Independent | Roy Owens | 38,675 | 12.5 | |
| n/a | Other | 2,613 | 0.9 | |
| Total votes | 308,650 | 100.0 | ||
| Democratichold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Ayanna Pressley (incumbent) | 69,227 | 98.7 | |
| Write-in | 893 | 1.3 | ||
| Total votes | 70,120 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Ayanna Pressley (incumbent) | 151,825 | 84.6 | |
| Republican | Donnie Palmer | 27,129 | 15.1 | |
| Write-in | 557 | 0.3 | ||
| Total votes | 179,511 | 100.0 | ||
| Democratichold | ||||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Ayanna Pressley (incumbent) | 57,172 | 100.0 | |
| Total votes | 57,172 | 100.0 | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Ayanna Pressley (incumbent) | 232,094 | 97.1% | |
| Write-in | 6,907 | 2.9% | ||
| Total votes | 239,001 | 100% | ||
| Democratichold | ||||
On the council, Pressley did not have the controversial, outsider reputation she has now earned as part of the Squad. O'Brien said that could be because, as the only woman of color on the council earlier in her career, she did not want to jeopardize her seat.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)Republican SenatorEdward Brooke of Massachusetts, who took office in 1967, was the first black politician to be elected by popular vote after the 17th Amendment was ratified in 1913.
Ms. Pressley was not a part of the initial round of home-state endorsements during Ms. Warren's campaign launch earlier this year, leading to speculation that she would sit out the presidential primary or back Ms. Harris, the 2020 race's only black woman. Instead, Ms. Pressley joined Ms. Warren's cause, politically cementing the informal friendship that has existed among them for years.
One of Warren's most visible surrogates on the campaign trail — from Boston to South Carolina to Iowa — was Rep. Ayanna Pressley, who endorsed Warren early on despite the other members of the so-called "Squad" of progressive congresswomen of color backing Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders.
Some of Warren's prominent Massachusetts supporters are following her lead, and did not say yesterday whether they'll back Sanders or Biden.
Though the text of the bill has yet to be released as of this writing, so the exact provisions remain unknown, Rep. Justin Amash (L-Mich.) is partnering with Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) to introduce the'End Qualified Immunity Act.''Qualified immunity was created by the Supreme Court in contravention of the text of the [Civil Rights Act of 1871] and the intent of Congress,' Amash argued in a letter urging colleagues to support his bill.'It is time for us to correct their mistake [ ... and] ensure that those whose rights are violated by the police aren't forced to suffer the added injustice of being denied their day in court.'
That proposal comes on the heels of the End Qualified Immunity Act, sponsored by Reps. Justin Amash (L-MI) and Ayanna Pressley (D-MA), which would end qualified immunity for all local and state government officials, not just police officers and prison guards.
| U.S. House of Representatives | ||
|---|---|---|
| Preceded by | Member of theU.S. House of Representatives fromMassachusetts's 7th congressional district 2019–present | Incumbent |
| U.S. order of precedence (ceremonial) | ||
| Preceded by | United States representatives by seniority 223rd | Succeeded by |
| International | |
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| National | |
| People | |
| Other | |
