Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass., has secured the Democratic nomination for Massachusetts’ 7th Congressional District after facing no challengers in Tuesday’s primary. She will also go unopposed by any Republican candidate in the November general election.
The district, which covers roughly three-quarters of Boston, is rated Solid Democrat by the Cook Political Report. Pressley has held the seat since 2018, when she was first elected alongside Reps. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., and Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich., a group that came to be known as the “Squad.”
Despite having no opposition in either the primary or general election, Pressley campaigned for other Democratic candidates this cycle. She appeared alongside state Rep. Tram Nguyen, a Democratic candidate for District 6 who, like Pressley, supports abolishing ICE, implementing Medicare for all, and ending military aid to Israel. Pressley also campaigned with Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass.
Sharp Criticism of Trump and the Supreme Court
With the general election effectively decided, Pressley used her platform this cycle to criticize President Donald Trump and the Supreme Court’s conservative majority. After the court’s 6-3 ruling in Louisiana v. Callais, which found that creating a second majority-Black congressional district in Louisiana amounted to unconstitutional racial gerrymandering, Pressley accused the Trump administration of being “anti-Black.”
“[The Trump administration] would rather Black Americans pick cotton than pick the president, than pick their congressperson, than pick a senator,” Pressley said.
A week before the primary, speaking at a campaign rally for Markey, Pressley argued that white supremacy has flourished during Trump’s presidency.
“It is bigger than Trump. Because whenever we do the work of ousting the occupant of the Oval Office, the Confederacy is still alive and well. That’s all MAGA is. White supremacy is still alive and well. Anti-Blackness will still be alive and well.” — Ayanna Pressley
In April, when introducing a bill aimed at providing relief to people facing eviction, Pressley described evictions as “an act of violence.”
Financial Disclosures and Contract Scrutiny
Pressley’s own finances have drawn scrutiny during this election cycle. Her 2024 financial disclosure showed that she and her husband, Conan Harris, reported $8 million in assets tied to four Massachusetts rental properties.
In July, Harris faced additional scrutiny after a company he partners with secured a $2 billion state contract to build a new courthouse in Massachusetts. John Barros, a key partner in CoJo Real Estate, divested from the company amid ethics concerns over how the contract was awarded.
Losing bidders for the courthouse project have since filed suit, pointing to Barros’ departure from CoJo Real Estate as evidence of wrongdoing. Pressley herself is not named as a wrongdoer in that lawsuit.
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