With primary day just around the corner on Sept. 14, NARAL Pro-Choice Massachusetts has released its endorsements of legislative candidates, based on their positions on reproductive rights.
Upper Valley candidates proved especially popular with NARAL; incumbent state reps Steve Kulik (D-1st Franklin district), Peter Kocot (D-1st Hampshire), John Scibak (D-2nd Hampshire) and Ellen Story (D-3rd Hampshire) all won endorsements, as did state senator Stan Rosenberg (D-Hampshire and Franklin district).
Other Valley candidates endorsed by NARAL are incumbent reps Rosemary Sandlin (D-3rd Hampden) and Cheryl Coakley-Rivera (D-10th Hampden), as well as incumbent senator Gale Candaras (D-1st Hampden and Hampshire).
In its voter guide, NARAL Pro-Choice Massachusetts says it sent questionnaires “to every candidate running for an open seat, targeted challengers, and incumbents whose record and/or positions were unknown to the organization.” Questions on the survey focused on Roe v. Wade, Medicare funding for abortions, accessible abortion services, and public funding for family-planning programs and pregnancy prevention programs for teens, among other topics.
In some races, NARAL chose not to endorse any candidate, even one who earned a pro-choice rating. That includes the closely watched Hampden district senate seat left open by incumbent Stephen Buoniconti’s decision to run for district attorney. While two contenders for that seat—Democrats Ron Patenaude and Jim Welch—earned “pro-choice” ratings, neither was endorsed. (Among the other candidates for that seat, Republican Robert McGovern was rated “anti-choice,” while the positions of Republican Kenneth Condon and Democrat Susan Dawson were marked as “unknown.”)
In other cases, NARAL selected one reproductive rights ally over another. According to the group, it “endorses candidates with strong pro-choice positions and structured campaigns. Since we place a high priority on issue leadership and a pro-choice voting record, in certain races we have endorsed one pro-choice candidate over another.”
The full endorsement list, including ratings of all candidates in races where no endorsements were made, is online at www.prochoicemassvotes.org.
Lest all these “D”s after the endorsed candidates’ names make you think NARAL’s list is a Democratic love-fest, take note of the number of Democrats who earned “anti-choice” designations—among them, reps Michael Kane (5th Hampden), Sean Curran (9th Hampden) and Angelo Puppolo (12th Hampden), not to mention Rep. Thomas Petrolati (7th Hampden), who serves on the House leadership team as speaker pro tempore.
NARAL also endorsed, in statewide races, Gov. Deval Patrick, Lt. Gov. Tim Murray, Attorney General Martha Coakley and Treasurer candidate Steven Grossman.
