{"id":6249,"date":"2022-08-10T10:43:12","date_gmt":"2022-08-10T16:43:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/suggestedbylocals.com\/?p=6249"},"modified":"2023-06-01T17:05:18","modified_gmt":"2023-06-01T23:05:18","slug":"is-boston-ma-a-liberal-city","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/suggestedbylocals.com\/is-boston-ma-a-liberal-city\/","title":{"rendered":"Is Boston, Massachusetts a Liberal City?"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Politics are becoming more nuanced these days, and it is rarely just about who you vote for anymore. It might be important to you to know what the people around you politically believe.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Boston, MA is a very liberal city. The state of Massachusetts is largely liberal and has voted Democratic since 1988. Boston’s county, Suffolk County, is also very liberal; about 80.6% of Suffolk residents voted for the Democratic candidate in the 2020 presidential election.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The political climate of a city is complicated and has a lot of factors, such as political parties, social ideals, and local and presidential elections. There is a lot to learn about politics in Boston, MA, from the leaders to the policies that are supported to the political history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Presidential Elections<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Politics comes down to voting, and who a city votes for is a big indicator of whether that city is liberal or conservative. There are two major political parties in the United States that each represents the liberal and conservative mindsets: the Democratic party and the Republican party. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Democratic party represents the liberal point of view; members of the Democratic party tend to support liberal policies and social beliefs. The Republican party represents the conservative point of view; members of the Republican party tend to support conservative policies and social beliefs. Not all liberals and conservatives are members of one party or the other, but it is a fairly accurate way to estimate the liberal or conservative influence on a city.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In the electoral college, Massachusetts\"Opens<\/a> has voted for the Democratic candidate in every election since 1988. The state has voted mostly Democratic since 1928. Out of the 24 elections that have taken place since that year, Massachusetts has voted for the Republican candidate only 4 times.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Since the year 2000, the percentage of the population of Massachusetts that voted Democratic has been consistently above 60%, going as high as 65.6% in the 2020 election. The percentage of the population that voted for the Republican candidate has been below 40% since 2000. In the 2020 election, every single county\"Opens<\/a> in Massachusetts had a majority of residents that voted for the Democratic candidate. Massachusetts has shown great support for Democratic candidates and policies for years.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The county of Suffolk, MA is very liberal\"Opens<\/a>. 80.6% of residents voted for the Democratic candidate in the 2020 election, while only 17.5% voted for the Republican candidate. Since 2000, the percentage of residents who voted for the Democratic candidate has not gotten below 70% and the highest percentage of residents who voted for the Republican candidate was 22.8% in 2004.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Boston, just like its county and state, is liberal. Between 2018 and 2021, there were 109,812\"Opens<\/a> contributions to the Democratic party and liberal campaigns, totaling $54,329,950. In contrast, there were 5,979 contributions to the Republican party and conservative campaigns, totaling $8,258,631. Residents in Boston tend to vote for Democratic candidates and support liberal policies.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Local Leaders<\/h2>\n\n\n
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Mayor<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The mayor of Boston is Michelle Wu\"Opens<\/a>. She is a member of the Democratic party. She was elected in 2021.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wu was first elected to the Boston City Council in 2013. She is the first Asian-American to serve on the Boston City Council. In 2016, she was elected as the president of the Boston City Council, the first woman to serve in that position who was not Caucasian.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wu had a great deal of influence while she was on the City Council. During her time on the Boston City Council, she sponsored the Paid Parental Leave ordinance and the Healthcare Equity ordinance, which prohibits discrimination based on gender identity. Both of these policies passed and are in practice. She also worked on the Communications Access ordinance, a policy that guaranteed translation, interpretation, and assistive technology to help people get access to city services.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some of the major reports\"Opens<\/a> from the mayor’s office during her time were the Economic Inclusion and Equity Agenda, the Action Plan to End Veteran and Chronic Homelessness in Boston, and the First-Ever Workforce Report Examining Diversity in City Government. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some of the initiatives\"Opens<\/a> undertaken have been Boston’s American Rescue Plan (investing federal stimulus funds), the Office of Strategic Partnerships (partnering between the city and private companies), and Boston’s Movement to End Racism. On January 20, 2022, Mayor Wu gave an executive order\"Opens<\/a> to improve accessibility to fair housing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

City Council<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Boston City Council\"Opens<\/a> has 12 members. Eight of the city council members are women and four are men. All members of the Boston City Council are members of the Democratic party. The Boston City Council president is Ed Flynn. He is also a member of the Democratic party and was elected in 2017. The City Council member who has been serving the longest was elected in 2011, and the newest City Council member was elected in 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Interestingly, the state of Massachusetts has had a Republican governor since 2015\"Opens<\/a>. However, the Massachusetts representatives in the Senate and the House of Representatives have all been Democratic since 1992.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The residents of Boston, MA have a tendency to vote for Democratic candidates in both local and presidential elections. This shows a tendency toward residents with liberal points of view.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Policies<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Abortion<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In Massachusetts, abortions\"Opens<\/a> are only available after 24 weeks when the life or health of the mother or fetus is in danger. Women younger than 16 must have parental consent before they can receive an abortion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are 47 facilities at which abortion is available as of 2017, a 36% increase from 2014. 43% of Massachusetts counties do not have a clinic to provide abortions. 13% of women do not have access to facilities that provide abortions.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gun Laws<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Massachusetts has strong gun laws. In 2020, the state had the second-lowest gun death rate in the country and the fourth-lowest export of crime guns.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gun laws\"Opens<\/a> in Massachusetts include gun owner licensing, open carry and concealed carry regulations, assault weapon restrictions and a large-capacity magazine ban, safe storage laws, extreme risk protection orders, and domestic violence gun laws. Massachusetts does not have microstamping requirements, restrictions against bulk firearm purchase, and a waiting period.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Gay Marriage<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Massachusetts legalized same-sex marriage\"Opens<\/a> in 2003 in the case of Goodridge v. Mass. Department of Public Health. Massachusetts was the first state to legalize gay marriage, and it asserted that prohibiting gay marriage is unconstitutional.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Other<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Boston has historically supported radical political moves and social progress. The city was greatly involved in abolitionism, women’s suffrage, and the temperance movement.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Demographics<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The population\"Opens<\/a> of Boston is 691,531 people. The population density is 14,307 people per square mile. The average age is 31.3 and the average number of people per household is 2.4. 51.9% of the population is female, and 48.1% of the population is male.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The racial makeup\"Opens<\/a> of Boston, MA is as follows:<\/p>\n\n\n\n