Morse maintains he's 'not done yet'

Sept. 2, 2020 | Payton North
payton@thereminder.com

Holyoke Mayor Alex Morse offered his concession speech following the release of the results of the Sept. 1 Primary Election.
Screenshot from Alex Morse Livestream

SPRINGFIELD – The song “I Won’t Back Down” by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers was playing loudly on the start of the livestream that Holyoke Mayor and candidate for Congress Alex Morse began on the night of the election, shortly after Neal gave his victory speech.

The crowd at his election night party cheered loudly as Morse arrived at the podium.

“Thank you so, so much for being here and I love all of you too,” Morse laughed. “Many of you who have been around for our mayoral elections remember a saying that we oftentimes say, that ‘we're proud of the progress we’ve made but we’re not done yet,’” He said. “We’re not done yet. Tonight is a special night in many ways, and from the bottom of my heart, I want to thank everybody that has put their sweat, their tears, their time, their resources, their lives – to support this campaign, to support this movement.”

Morse started his speech by thanking the people of Holyoke and throughout the district. He then congratulated Neal on his win.

“I just want to start off my congratulating congressman Richard Neal on winning his re-election tonight, but I also want to make it very clear how incredibly proud I am of what we fought for over the last 14 months,” he said.
Morse thanked his family for their support, and then explained that “this was a long campaign,” and that “when you think about what this means that we were fighting for not just winning an election but winning a moment, and fighting for the working people of this country that have been left behind for decades.”

He explained that he thought back to his younger years growing up in Holyoke, and how he felt people “gave up” on Holyoke and stated that “the best days [for the city] were behind them.” Morse then stated that there was a “false narrative that Holyoke was a wonderful place until Puerto Ricans arrived.” He disputed this false narrative, stating that the “city was a special place because of its diversity.”

Morse then stated that when he announced his campaign for congress, he was told the same phrases as when he was 21 and announced his campaign for mayor. “They told me then what they told me 14 months ago - you don't run against power, you don’t run against other democrats, you don’t run against incumbents, you sit down, you keep your head down, you don't speak up against power, and you wait your turn.”

“Nine years ago all of you joined this campaign and we sent a message to folks here in holyoke and around the region that holyoke was ready for vision, for inclusion, for someone that wanted to lift everyone up in this community, and nine years later I am so incredibly proud of the work we have done here with all of you,” he said.

Morse then reflected back on what people told his campaign that they could not accomplish, listing reducing unemployment in Holyoke and making the city a place where people would not only want to live but investing in business. He listed many other issues not only in Holyoke, but nationally, noting that “pennies go to our healthcare and education system,” and the opioid epidemic.

“We have done the best we can with the resources we have over the last nine years in a broken federal system,” Morse said.

“This wasn’t obviously personal against Congressman Neal, and I’ve always throughout this campaign said that I thank him for his public service,” Morse said.

He then explained that this was about the future – “Too often as Democrats we point fingers at Republicans and think that they're the only party guilty of being bought and paid for by corporations, and in  many ways these are members of our own party that need to be held accountable.”

Morse noted that his campaign was against “one of the most powerful Democrats – not just Democrats – one of the most powerful incumbents in Washington,” who had access to “millions and millions of dollars,” Morse said. He then indicated that Neal is linked to corporations who are not looking out for the people. “This is who funds our congressman right here in Western Massachusetts,” he said.

“When i think about what we fought for, I do not have a single regret,” Morse said. “This specific election on Sept. 1 of 2020 might be over, but the fight for those core values in a country where people are dying in our streets because they can’t get healthcare, people are dying in our streets for no other reason than being black and brown people in this country, people are dying in our streets because they can’t get access to treatment for addiction. All of those challenges still exist today, and they will exist tomorrow morning,” he said. Morse then explained that all of these issues exist in Western Mass., and after speaking with locals as he campaigned, “You would never know that we have one of the most powerful members in congress representing us.

He then referenced that his campaign “took a little bit of a turn” over the last few weeks, alluding accusations made by the College Democrats of Massachusetts in an article published by the UMass Amherst campus newspaper, The Daily Collegian, on Aug. 7. The original article said the allegations are based on “three issues” that had been addressed in a letter sent by members of the organization to Morse in a private email. The Daily Collegian said the letter alleged that “Morse regularly matched with students on dating apps, including Tinder and Grindr, who were as young as 18 years old,” and “having sexual contact with college students, including at UMass Amherst, where he teaches, and the greater Five College Consortium.” Additionally, the article alleged that Morse was “using College Democrats events to meet college students and add them on Instagram, adding them to his ‘Close Friends’ story and [direct messaging] them, both of which have made young college students uncomfortable.”

Since then, the College Democrats of Massachusetts have apologized to Morse for the “distress” and homophobic comments that occurred by the letter alleging inappropriate behavior.

Morse explained that he felt this was a “coordinated political attack that goes all the way up to Washington D.C., Congressman Neal, the people around him, the Massachusetts democratic party, corporations that invested billions of dollars in attack ads over the weekend.”

He said these tactics are unacceptable, and that these people need to be held accountable for their actions.

Morse closed his speech, stating that they have “laid it all out on the field over the last year,” and that while he has watched many people move abroad, move to Boston, move to New York City to get a job – “the only place he wanted to be was here in the city of Holyoke.”

“I will get up tomorrow morning with the same passion, and persistence, and perseverance that I got up with this morning,” Morse said.

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