U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley is rolling out endorsements in several congressional races — and is lending support to longtime friend Jesse Mermell in her bid for U.S. Rep. Joseph Kennedy III’s 4th District seat.
Mermell, a former Deval Patrick aide and Brookline selectwoman, recently stepped down as head of the Alliance for Business Leadership to pursue her congressional bid. Mermell worked on Pressley’s 2018 bid, in which Pressley defeated incumbent U.S. Rep. Michael Capuano.
“Congresswoman Pressley is a force for good, a force for people and a force of nature and I couldn’t be more honored to have earned her support in this campaign,” Mermell said in a statement.
Mermell is one of six declared candidates vying for Kennedy’s seat as he seeks to oust U.S. Sen. Edward Markey. The 4th District contenders include former state Assistant Attorney General Dave Cavell, City Year co-founder Alan Khazei, Wall Street regulator Ihssane Leckey, and Newton City Councilors Jake Auchincloss and Becky Grossman
Pressley is also backing U.S. Rep. Lori Trahan in the 3rd Congressional District — where last year’s second-place finisher, Dan Koh, is eyeing a rematch.
Trahan said in a statement she was “honored to join Congress” beside Pressley and have her colleague’s support for re-election.
Pressley is also endorsing incumbent U.S. Reps. Barbara Lee of California, Joe Neguse of Colorado and Earl Blumenauer of Oregon.
In a closely watched Texas primary race, Pressley is endorsing Jessica Cisneros against Democratic U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar. Cisneros was previously endorsed by U.S. Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), another member of “the squad” of freshmen minority congresswomen that includes U.S. Reps. Ilhan Omar (D-Minn.) and Rashida Tlaib (D-Mich.).
“Each of these leaders has shown a passion for lifting up the voices of the people they represent and, in partnership with community, have been passionate and committed advocates on issues ranging from the right to access reproductive health care to housing justice to the rights of workers, immigrants, and the LGBTQ+ community,” Pressley said in a statement. “Their bold leadership is vital to making real progress for our communities.”
Pressley has yet to endorse in the 2020 presidential race. Her fellow squad members are all backing Vermont U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders. She has also not endorsed in the Senate race between Markey and Kennedy.
