Alex Morse, 31, the progressive Democrat and Mayor of Holyoke, Massachusetts, has failed in his bid to challenge veteran Rep. Richard Neal (D-MA) for his seat.
Neal, 71, has represented Massachusetts’ First Congressional District since 1989. He also chairs Congress’s House Ways and Means Committee.
The primary generated much national attention, pitching as it did a younger, progressive Democrat against an established, powerful Democratic politician.
Morse became Mayor of Holyoke in 2012 aged just 22 (and has been re-elected three times). He’s also gay, and the primary campaign got personal three weeks ago when accusations against the younger man were made public.
How about we take this to the next level?
Our newsletter is like a refreshing cocktail (or mocktail) of LGBTQ+ entertainment and pop culture, served up with a side of eye-candy.
A letter published in the University of Massachusetts student newspaper, written by the local Amherst College Democrats chapter, accused Morse of using his position as mayor and as a part-time lecturer at the university to pursue relationships with students. In the letter, they barred Morse from attending their events.
Related: Gay candidate who slept with students says people calling for him to drop out are being homophobic
Morse swiftly responded, acknowledging that he had had relationships with some students, but none of the individuals concerned were in his classes at college and all romantic and sexual relationships had been fully consensual. He apologized, “to anyone I have made feel uncomfortable.”
“I want to be clear that every relationship I’ve had has been consensual.”
He later went on to deny behaving inappropriately: “I have never used my position of power as Mayor and UMass lecturer for romantic or sexual gain, or to take advantage of students. I have never violated UMass policy. Any claim to the contrary is false.”
The Intercept later reported that it had found evidence of leading figures in the college’s Democratic groups discussing ways in which Morse’s campaign against Neal could be derailed going back to last October. It said leaders of the group favored Neal as a candidate.
That report was swiftly followed by a letter of apology from the Amherst College Democrats – now under new leadership – to Morse.
“We want to tell you that we are deeply sorry for the distress that the public reaction to the letter must have caused you … we should have realized that the language of the letter was careless and played into homophobic stereotypes that have been used to oppress gay men in politics. We understand that no apology of ours can make up for the homophobic attacks you have suffered as a result of our actions; nonetheless, we wish to apologize.”
Related: College Democrats apologize for smears against gay candidate Alex Morse
Morse tried to re-focus his campaign on opposing Neal’s politics. This included accusing the older candidate of acting too slowly in his Congressional committee role in forcing Trump’s tax returns to be made public and in cozying up too closely with his corporate contributors.
Associated Press called the Primary at 9.42pm, estimating Neal had around 60% of the vote and Morse 40%.
Afterward, Morse conceded defeat. In a speech, he thanked his supporters and family for their help during the campaign and congratulated Neal on his victory. However, he also took the opportunity to highlight the many millions of dollars from corporate supporters Neal had spent on his campaign.
Morse went on to say, “As many of you know, this campaign took a little bit of a turn in the last few weeks. We have been organizing for months … and the day before early voting began, we saw a coordinated, political attack that goes all the way up to Washington DC. We have to send a message loud and clear that these kinds of tactics in our community are unacceptable. They’re unacceptable for all of us and we deserve better.”
You can watch the speech from the 9.45 mark below, while his comment about the allegations start at 18.30.
Alex Morse LIVE Election Night https://t.co/1CP94jMUsz
— Alex Morse (@AlexBMorse) September 2, 2020
Morse’s supporters believe the controversy over his dating history impacted his campaign at a crucial time.
Morse was being backed by the LGBTQ Victory Fund – a fundraising group for LGBTQ political candidates. Its President and CEO, Annise Parker, said the personal attacks on Morse had played a part in the primary result.
“The efforts to sensationalize and weaponize Alex’s sexual orientation certainly influenced the outcome of this race, but the backlash it engendered should give pause to those considering similar tactics in the future,” she said in a press release.
“We are grateful Alex stayed in the race and took the body blows necessary to expose the double standards too often placed on LGBTQ candidates. His campaign contributed to a larger conversation about how candidates of color, women candidates and LGBTQ candidates face a level of scrutiny and sensationalism that straight white cisgender men simply do not.
“LGBTQ candidates are facing a growing number of homophobic and transphobic attacks this year and whether they succeed or fail will set an important precedent for the future.”
