MANCHESTER, N.H. – With Election Day just three days away, or to paraphrase U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen at her recent campaign stops, “two days and a sleep away,” a cavalcade of Democratic candidates descended upon the New England Carpenters Training Center on Candia road to encourage union carpenters before they left to meet voters.
The rally was split into two parts with Congressman Chris Pappas (D-NH) and Boston Mayor Marty Walsh speaking in both sessions.
Walsh, a card-carrying member of the New England Carpenters’ Union since 1988, agreed with Democratic nominee Joe Biden’s belief that next Tuesday is a struggle for the soul of the nation.
“We are a divided nation, we’re a country that’s fighting the pandemic, we’re fighting racism, we’re fighting a bad economy, we’re fighting a president that’s out of his mind and doesn’t care about the average person in America,” said Walsh.
Walsh also urged his fellow union members to talk to any colleagues who voted for Trump in 2016 and were thinking of doing so again to look at Trump’s record regarding organized labor, with Walsh and other speakers refencing Trump’s policies on Davis-Bacon wages, collective bargaining rights and other topics relating to their livelihoods.
Other topics were discussed among the myriad candidates and elected officials, such as COVID-19, with Pappas attacking Trump on this as well after the US set new global records on Saturday.
“This is an all-hands on deck moment in our history, and we have a president that discounts the science and reality,” said Pappas. “He says we’ve turned the corner on COVID when we know it’s going to continue to get worse if we don’t take the steps to protect people’s public health. And we know if we do nothing, working people are going to pay the price. The economy is going to be destroyed for those at the bottom while those at the top are going to do fine.”
In addition to Pappas and Walsh, other speakers at the event included Shaheen, Congresswoman Annie Kuster (D-NH), Congresswoman Katherine Clark (D-MA), New Hampshire State Senate President Donna Soucy (D-Manchester), Democratic New Hampshire Democratic Gubernatorial Candidate Dan Feltes and Manchester Mayor Joyce Craig.
Worcester, Massachusetts Mayor Joseph Petty was also at the event, but did not speak.
