Hundreds rally for Tram Nguyen in Salem ahead of MA-06 primary
(3-4 minute read)
Hundreds of supporters gathered on Salem Common on a clear, sunny Sunday afternoon on August 30 to rally behind Tram Nguyen ahead of the September 1 Democratic primary for Massachusetts’ 6th Congressional District. After a lineup of speakers, the crowd set out to knock on doors across the district, working to get out the vote for Nguyen before Tuesday’s election.
State Rep Manny Cruz addresses the crowd in support of Nguyen’s campaign. Photo by Taylor Gregory.
State and local leaders make the case for Nguyen
MA State Representative Manny Cruz told the crowd that Nguyen has already proven she can win and govern in a tough district, pointing to her record of flipping a Republican-held seat blue and then making it more progressive, including changing the formula for Chapter 70 school aid, supporting gun control measures, and working alongside Black and Latino neighbors in backing the state’s protest legislation. He described her as a leader with integrity who doesn’t back down from a challenge and has committed to not taking money from AIPAC or corporate PACs, calling her a fighter for the unheard who supports Medicare for All, opposes foreign wars, and wants to abolish ICE.
MA State Senator Lydia Edwards, who said she met Nguyen years ago as young attorneys working together because “it was the right thing to do,” called her battle-tested from beating a MAGA Republican and said the coalition gathered on the Common, which she described as a coalition of labor, was fired up to send Nguyen to Washington. “No time for distractions or naysayers,” Edwards told the crowd, adding that the only distractions left for opponents to raise were just that - distractions - and that the race has to be won on Tuesday. She called Nguyen an example of women helping women, someone who’s there for everyone.
Congressional Democrats lend their support
U.S. Rep Ayanna Pressley speaks in support of Nguyen’s campaign. Photo by Taylor Gregory.
U.S. Representative Ayanna Pressley noted that she, Edwards, and MA Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell all served on Boston City Council, a fact she said no one could have predicted would lead to this moment. She said none of their paths had been easy, each having been underestimated and counted out at different points, and credited the power of the people with delivering them to serve. Pressley argued the current administration is anti-worker, anti-immigrant, anti-science, and pro-war, while their movement is “pro-humanity.” She said Nguyen earned her endorsement by earning the confidence of her neighbors and building her political career herself, and she urged the crowd to use their voices in the campaign’s final days: “The only way to beat a dictator is defiance.” Pressley closed by calling Nguyen “our dream and their nightmare,” framing the race around the themes of “people over profits, peace over war, freedom over fascism.”
U.S. Representative Lori Trahan told the crowd that every vote, door knock, text, and phone call matters in the race’s final stretch, and that supporters can’t take their foot off the gas. She framed her support for Nguyen’s story as a refugee who came to the United States and became the first in her family to graduate from college. Trahan said having more women at the table changes the conversation, brings more experiences into the room, and leads to better decisions and outcomes.
State AG Andrea Joy Campbell addresses the crowd in support of Nguyen’s campaign. Photo by Taylor Gregory.
Massachusetts’ attorney general joins the rally
State AG Andrea Joy Campbell told supporters she wouldn’t get distracted by the noise with two days left before the primary, saying she was fired up, proud, and grateful to be with people doing the work to move the state forward. She said voters deserve elected officials as evidence of what representation looks like, citing 60 lawsuits she’s filed against the Trump administration and $4B in investments she said her office has protected in Massachusetts. Campbell said she couldn’t do that work alone, framing Nguyen’s campaign and career as people-driven and focused on leveling the playing field for those who don’t take anyone or anything for granted.
An opponent turned surrogate
Dr. Mariah Lancaster, who recently ended their candidacy against Nguyen in the primary, told the crowd they were thankful to share the stage with people working to make Massachusetts and the country better, and said that what the coalition is fighting for is bigger than any one candidate. Lancaster said that after getting to know Nguyen well during the campaign, they have no doubt: if it couldn’t be them, it should be Nguyen. They urged the crowd to do everything they can to make Nguyen the first woman to represent the 6th District in Congress.
Nguyen: “This is about what building a movement looks like”
Tram Nguyen addresses the crowd at Sunday’s rally. Photo by Taylor Gregory.
Tram Nguyen closed out the rally by thanking the crowd for the turnout and energy, and thanking Lancaster specifically for her introduction and support in the fight for progressive values. Nguyen said the moment was about sending a clear message that Donald Trump and his allies can’t win, and that she wants the country to be welcoming to everyone and supportive of working-class families. She also gave a shoutout to the spouses supporting candidates behind the scenes on the campaign trail, including her husband.
Nguyen described the rally as an example of what building a movement looks like, bringing everyone into the fold at a moment when she said the country’s government is in crisis and the Trump administration is hurting people along the way. She reflected on running for Congress as a refugee from Vietnam, 250 years into the country’s history, and said her positions come from lived experience rather than theory. She pointed to Massachusetts as a national leader in education and healthcare and said she wants to bring that same approach to Washington, describing herself as an unapologetic progressive from a working-class immigrant family who is ready to take on the status quo and fight back against billionaires trying to take over the country. She said the moment demands a leader focused on delivering real results for people and getting money out of politics.
The MA Democratic primary is today, September 1. Polls are open until 8 pm.