DarkZephyr
This just tells me that homophobia is alive and well even among Democrats.
frapachino
No most people just hate regressives!
DarkZephyr
Well, I guess it becomes truer every day that many do hate Conservative ideals in many cases, yes. And I suppose its very true that Trump supporters do indeed want to see this country regress, so “regressives” is certainly apt enough for MAGAts.
winemaker
At least he’s in Massachusetts and not here in California. Just take a look at what progressivism and progressives have done to California and for as real as it gets, take a look and whiff at San Francisco, the former clean. well run and affordable jewel of California that’s now the ‘doo doo’ capital of America.
LumpyPillows
Utter nonsense. This left-wing, cancel-culture, woke nonsense is actually dangerous. I used to think it all a joke, but it is nasty and mean and robotic in its stupidity. It may well cost us the election. Since when can’t you date a consenting adult?
Cam
It wasn’t a left wing thing. It was a bunch of political students supporting the more conservative guy, they lied, he wasn’t “Cancelled” and they were exposed.
rbernard
I felt for the mayor and was very pissed off with the the Democratic Party at the college level and national level.
They set the expectation if you are a 31 year old gay politician, you are fair game if you go out on Grindr dates with a collegian, a young legal age adult.
I heard loud and clear the other sides arguments, but they were all rooted in old homophobic tropes for the purpose of demonizing a gay man to make him unelectable.
There is still a lot of work to do within the Democratic Party on all levels.
Liquid Silver
However, a pretty left-wing, progressive Democrat still won the Primary and will do a good job representing MA in 2020 and beyond, so there’s a bright side here. This is not the election, it’s the primary.
graphicjack
Queerty has a lot of nerve posting this story when they fed into the smear and printed the allegations as if they were fact without looking into how questionable they were from the start. A queer new outlet should be on the side of queer politicians and should at least give them the benefit of the doubt without immediately throwing them under the bus. Had Morse actually been guilty of inappropriate or offensive sexual behaviour, then of course he should be condemned for it. This was clearly slander pretty much from the jump and even as big gaping holes were being shot in the ‘evidence’ against him, Queerty still ran stories as if Morse was a pedophile. Shame on you… and pretty pathetic to only now acknowledge he was innocent of any wrongdoing until AFTER he lost.
jsmu
Wrong. Neal is an asshole, the Joe Manchin of the House. He unforgivably slow-walked the procedure for demanding dRUMPf’s tax returns, among many other atrocities.
frapachino
Atrocities! Lol!
Liquid Silver
I always feel forced to ask, “And who is the Speaker who would allow such a horrible, horrible thing to happen and who has so little power that he or…even she…couldn’t start issuing orders or exerting some pressure if he…or even she…cared or weren’t being…influenced…by something?”
Nothing happens in a vacuum, and that cuts both ways. But most people don’t want to consider the possibilities…or even probabilities.
frapachino
Good , regressives are evil anti American scum!
Heywood Jablowme
If Morse was married and/or had a presumably boring sex life – like Mayor Pete, say – there wouldn’t have been an issue in that district. If I lived in the district I’d probably have voted for Morse. Having said that, it’s a stretch to say that anyone with misgivings about Grindr hookups is “homophobic,” which is essentially what Morse’s allies and Morse himself are declaring. There are plenty of gay men on Queerty who freak out whenever there’s a favorable mention of Grindr here. It’s easy to make fun of them (and I do!), and it’s a heterocentric attitude I think, but is such an attitude automatically “homophobic”?
Morse goes after younger (18+) guys on Grindr, which is totally legal of course, but his “defense” always seemed to be something like “Hey, it’s totally legal (pant pant, drool drool) so sue me… I mean vote for me or you’re a homophobe!” Well, okay, but he seems like a politician who’s inevitably going to get into a messy sex scandal before he’s 40, or maybe get robbed or injured by a Grindr trick which is yet another reason to worry about Grindr.
GayEGO
I believe it is more about electing the older, more experienced politicians. I voted for Joe Kennedy but felt the Ed Markey would win because he is more experienced and has done a good job.
ricdardc1
Hell i live in Cali. I lived in Boston awhile back & because i loved the City. I donated to the Gay Man. I thought. Class Morals. & values. Never again. He may not have done anything illegal. But he Skeezed on the Side like Privileged White Yuppy Gay Boiz Do. So Over Him. Next. Liar Pleeze