Thank you to everyone who supported my campaign for the Massachusetts State Senate. Even though the outcome was not what we expected, we fought hard to make sure that discussion of the real issues facing our Commonwealth was at the forefront of our campaign. I cannot explain how humbled I am by the level of commitment and hard work all of my supporters and volunteers showed to my candidacy throughout this race, and I am truly grateful. Without all of you I could not have come nearly as far as I did. Finally, I would like to ask each and every one of you to not be put off from politics by the negative tone of my opponent's campaign.  We must remain true to our democratic values…

Needham —
 
On April 13, Democrats and unenrolled voters will have the opportunity to select the Democrat who will run next month to fill the seat vacated by Scott Brown when he was elected to the U.S. Senate.

While we are not yet endorsing for the special election on May 11 (Richard Ross of Wrentham is running uncontested on the Republican ballot) we urge those voters voting in Tuesday’s Democratic primary to choose Needham’s own Lida Harkins.

Harkins has lived in Needham for almost 40 years, and has represented Needham in the State House of Representatives for more than two decades. She knows this town inside and out, and those who have worked with her attest to her ability to “bring home the bacon.”
 

The Massachusetts Gay & Lesbian Political Caucus officially endorsed Lida Harkins in the race for State Senate.

History of support for LGBT equality
Lida has a strong history of fighting for marriage equality. She not only voted against the constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage, she fought with us in the earliest days to defeat it.

Taking on legislative leadership
In 2004, when Finneran was Speaker of the House and leading the charge against same-sex marriage, Harkins stood with the LGBT community and voted against the Speaker’s position time and time again.

An advocate for LGBT equality
Harkins actively helped the LGBT community lobby for marriage equality. She helped us with strategy. For 4 years, she stood with our community against an onslaught of pressure from her district, from legislative colleagues and from legislative leaders. On the day of the vote, in June 2007 when we finally defeated the anti-gay marriage constitutional amendment, Lida continued to help the LGBT community’s efforts by successfully lobbying several key legislators to vote with us.

With a track record like that, endorsing Harkins was a no-brainer.