FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
August 26, 2020
Chris Zannetos Suspends MA-04 Campaign, Endorses Jesse Mermell
Zannetos is the second former candidate to endorse Mermell as Democrats coalesce around her as the clear choice
WELLESLEY – Chris Zannetos today became the second candidate in the race for Massachusetts’ Fourth Congressional District to suspend his campaign and endorse Jesse Mermell. Zannetos, a tech entrepreneur and founder of STEMatchMA, a non-profit that brings companies and schools together to make STEM opportunities more accessible to marginalized communities, pointed to Mermell’s commitment to creating a fair economy and fighting for working families as the main driver in his decision to endorse.
“The easy path for me would be to finish this campaign on Election Day,” said Zannetos. “But that would only take votes from a candidate who is committed to fixing this issue, who can win this race. There is one candidate who has shown in her career a consistent commitment to helping working people and those disenfranchised, and a willingness to create the public-private collaborations required to solve this challenge. This is why I am endorsing Jesse Mermell for Congress. While there are some policy areas in which we disagree, she has the integrity and focus needed to help those left behind by our economy – and has proven that she can be counted on to do the hard work required.”
“I’m honored to have Chris’ support with so much on the line in this race and for our country,” said Mermell. “Chris and I couldn’t agree more that prioritizing the rebuilding a fairer post-COVID economy, an economy filled with opportunity for workers and their families, is the highest priority for our next member of Congress. I’m grateful to Chris for elevating these key issues in a smart and thoughtful way throughout this campaign and have asked him to lead a diverse task force of business, education, community and government leaders in our district focused on job creation and access to opportunity. Together, we will continue to build the winning coalition in this race to ensure our next member of Congress will lead on our core values and our shared priorities.”
Zannetos’ endorsement comes almost two weeks after another Fourth District candidate, Dave Cavell, suspended his campaign and endorsed Mermell, identifying her as the proven progressive in what is increasingly coming down to a two-person race. Independent analysts and pundits are describing the crowded primary as a dead heat between Jesse Mermell and Jake Auchincloss, a former Republican political operative.
“Democrats are coalescing around our campaign in the final weeks because they know that voters have a clear choice in this election between a proven progressive leader and a former Republican political operative who will take the Fourth District backward,” said Mermell. “Top progressive elected officials, advocacy organizations and even former candidates have taken a long, hard look at this race and determined that I am the best choice to take on Donald Trump and lead on our progressive values. This movement isn’t based around one person or one ideal – we’re building a people-powered coalition committed to bold, progressive change.”
Mermell recently earned major endorsements from Attorney General Maura Healey, Planned Parenthood, State Senators Becca Rausch and Paul Feeney and State Representative Jim Hawkins. She’s also been endorsed by Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley, NARAL, the Coalition for Social Justice and 23 labor unions including SEIU, the Massachusetts Teachers Association, the Massachusetts Nurses Association.
Election Day is September 1st but voters can vote early in person until August 28th or vote-by-mail. Voters choosing to vote-by-mail should return their ballots using their town’s drop box, per instructions from the Secretary of State.