We are a progressive community. According to ePodunk, Northampton is the most liberal city in the country with a population between 25,000 and 99,000.
We are engaged activists; we show up. We are a progressive community in an unusual time. How rare to have four fully contested Statehouse seat races at one time.
With these contested elections, multiple candidates will be working to line up people and soliciting money for their campaigns. That makes for an exciting time. But it’s also a scary time. My view of our local situation is deeply affected by what has unfolded over the last 15 months at the federal level. The continued failure to secure even one branch in the federal government may well prove the death knell for our democracy.
There is hope nationally. Taking back the U.S. House in the upcoming midterm elections is an achievable goal. To do this, we must preserve the 194 Congressional seats Democrats currently hold and flip at least 24 more to gain a majority.
We proudly claim a history of local activists providing vital electoral support to other states. It is imperative that we continue this tradition if we are to prevail. But if we are to do that, we need people and money for the effort.
So we will see competing demands for volunteer time and money between these local and national campaigns. The need to balance these demands, ironically, provides us with the exciting opportunity to be creative, to exercise leadership and to recommit to our progressive ideals.
Western Massachusetts rails against money in politics. We rue Citizens United and support our local organizations that are in the vanguard of fighting back against this misguided decision.
In 2015, the Northampton City Council enacted an ordinance setting a $500 limit on donations to local candidates, half of what is allowed at the state level. During that debate, the lead sponsor of the ordinance, now an announced candidate for the Statehouse, correctly asserted that “money should not be the measure of a race.” Further, “Doubling the campaign contribution limit takes us in the wrong direction … We need to find ways to get money out of politics.”
So why not put our mouths where our money used to be, and look for resourceful ways to limit local spending? And why not look to local campaign volunteers to help with taking back the House in addition to their local work?
My proposal (at least for the 1st Hampshire District, where I live) is for the candidates to come together to have a conversation to establish common ground rules. Here are some ideas about what that could look like.
First, limit money. Reach agreement on a reasonable cap on the amount of money spent during the campaign. There would be savings, for example, if everyone agrees to forgo purchasing professionally made lawn signs, buttons, and bumper stickers, and refrain from media buys, relying instead on social media, debates (the Northampton Democratic City Committee will sponsor as many debates as the candidates decide they want), and other means of amplifying messages that can be agreed upon together.
Second, run a civil and clean campaign. No negative advertising, back-biting, or personal attacks in the media. At the end of the campaign, our community needs to return intact to our collective, activist soul.
Third, share volunteer resources. Candidates rely on volunteers for the important daily work of a campaign. Candidates with day jobs who are legally barred from campaigning on work time especially need this help.
With wide community interest and involvement in these campaigns, there will likely be hundreds of people participating at one time or another in our local campaigns. I’d hope local campaigns recognize the critical need for help in flipping the House and, at a minimum, encourage their volunteers to help on the federal level, too. There are many activities influencing national races that can be done locally, including phone banks, postcard writing, and voter-to-voter letters.
As someone who has worked for many local candidates in this community over the years, I take local races very seriously. Who represents us is important. But I am simultaneously taking the longer view, weighing the potentially horrifying specter of a continued status quo on the federal level come November.
We have the unique opportunity locally to do something creative and powerful in deciding to run the type of clean, low-cost campaign that we have long professed to want. Is that just lip service or do we really mean it?
If candidates can agree to limits — money and resources — we will be creating a blueprint for other campaigns while also putting ourselves forward as a leader and model for other communities. The times demand it; the opportunity compels it.
Elizabeth Silver is chair of the Northampton Democratic City Committee.