2020 MA-04th Congressional Democratic Primary

The 2020 Democratic Primary for MA-04th, a close fought contest between Newton Councilor Jake Auchincloss, Planned Parenthood leader and former Brookline select board member Jesse Mermell, Newton Councilar Becky Grossman among others to succeed retiring Rep Joe Kennedy III saw the noted Moderate Auchincloss take the Democratic nomination with a bare 22% Plurality.

Here, Auchincloss — who, while registered as a Republican worked for the MAGOP during Governor Charlie Baker's 2014 campaign — touted the more progressive parts of his platform. Campaigning on taxing carbon emissions and universal background checks in addition to his self-styled ability to merge liberal values with pragmatic politics.

This posturing, however, played into Jesse Mermell's attacks of him; highlighting past controvercial statements by Auchincloss (which he apologized for durring the campaign) claiming that “[Auchincloss] does not represent our values.”

This came as Mermell also urged consolidation between herself and the other liberal Democratic women in the race, aided by the Women's campaign advocacy org EMILY's list relentlessly attacking Auchincloss on not standing up for women's issues.

Auchincloss responded to these attacks by involving his mother — Laurie Glimcher, the CEO of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute — in the campaign. Utilizing her credibility to attempt to weather these attacks.

In the end, the brutally divided vote and going into the oft-neglected southern part of the seat, allowed the distant Kennedy member to succeed his relative — Granting Auchincloss a nomination that all but assured him a seat in congress; winning the general election by a 22% Margin.

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