Community organizer Joe Tache is running to be the U.S. Senator from Massachusetts as part of the Party for Socialism and Liberation, challenging long-standing Democrat Ed Markey.
Tache originally hails from Roxbury, and his courses as a business major at Northeastern University sparked his interest in a socialist movement that fights against capitalism and the exploitation of workers. His campaign website speaks out against billionaires, stating that “the economy is structured to line their pockets rather than meet our needs.”
“We’re running on the program that for us to have the solutions that we need to solve the crisis we’re facing in societies today, we need to be building a movement that’s independent of the billionaire class that’s causing those problems,” he said in an interview with The Mass Media.
Tache states he believes his campaign will resonate with college students in particular because of today’s tumultuous political climate, a symptom of the current capitalist system. Climate change, the rise in AI and militarism are some of the main contributors he gives to the “bleak” future young people face today.
One problem facing Boston students in particular is the high cost of living in Massachusetts. “It’s not that we don’t have the means to provide UMass Boston students or other young people with the basic necessities to have a quality life,” he said, “it’s that we’re prioritizing power and profits of billionaires over the interests of regular everyday people, including students here at the school.”
His campaign efforts expand further than just Boston. He has traveled to places throughout the state, like Cape Cod, Lowell and Springfield. Despite being from different regions, he says that the challenges residents face are very similar state-wide, noting, “All of our problems have the same root cause. They may show up differently in different places, but we want to really build forward a message of unity in this campaign. Most people in this country are working hard every single day to try to provide for ourselves and our families, and we are being taken advantage of.”
This widespread effort is what drew Tache to the U.S. Senate in particular, as he could play a much bigger role in setting the federal budget and tackling more country-wide issues. He acknowledges that challenging Markey, who has been in Congress since 1976, will be a big undertaking. However, he stated it was time for a new era, as Markey’s progressive ideals often don’t lead to actual change for the average American.
“[I think that fifty years in Congress is long enough to prove whether or not your theory of change works,” he said. “And if life has been getting worse for the majority of people over [Markey’s] entire political career, I think it may be time…for that whole theory of change to be swept to the side.”
Tache draws optimism from figures like New York City mayor Zohran Mamdani, a socialist candidate who ran under the Democratic Party and ousted the controversial Eric Adams. “I think Mamdani’s campaign was a real indication that people are fed up with the status quo,” Tache said. “It inspires a lot of optimism in my belief that regular, everyday people are the ones who make history.” While running under a third party will require a lot more effort, Tache said that “just because something is difficult isn’t a reason not to do it, right? Pursue something if you think it’s the right thing to do.”
Tache’s campaign has raised over $100,000 so far, which has not come from any corporate funding or paid canvassers. The campaign relies on volunteers and donations, both of which are currently being accepted.
“I would really want to prioritize ensuring that people that vote for me on November 3 don’t just go home after election day and say ‘we did a great job in that campaign.’ Actually being part of this campaign is an invitation to dedicate your time moving forward beyond election day to being part of that movement to transform our society,” Tache said. “That’s ultimately going to be the thing that allows us to win these changes that we’re fighting for.”
