Primary challenger says Congressman Stephen Lynch ‘cannot be trusted' to stand up to Trump
'Effectively standing up to Trump is not about firing off press releases, or social media posts, or sternly worded letters,' Roath
Lynch did not immediately respond to a request for comment. But Scott Ferson, a Democratic strategist who has worked on Lynch's past campaigns, dismissed the post.
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'I'm not going to respond to his fundraising appeals,' Ferson said. 'The congressman will continue to do the job his constituents re-elected him to last November.'
Roath said since he began campaigning, voters have routinely told him they are 'absolutely terrified about what this administration is doing' and 'don't feel like people have their back in DC.' It's part of broader unhappiness with Democrats: In a
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'We're taking this step because I think people fairly ask not just 'Why me?' but also 'Why not him?'' Roath told the Globe in an interview. 'I don't want to get mired in name-calling or personal attacks, but I do genuinely think that there's a real difference here between the kind of leadership that I'd be offering and the kind of leadership that we've had.'
While Roath has not aired official campaign ads, the Substack is intended to appeal to an increasingly-online audience, Roath said.
The post addresses three key issues: 'Due process' on immigration, abortion, and healthcare.
Roath criticized Lynch's vote for
Roath also pointed to a resolution Lynch supported this month that included language to 'express gratitude to law enforcement officers, including US Immigration and Customs Enforcement personnel, for protecting the homeland.' The language was tucked into a resolution condemning
The measure denounced 'a disgusting act of terrible violence and of course that makes sense to endorse,' Roath said. 'But this resolution went on to say some gratuitous statements about the recent conduct of ICE agents ... and we can't just quietly accept that,' he added.
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Roath also highlighted Lynch's wavering record on abortion, pointing to remarks in which the congressman decades ago declared himself 'pro-life and proud of it.'
Lynch distanced himself from the 'pro-life' label in a
Still, Lynch's unclear personal stance on abortion, Roath said, was a 'shocking abdication of leadership. ... At this moment we need unapologetically pro-choice leaders who are willing to fight Republican efforts to strip away reproductive care.'
And Roath criticized the congressman's 2010 vote against the creation of the Affordable Care Act, which Roath called a 'generational piece of democratic legislation.' Lynch was the only Massachusetts Democrat to vote against it,
Roath's primary challenge come as Lynch, simultaneously, is
'The pattern is clear: Congressman Lynch cannot be trusted to serve as a leader in the movement opposing what Trump and the MAGA right are doing to this country,' Roath wrote.
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Anjali Huynh can be reached at
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