Sunrise Western Mass Coalition retracts Alex Morse endorsement

HOLYOKE — The Sunrise Western Mass Coalition said Monday its members have voted to rescind the group’s endorsement of Alex Morse in his campaign to unseat incumbent U.S. Rep. Richard Neal in the Sept. 1 congressional primary.

Morse, 31, a former political science lecturer at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, has acknowledged what he describes as consensual relationships with college students.

“We believe the students that came forward about the inappropriate nature of Alex’s actions — as we believe all survivors. There is no justice without survivor justice,” the group wrote in a Monday news release.

The Sunrise Western Mass Coalition said it was attracted to Morse’s support of the Green New Deal and of Medicare for all, but that now its members cannot trust him.

“We made this decision as a group of young people who are part of a movement for a more just and livable future,” the statement reads. “Our coalition consists of high schoolers, college students, and young workers in Berkshire, Franklin, Hampshire and Hampden counties, including folks who worked actively on Alex’s campaign and folks with their own experiences of sexual harassment.”

Separately, the national Sunrise Coalition announced Monday that has suspended its campaigning on Morse’s behalf.

“As a youth movement, we take such allegations seriously and recognize that Alex’s positionality creates a challenging unequal power dynamic,” the statement said. “Thank you to the young people who have spoken out and shared their truth. We see and honor the people who experienced harm by Alex’s actions. We also want to acknowledge and condemn the homophobia that we have seen laden in the discourse we have seen play out since these allegations surfaced. We are encouraged that Alex has agreed to participate in processes with students, and hope that he will lean in further to listening to the impacted and repairing harm.”

Morse’s candidacy is in trouble after College Democrats of Massachusetts and its affiliates at UMass Amherst and Amherst College disinvited him from their future events, saying that he’d pursued romantic relationships with college-age men. In their letter, the Democratic clubs said Morse used dating apps and Instagram to contact students as young as 18.

Some students who were contacted felt intimidated because of Morse’s prominence in progressive political circles, his candidacy for Congress and his role as Holyoke mayor, the student groups said.

Morse was a lecturer in political science at UMass Amherst. The university is reviewing the situation for any possible violation of the federal Title IX anti-discrimination law and has no plans to hire him back.

The Sunrise Western Mass Coalition said its members are still advocating for their causes.

“This retraction of our endorsement for Alex Morse is by no means an endorsement of Richard Neal,” the group wrote. “Our current congressman does not stand with the values of the Green New Deal, and has for decades neglected the people of Massachusetts’ 1st District in favor of corrupt corporate interests. Should Rep. Neal be re-elected, we will release a plan to hold him accountable. If he does not embrace the values of the Green New Deal and fight for our district, we will unseat him in 2022 — this time with the right candidate.”

Neal, D-Springfield, has spoken in support of plans to lower emissions, develop renewable energy, provide tax credits for green research and outfit the Postal Service with electric trucks.

The LGBTQ Victory Fund reaffirmed its support of Morse Monday.

The Massachusetts Nurses Association union said it will meet this week to reconsider its backing of Morse.

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