Record number of delegates, dissent expected at Dems’ Springfield convention
SPRINGFIELD — Massachusetts Democrats will welcome 3,975 delegates to Springfield on Sept. 13, a record number for an odd-year platform convention.
Among them in the MassMutual Center that Saturday will be voices saying the new party platform — slimmed down from 70 to 24 pages and the product of a winter's worth of listening sessions and hearings — is too moderate and straying from progressive views.
The delegate count is 12% greater than the turnout at any other platform convention in the party's history. Conventions like the one expected in 2026 — with the party nominating candidates for governor and lieutenant governor — are usually a bigger deal.
Massachusetts Democratic Party Chair Steve Kerrigan holds a press conference prior to the 2025 Democratic State Convention at the MassMutual Convention Center in Springfield. Kerrigan was joined by state Democratic leaders and elected officials. (Douglas Hook / The Republican)Douglas Hook
"I would be shocked if there wasn't criticism of something within the Democratic Party, " Massachusetts Democratic Party Chair Steve Kerrigan told reporters Thursday at a news conference.
The process of developing this year's platform included more diverse voices and extensive conversations, Kerrigan said. He's a veteran of national Democratic platforms, including the one that elected Joe Biden in 2020.
"Platforms are supposed to be a document that is aspirational and shows our ideals and lays out who we are as a Democrat," he said, speaking from the arena floor, which is normally occupied by an ice sheet. "It is as much for the outside person reading it as it is for us. We know why we're Democrats."
But liberals within the party point out the new platform eliminates opposition to subminimum wages and drops support for extending the right to strike for public employees.
The phrase "systemic racism" no longer appears anywhere in the document. And there is no longer a commitment to single-payer health care and Medicaid expansion, according to Our Revolution Massachusetts .
The word "transgender" no longer appears anywhere in the document. The phrase "LBGTQ+" only appears once, the group said.
"People don't vote for a party because of where it falls on the political spectrum; they vote for a party because it stands for something," said Michael Gilbreath, a member of the State Committee , a delegate from Wayland and one of the founders of Our Revolution , in a written statement.
The new platform removed stronger language on fossil fuel pipelines, Our Revolution said.
At the news conference, state Rep. Carlos Gonzalez, D-Springfield, said the platform addresses issues that make communities better, such as education.
"We need a party for everybody," he said.
This is the first time the state party has convened in Springfield since 2019, said Candy Glazer, a longtime Democratic activist from Longmeadow.
"We're just so proud," she said Thursday.
Besides delegates, there'll be 100 or more volunteers at the convention.
State Sen. Adam Gomez speaks to members of the media prior to the 2025 Democratic State Convention at the MassMutual Convention Center in Springfield on Thursday. (Douglas Hook / The Republican)Douglas Hook
State Sen. Adam Gomez, D-Springfield, said it begins the night of Sept. 12 with a 7 p.m. reception at White Lion Brewing in Tower Square. After the Saturday convention, at about 2:30 p.m. Saturday, there will be a closing reception hosted by Gov. Maura T. Healey and Lt. Gov. Kimberly Driscoll, also at White Lion.
Also on Saturday, there will be training sessions. Convention speakers will include U.S. Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey, as well as U.S. Rep. Richard E. Neal.
Also at the press conference Thursday were state Sen. John Velis, D-Westfield, state Rep. Angelo Puppolo, D-Springfield, state Rep. Bud Williams, D-Springfield, state Rep. Brian M. Ashe, D-Longmeadow, state Rep. Shirley B. Arriaga, D-Chicopee, and Governor's Councilor Tara Jacobs, D-North Adams.
Stories by Jim Kinney
Read the original article on MassLive .
