Capuano Is in the Political Fight of His Life

For 10 terms, Rep. Michael Capuano of Massachusetts — whose district includes much of Boston and liberal bastions like Cambridge — has been a stalwart progressive in the House Democratic caucus. He opposed the war in Iraq and was one of only 66 members of the body to vote against the Patriot Act, which expanded government powers in the name of fighting terrorism.

But in the Massachusetts primary Tuesday, Capuano is being challenged by another progressive, Councilor Ayanna Pressley of Boston, a popular and tough-talking Democrat who jolted the political establishment with her decision to run. The two agree on many issues; the primary’s outcome will be a test of the breadth and depth of Capuano’s political organization, and whether voters in the racially diverse district prefer a black woman to the white male incumbent.

Before Tuesday’s vote, The New York Times spoke with Capuano about his first competitive congressional race in years.

The following is an edited and condensed version of the conversation.

A: I think that we’re in the fight of our lives with Donald Trump in the White House. And I think this district — like all districts, but particularly this one — needs the best fighter that we can get in Washington. Somebody who’s experienced and knows how to fight in Congress. But also, if the House goes Democratic, hopefully somebody who knows how to make the majority work for us as well — both on a national level and on a local level. So for me that’s what I’m focused on, not the differences between me and anybody else.

A: In democracy, it’s fair for everybody to run for every office. I don’t think of it in terms of fairness. You know, like anyone else, I want everyone to love me and I want everyone to vote for me, but at the same time, I’ve never shied away from a political battle and this is no different.

A: I don’t really look at it that way. I think people want the same thing: They want the best fighter they can get against the Trump agenda.

I think I’ve proven repeatedly, over a long period of time, that I like reaching out and I enjoy bringing different people together and trying to come up with one voice that we can talk to Congress with. So, in this case, my record speaks for itself. And again, I think the average voter wants somebody who’s best for them and not just someone who may look like them at a given time.

A: The bill was simply a restatement of current law. And I actually do believe it should be illegal to target police officers and correctional officers. And for those who feel that the bill should have gone further — I would agree.

The bill that was in front of me was a fair bill, and that’s why the entire Massachusetts delegation voted for it, and that’s why I think it was two-thirds of the Congressional Black Caucus voted for it. And I believe almost all of the Congressional Hispanic Caucus voted for the bill.

It didn’t really change federal law — it was more of a statement built on the floor by Republicans. But the statement was fair: I just don’t think that you should be able to target police officers and correctional officers.

A: No, not at all.

A: The Boston Globe has never endorsed me in a contested election, and no one I know expected that they would this time, either.

A: No, I think what the campaign has taught me is that, for the most part, we’ve done a pretty good job doing just that. We’ve always stayed close to the people in this district. I come home every single weekend. We do an awful lot of outreach. I have twice as many staff assigned to the Massachusetts offices as I do to the D.C. office because I prize the fact that we stay close to our constituents — and I think that a lot of this election will be based on that. We haven’t forgotten where we come from, and we have not ignored the home team.

A: Quite simply, I would hope that people vote in their own best interest. I hope people do a little bit of work to research the backgrounds of the candidates and what we have each done. And if they do that, I feel confident that they’re going to see a record that they support.

I think people want the best fighter they can get against this Trump administration. And I think that’s going to be us.