FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Friday, October 13, 2017

CONTACT

Emily Fitzmaurice, Massachusetts Democratic Party, 617-939-0808

MASSACHUSETTS DEMOCRATS: BAKER SUPPORTING RADICAL, ANTI-LGBTQ, ANTI-WOMAN CANDIDATE FOR STATE SENATE 

MANSFIELD – In the wake of revelations the Republican candidate for State Senate is against women’s rights, gay marriage, and transgender rights, the Massachusetts Democratic Party is calling on Republican Governor Charlie Baker to rescind his support of Jacob Ventura.

“Jacob Ventura is a right-wing extremist that wants to strip rights from our LGBTQ community and women of the Commonwealth,” said Massachusetts Democratic Party Chair Gus Bickford. “LGBTQ rights and women’s rights are currently under assault and Governor Baker has chosen to endorse a candidate with a dangerous, bigoted view of the world. We call on him to immediately rescind his endorsement of Ventura.”

Highlights from Ventura’s responses to the questionnaire posed by Catholic Citizenship include:

• Ventura said he would vote to repeal the Massachusetts transgender rights laws
• Ventura said he would vote to define marriage as between a man and a woman
• Ventura said he would vote to defund Planned Parenthood
• Ventura said he would vote for a bill that seeks to restrict a woman’s right to choose
• Ventura said he does not support the work of the Massachusetts Commission on LGBTQ Youth, an independent agency that works to recommend and advocate for policies and resources to help LGBTQ youth thrive

Democratic candidate, Paul Feeney, has been endorsed by the Planned Parenthood Advocacy Fund of Massachusetts, MassEquality, Attorney General Maura Healey, and Senator Elizabeth Warren. Feeney has not only said repeatedly that he supports the transgender rights law, gay marriage, and women’s rights – he will fight to defend these rights as State Senator.

“As a gay woman who was born and raised in Mansfield, it’s frightening that a person with these views could be elected to represent our community,” said Mansfield voter Lindsay Kenney. “I hesitate to think about the other positions he’s hidden from us.”

According to recent reports, Washington D.C.-based right wing Republican groups supporting the Trump Administration are dumping money into this special election on behalf of Ventura.

“We’ve asked Charlie Baker to stand up to the extreme right in the Trump Administration and he has stayed silent,” continued Bickford. “Now, the Trump wing of the Republican Party is bringing their radical agenda to our doorstep. We ask that the Governor stand up – for once – and rescind his endorsement.”

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