People For The American Way Endorses Carl Sciortino For Ed Markey's Old House Seat In Massachusetts

There are a number of garden variety Democrats-- and worse-- running for Ed Markey's old House seat (MA-05), but there is only one strong progressive in the race: state Rep. Carl Sciortino, who was endorsed by Blue America last February. We endorsed Carl so early not just because of his great voting record and not even just because of his great record of progressive leadership in the Massachusetts legislature. John, Digby and I had first met Carl several years ago at a People For the American Way Young Elected Officials conclave. Even among a group like that, filled with young leaders from all over the country, Carl stood out as someone who could accomplish a lot of good. We were stoked when he decided to run and could hardly wait to help raise campaign contributions for him.

And we were very gratified this week when People for the American Way itself endorsed Carl. Their reasoning was impeccable:

People For the American Way Voters Alliance PAC today endorsed Carl Sciortino for Congress, praising his strong record of progressive leadership. Rep. Sciortino, currently a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives, is running to represent Massachusetts’ fifth congressional district in the U.S. House of Representatives. The seat was recently vacated by Ed Markey on his election to the U.S. Senate.

Since his election in 2004, Carl has fought tirelessly for progressive causes. A founding member of the Massachusetts House Progressive Caucus, he has pushed for closing corporate tax loopholes, advocated for better access to transportation and healthcare, stood up for workers’ rights, and been a staunch defender of LGBT rights. The 2012 Transgender Equal Rights Bill, which Carl co-authored, provided legal protection against discrimination for transgender individuals in Massachusetts.

Before his election to the state legislature, he served as Massachusetts state director of the affiliated People For the American Way Foundation's Young Elected Officials Network.

“Carl is a strong leader, a committed public servant, and a true progressive,” said People For the American Way Voters Alliance PAC political director Randy Borntrager. “He knows that being a progressive means standing up for Americans from all walks of life; it means fighting for a woman’s right to choose, for better transportation access, for workers’ rights. And he has done all of this in Massachusetts. He has also been a real champion for LGBT rights, achieving a number of significant victories for LGBT people, including the Transgender Equal Rights Bill.

“There’s no question that Carl would defend these principles just as strongly in the U.S. Congress, where we need his powerful progressive voice more than ever. Carl will bring an unmatched dedication to progressive values to his constituents to the U.S. Congress, and we’re proud to endorse him.”

Carl Sciortino said, “We need to change the conversation in Washington and fight hard for progressive values. As a state representative, I have fought to close corporate tax loopholes, protect access to abortion clinics, and to make the economy work for regular people-- not Wall Street or the big banks. In Congress, I will fight against those who put corporations over the rest of us and Tea Partiers who want to tell women what to do with their bodies.”

Aside from Blue America and People For the American Way, Carl has been endorsed by the Human Rights Campaign, MassEquality, the Victory Fund, and another major endorsement will be announced in a day or two. Meanwhile, though, if you'd like to help Carl get into Congress, you can contribute to his campaign here.