Workers Party of Massachusetts

Workers Party Election Results – Candidate for State Rep. Nick Giannone Gets 1232 Votes, Nearly 5%

Workers Party of Massachusetts Candidate for State Representative Nick Giannone had a respectable showing on election day getting 4.98% in the 4th Norfolk District which covers most of Weymouth and one precinct in Hingham. Giannone ran against incumbent Democrat James Murphy and Weymouth Planning Board member Paul Rotondo, who ran as a Republican. Murphy was reelected to his eleventh term with 15,987 votes, Rotondo received 7,507, and Giannone received 1,232.

Having grown up in Weymouth, Nick has deep roots in the community, is an active member of Boilermakers Local 29, and has been a revolutionary communist organizer for over 2 decades. His campaign was run on independent working class socialist principles in stark contrast to the Democrat and Republican candidates, who are both business owners as well as politicians. Giannone’s reputation as a fighter for the working class was reflected in the results of his home precinct (11.3%) but the consistent support across the 4th Norfolk District can only be attributed to the independent socialist politics and bold program of the Workers Party of Massachusetts.

Giannone and the Workers Party of Massachusetts delivered an uncompromising revolutionary socialist message to tens of thousands of working class South Shore residents throughout this campaign and successfully linked electoral activity to ongoing movements in the streets. Social media, favorable newspaper coverage, a candidates forum, and mass mailings all helped to promote the Party’s program and demands. Yard signs, stickers, leaflets, and banners declared the need for the working class to have a party of our own and this was answered with donations, visible support, and votes from workers who are looking for alternatives to the parties of capitalism.

Incumbent James Murphy is a perfect representative of the Massachusetts Democratic Party; a neoliberal machine with a veto-proof supermajority that only seems to use their power to impose austerity and otherwise attack the working class. Murphy, a former prosecutor, drafted legislation to criminalize Black Lives Matter protests after he was inconvenienced by a blockade of the Southeast Expressway in 2015. Paul Rotondo, a business owner and former CEO, offered standard Republican fare mixed with his own brand of homegrown bootstrap mythology. Both Rotondo and Murphy are supporters of “law and order” who oppose any meaningful police reforms and both of them oppose the ROE act, legislation intended to dismantle barriers to safe and legal abortion in Massachusetts.

While most political parties would not consider receiving 5% of the vote as a victory, The Workers Party of Massachusetts sees this as a validation of a revolutionary socialist political program and views this experience as a solid foundation for future electoral campaigns. A tremendous amount was learned about all aspects of running a political campaign and this knowledge will be used to support independent working class socialist candidates within the Workers Party of Massachusetts as well as in other leftist organizations. This campaign also brought together a group of people who will form the core of the South of Boston Local Organizing Committee, building the Workers Party in working class communities where no socialist organization currently exists. 

The Workers Party of Massachusetts will be organizing in working class communities across the state and continuing the campaign to establish the Workers Party as an official political designation. The Party intends to create a Political Action Committee to provide material support for independent working class socialist candidates in future elections. People who are interested in participating in this political project and who agree with the Draft Program of the Workers Party of Massachusetts are encouraged to get in touch.