Greetings!

It may not feel like it these days, but we do have so much to celebrate — and much more to build together. If you missed our last note with Boston candidates, you can catch up here — the momentum is real, and it’s powered by community groups working day in and day out. 

In Boston, the September 9 preliminary elections showed what happens when we are organized and strategic. We not only held the mayor’s office — Josh Kraft ultimately dropped out of the race, a sign that our movement’s strength and Michelle Wu’s popularity made a challenge untenable. Nearly all of our community-endorsed candidates advanced to the general election — an incredible testament to the power we’re building together. The one exception was Mavrick Afonso, who ran in District 7 and finished a strong third in one of the most competitive races of the cycle. Nonetheless, His campaign elevated critical issues, mobilized new voters, and strengthened the bench of progressive leadership in Boston.

This is what deep organizing looks like. But for a moment, we wondered if the conservative candidates might actually have a chance — a powerful reminder that we cannot take our progressive power for granted. As we said before, “Progress is not guaranteed. It is something we must defend, grow, and invest in — no matter the price, no matter the time, no matter the party lines.” 

That’s why we are doubling down on our Block & Build strategy: block the threats, build the infrastructure to govern. Municipal elections are the training ground for our next generation of leaders and the foundation of a statewide progressive ecosystem. 

And now we take this energy west — creating geographically focused containers as part of a statewide electoral strategy, rooted in gateway cities, to build governing power.

We are proud to introduce three progressive champions running for Springfield City Council At-Large, endorsed by Neighbor to Neighbor Action Fund: 

Nicole Coakley – A longtime community advocate and youth mentor, Coakley has been organizing for safer streets, good jobs, and better schools. Her vision is rooted in making city government accessible to everyone, no matter their zip code. 

Justin Hurst – A labor leader and housing justice organizer, Hurst has fought for fair wages, tenant protections, and immigrant rights. He is running to ensure Springfield’s policies center working-class families. 

Jose Delgado – A small business owner and climate activist, Delgado brings experience building coalitions for clean air, green jobs, and neighborhood revitalization. He is committed to making Springfield a model for sustainable growth. 

These are not just candidates. They are organizers, neighbors, and visionaries rooted in the Springfield community — committed to fighting for equity, safety, and opportunity for all. Their campaigns are about building the same kind of progressive infrastructure that has transformed Boston, but in a city where the stakes are just as high and the resources are often thinner.

Our shared goal is to create a container for groups to design and implement a collaborative power-building project — one that connects leadership development, base-building, civic engagement, and structural change, generating governing power. Springfield is the next container. 



Here’s how you can make this vision real: 

• Follow Neighbor to Neighbor Action Fund and Right to the City Vote Boston on social media for updates on canvassing, community forums, and meet-the-candidate events. 
• Volunteer — whether you live in Springfield, Boston, or anywhere in between, your time matters. 
• Donate — because “Vote Deep Democracy Blue” isn’t just a slogan; it’s a call to resource this work so we can organize at the scale this moment demands. 
• Spread the word — forward this email, talk to neighbors, bring more people into this movement. 

Local races determine our ability to govern and to win structural change. If we leave parts of Massachusetts behind, we risk losing the gains we’ve made. If we invest everywhere, we can build a Commonwealth where progressive power is not just defended but expanded. 



Let’s show that Boston isn’t an exception — it’s the first success in a Commonwealth-wide project. 

In Solidarity, 

Maria Jobin-Leeds