Cameron Costa is the newest Democratic challenger for the 9th Bristol District's House seat. The district consists of all of Dartmouth and New Bedford Ward 1 Precincts D, E, and F. The incumbent is Christopher Markey. For more information on Costa and his campaign, go to cameroncosta.org.
We know a few things about the new challenger. He was an outstanding student at Bristol Community College and a student organizer with "Fund our Future." A 2020 Bay State Banner article mentions Costa in a discussion of the challenges BIPOC, working class, and poor families face paying for college. Despite those challenges Costa graduates next month with a Bachelors in Management-Leadership from UMASS Dartmouth and has enrolled in their Masters program in Public Management. According to his LinkedIn profile, he was involved in a large number of service and leadership roles as a student, for which he won a 2020 Newman Civic Fellow award.
Costa was born in Charlotte, North Carolina, the son of a single mother who moved him to Massachusetts to give him a good education. That mother, Melissa Costa, is herself a refreshingly progressive member of the New Bedford School Committee.
In 2021 Governor Baker appointed Cameron Costa to the Board of Higher Education, where he represents 150,000 students. His campaign bio elaborates: "In this role, Cameron has advocated expanding investment in programs that increase equity, close the achievement gap, and increase economic resources for students. Cameron relies on his experiences as a Board Member on the New Bedford Site Advisory Board for the Department of Mental Health, in recognizing the lack of access to mental health resources for our veterans and community members. Cameron has also been an advocate for workers’ rights and protections, which is why he had served as a trustee of his union: AFSCME Council 93 Local 72. "
Lest you think Costa’s candidacy was hastily conceived, it's obvious that he’s had political aspirations for a while and has been strategic in planning for this campaign. For 10 months Costa was a Legislative Intern with State Representative Jacob Oliveira (7th Hampden District), to whom Progressive Mass gives a B-.
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While we don't yet have a voting record from the fresh-faced challenger, we do know a lot about the incumbent, Christopher Markey. And none of it is all that great.
Christopher Markey is a “Democratic” Representative in the Massachusetts House representing the 9th Bristol District. He has been in office since 2011. His term ends in January 2023 and, for the first time since 2011, he faces a challenger in the primary.
Markey's father is former New Bedford mayor and Judge John Markey, who was suspended for ethical violations the same year his son entered politics. According to Office of Campaign and Political Finance (OCPF) records, Chris Markey has $12,123 in his campaign account. He has given campaign donations to Michael Brady, Evandro Carvalho, Martha Coakley, Thomas Conroy, Gina DeRossi, Hugh Dunn, Christopher Fallon, Michael Finn, Maura Healey, Thomas Hodgson, Stephen Kerrigan, Paul Mark, Sherrilynn Mello, John Mitchell, Tim Murray, Deval Patrick, John Quinn, Thomas Quinn, Michael Rush, Christopher Saunders, John Saunders, Joe Shortsleeve, and Marty Walsh.
Markey has an abysmal voting record. His 2021-2022 Progressive Mass Scorecard gives him a grade of D+. For 2019-2020 Progressive Mass gave him an F.
Right down the line, Markey's votes are out of sync with voters who voted "Democrat" but didn't pay much attention to what he actually represents. On issues of taxation, abortion rights, government transparency, voting rights, police accountability and housing Chris Markey walks like a Republican, quacks like a Republican, and votes exactly like a Republican.
Taxation - Markey opposed:
limiting double-dip tax breaks
the Fair Share Amendment (the millionaire tax)
closing tax loopholes for the trucking industry
delaying a tax break for the rich
raising the tax rate on unearned income
Abortion - Markey opposed:
improved access to abortion and contraception
an amendment to bypass Gov. Baker's limitations on abortion care
Government Transparency - Markey opposed:
House voting transparency
Speaker term limits
requiring 48 hours for legislators to read new legislation
making legislative documents available to the public
Voting Rights - Markey opposed:
expanding the OCPF beyond political appointees
strengthening in-person and absentee voting
same-day voter registration
Police Accountability - Markey opposed:
limiting no-knock warrants
a ban on police use of tear gas
changes that would make it easier to decertify bad cops
limiting qualified immunity for police abuses
requiring municipalities to justify acquisition of military equipment
offering drivers licenses for undocumented workers
accepting the conference report on police accountability
Housing - Markey opposed:
affordable housing
allowing municipalities to impose rent controls