First Lady Michelle Obama joined Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley in Dorchester in a rally to mobilize Massachusetts’ residents to go vote in the upcoming gubernatorial election, Nov. 4.
“If you all want a governor who will stand up to powerful interests, if you want a governor who is truly on your side, then you need to elect Martha Coakley on November the 4th.  You need to get that done,” she stated.
Obama explained the importance of choosing a governor who has been an advocate for minorities. “I think we can all agree that no one in this race will fight harder for families here in this state than Martha Coakley,” she said.
“Martha has been a tireless advocate for survivors of violence and abuse. She has stood up time and again to protect contraceptive coverage, because she believes that women should make their own health care decisions.”
She added that Coakley has a good track record of public service, and that she will be also an advocate for raising the minimum wage. “[Coakley] led the fight to raise the minimum wage, and in this campaign, she’s leading the charge for earned sick time for working families.”
Recent polls have shown that this gubernatorial race is one of the closest in recent Massachusetts history. Michelle Obama mentioned the significance of having everyone going door-to-door, spreading the word to vote in November.
Coakley continued by telling Obama and the Dorchester crowd assembled that her husband became president because the groups that his opponents thought would stay home on Election Day — minorities, women and young people — got to the polls. “They had plenty of money and plenty of influence back in 2008 and 2012, and we still won those elections. We still won… we won because we showed up and we voted. We showed up.”
She added that “At the end of the day, it’s important for us to understand the folks running those special interest groups; the folks who poured millions of dollars into those elections– they each have just one vote, and so do each of us.”
This rally took place on Oct. 3, at the Strand Theatre in Dorchester. There were several elected officials who turned out for the event in support of Coakley; including Governor Deval Patrick and Boston Mayor Marty Walsh.