Politics & Government

Cavell Drops Out Of 4th Congressional Race, Endorses Mermell

Former Obama speech writer Dave Cavell has dropped out of the Fourth Congressional race to help Jesse Mermell win the seat, he said.

Former Obama speech writer Dave Cavell has dropped out of the Fourth Congressional race to help Jesse Mermell win the seat, he said.
Former Obama speech writer Dave Cavell has dropped out of the Fourth Congressional race to help Jesse Mermell win the seat, he said. (Marilyn Humphries)

BROOKLINE, MA — Candidate for congress David Cavell announced Thursday he has dropped out of the packed race to represent the Fourth Congressional District, and endorsed candidate Jesse Mermell.

The announcement leaves eight democratic candidates vying for the seat Rep. Joe Kennedy leaves as he challenges Sen. Ed Markey for his seat in the senate. The Fourth Congressional District runs from Newton and parts of Brookline, Wellesley and Hopkinton and down to the South Coast. Five of the remaining democratic candidates are from Brookline, two are from Newton and one is from Wellesley.

"As ballots across the 4th District are being filled out, I have decided to put principles and people above politics," said Cavell. "There are many strong candidates to represent the people of the Fourth District."

Find out what's happening in Brooklinewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Then, without naming him, Cavell took aim at candidate Newton City Councilor Jake Auchincloss, who although has been endorsed by The Boston Globe, has been under fire for a number of his past stances.

"Unfortunately, there is one candidate in this race who I believe has proven himself unfit to represent this District," he said. "In a crowded field without ranked-choice voting, I refuse to make it more likely that the people of our District, particularly Black and brown people, will be represented by someone we cannot trust. This is a moment when all of us must put the best interests of the country and the critical work of progressive, intersectional change before personal politics."

Find out what's happening in Brooklinewith free, real-time updates from Patch.

Cavell said that's why he planed to be working with and voting for Jesse Mermell, who he called a friend and "a passionate fighter for progressive values and working people of every race and background."

Mermell has criticized Auchincloss's defense of a student waving a confederate flag at one of Newton's high schools several years ago that he has since apologized for and changed his stance on. She has also been vocal of his past opposition to a $15 minimum wage.



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