Introduction
2022 proved to be a mixed year for progressive accomplishments. Nationally, the midterm elections turned out better than expected, though certainly not great. The Senate turns out to be slightly better, while the Congress is a bit worse, than before the election. In Massachusetts, we were sad — but not surprised — to see our former State Senator Sonia Chang Diaz drop out of the governor’s race. And our biggest disappointment was definitely the results from the Secretary of State’s race statewide.
We are proud that members of the JP Progressives spent significant time on those statewide and national campaigns, with one Steering Committee member spending weeks in Georgia, and others playing major roles with the campaigns for Chang Diaz and Tanisha Sullivan. We are just as proud of the impact the JP Progressives had on the results in JP, with members playing significant roles especially on the campaigns for Nika Elugardo and Sam Montaño.
2022 Democratic Primary Endorsements
It is not exactly news that Jamaica Plain voters are more progressive than in the rest of Boston and Massachusetts. What is news, to us anyway, is that in every race that the JP Progressives endorsed — primary and general, top of the ticket, down ballot, and referendum questions — JP voters aligned with JPP endorsements.
And for that, we are deeply grateful to our supporters, and our community.
Let’s check out the data.
Lt Governor: Tami Gouveia
The JPP endorsed candidate in the primary was State Representative Tami Gouveia, though many of us were and are excited about the new Lt. Governor Kim Driscoll. Tami did 19 points better in JP than in Massachusetts, and 16 points better than in Boston.
| Kimberley Driscoll | Eric P. Lesser | Tami L. Gouveia | |||||
| Massachusetts | 332,712 | 233,241 | 147,224 | ||||
| Mass% | 43% | 30% | 19% | ||||
| Boston | 33,836 | 16,629 | 17,181 | ||||
| Boston % | 43% | 21% | 22% | ||||
| JP | 3,297 | 1,683 | 3,574 | ||||
| JP % | 35% | 18% | 38% |
Secretary of State: Tanisha Sullivan
The JPP endorsed candidate in the primary was Tanisha Sullivan. She did 29 points better in JP than in Massachusetts, and 16 points better than in Boston.
| William Francis Galvin | Tanisha M. Sullivan | ||
| Massachusetts | 524,947 | 223,420 | |
| Mass % | 68% | 29% | |
| Boston | 41,128 | 32,994 | |
| Boston % | 53% | 42% | |
| JP | 3,610 | 5,457 | |
| JP % | 38% | 58% |
Auditor: Christopher Dempsey
The JPP endorsed candidate in the primary was Chris Dempsey. He did 18 points better in JP than in Massachusetts, and 9 points better than in Boston.
| Diana DiZoglio | Christopher S. Dempsey | |||
| Massachusetts | 372,597 | 311,156 | ||
| Mass % | 48% | 40% | ||
| Boston | 28,195 | 37,954 | ||
| Boston % | 36% | 49% | ||
| JP | 2,730 | 5,505 | ||
| JP % | 29% | 58% |
District Attorney: Ricardo Arroyo
The original JPP endorsed candidate in the primary was Ricardo Arroyo. Without rehashing the details of this story, the JP Progressives chose to withdraw that endorsement in the days before the election. Nonetheless, he did 7 points better in JP than in Suffolk County, and 11 points better than in Boston.
| Kevin R. Hayden | Ricardo Arroyo | |||
| Suffolk County | 41,399 | 35,339 | ||
| Suffolk County % | 54% | 46% | ||
| Boston | 37,321 | 32,369 | ||
| Boston % | 48% | 42% | ||
| JP | 3,176 | 4,971 | ||
| JP % | 34% | 53% |
Second Suffolk State Senate: Nika Elugardo
We are enthusiastic about our new State Senator Liz Miranda, and can’t wait to work with her. That said, the JPP endorsed candidate in the primary was former State Representative Nika Elugardo. She did 27 points better in JP, much of which Nika had represented, than in the rest of the district as a whole.
| Liz Miranda | Nika Elugardo | Dianne Wilkerson | Miniard Culpepper | James E. Grant | |
| Boston | 6,806 | 5,600 | 4,388 | 3,147 | 554 |
| Boston % | 31% | 26% | 20% | 14% | 3% |
| JP | 1,919 | 3,616 | 529 | 571 | 124 |
| JP % | 28% | 53% | 8% | 8% | 2% |
Fifteenth Suffolk State Rep: Samantha Montaño
In a race between relatively new and unknown candidates, the JP Progressives endorsement of Sam Montaño was added to an impressive who’s–who of electeds, advocacy organizations, and unions helping her to a 27 point victory.
| Samantha Montaño | Roxanne Longoria | Richard Fierro | Mary Ann Nelson | |
| Votes | 3,954 | 1,769 | 687 | 441 |
| Vote% | 49% | 22% | 9% | 5% |
2022 General Election Ballot Questions
Knowing that Jamaica Plain generally votes strong Democrat, we focused on the results of the ballot questions, which often require additional information for voters.
JP Progressives Endorsed YES on All Four Ballot Measures
Q1: Millionaire’s Tax
YES results in JP were 29 points better in JP than in MA, and 17 points better than in Boston
| Yes | No | |||
| Massachusetts | 1,267,132 | 1,158,225 | ||
| Mass % | 50% | 46% | ||
| Boston | 112,493 | 60,476 | ||
| Boston % | 62% | 33% | ||
| JP | 13,839 | 3,063 | ||
| JP % | 79% | 18% |
Q2. Dental Insurance
YES results in JP were 15 points better in JP than in MA, and 9 points better than in Boston
| Yes | No | |||
| Massachusetts | 1,720,406 | 681,703 | ||
| Mass % | 69% | 27% | ||
| Boston | 135,119 | 33,803 | ||
| Boston % | 75% | 19% | ||
| JP | 14,684 | 1,845 | ||
| JP % | 84% | 11% |
Q3. Expansion of Access to
Liquor Licenses
YES results in JP were 17 points better in JP than in MA, and 9 points better than in Boston
| Yes | No | |||
| Massachusetts | 1,070,761 | 1,314,972 | ||
| Mass % | 43% | 52% | ||
| Boston | 93,030 | 77,245 | ||
| Boston % | 51% | 43% | ||
| JP | 10,461 | 5,664 | ||
| JP % | 60% | 32% |
Q4: Drivers Licenses for
Undocumented Immigrants
YES results in JP were 31 points better in JP than in MA, and 17 points better than in Boston
| Yes | No | |||
| Massachusetts | 1,299,960 | 1,110,386 | ||
| Mass % | 52% | 44% | ||
| Boston | 119,188 | 48,290 | ||
| Boston % | 66% | 27% | ||
| JP | 14,428 | 2,133 | ||
| JP % | 83% | 12% |
Attorney General: No Endorsement
The JP Progressives Steering Committee and membership could not agree on an endorsed candidate in the primary for the Attorney General. We expected that then-Councilor Andrea Campbell — the only Boston candidate, one well known in JP for her prior mayoral run, and a strong woman of color — to sweep the vote in JP, and she did.
| Andrea Joy Campbell | Shannon Erika Liss-Riordan | Quentin Palfrey | ||||
| Massachusetts | 365,362 | 248,648 | 115,200 | |||
| Mass % | 47% | 32% | 15% | |||
| Boston | 50,472 | 16,739 | 6,217 | |||
| Boston % | 65% | 22% | 8% | |||
| JP | 6,386 | 2,022 | 696 | |||
| JP % | 68% | 21% | 7% |
