Abortion, Alcohol, Banking Industries, and Teachers Unions Have Propped Up Sonia Chang-Diaz’s Political Career, State Records Show

By Tom Joyce | March 30, 2021, 20:36 EDT

State Sen. Sonia Chang-Diaz spoke out against proposed MBTA fare hikes before Wednesday’s hearing in Roxbury. (Image courtesy of Sonia CHang-Diaz)

Will state Senator Sonia Chang-Diaz (D-Jamaica Plain) run for governor in Massachusetts?

It’s possible. It’s something she is looking into, according to State House News Service.

“Families across Massachusetts are struggling to make rent, stay safe, and give their kids a brighter future. The crises now boiling over in our state — economic, public health, and racial justice — make it absolutely clear we need someone in the corner office who feels the same urgency working people do. Someone who’ll run toward problems, not away from them. That’s why I’m seriously considering running for governor,” Chang-Diaz said in a statement, according to State House News Service.

Chang-Diaz has served in the Massachusetts Senate since 2009, but who has funded and supported her political career? In part, it has been teachers’ unions, banks, and the the abortion and alcohol industries, according to the Massachusetts Office of Campaign and Political Finance.

Over the years, two teachers’ unions’ political actions committees have given money to Chang-Diaz:  the Boston Teachers Union PAC and the American Federation of Teachers MA PAC. The Boston Teachers Union PAC has given her $1,000 since 2018. That came in the form of a $500 donation in 2018 and another in 2020. The American Federation of Teachers MA PAC gave her $500 in 2008; last year, the political action committee contributed $250. Diaz ran for re-election unopposed last year.

In 2016, both organizations opposed ballot Question 2 in Massachusetts which would have allowed for up to 12 new charter schools per year to open in the state.

Beth Kontos, president of AFT Massachusetts, told NewBostonPost in an email message:  “Senator Chang Diaz is a champion for students and families in Massachusetts. Her work and support was instrumental in the successful passage of the Student Opportunity Act in 2019 that will provide equitable funding to our public schools for generations to come. We were happy to support Sonia in her run for the senate.”

The bill increased public school funding by $1.5 billion over seven years.

As for alcohol, the Beer Distributors’ PAC gave Chang-Diaz $300 in 2013.

As for the banking industry, the Eastern Bank PAC has given to Diaz twice, most recently last year days before the November 2020 general election. The PAC gave her $200 in 2012; on November 1, 2020, the PAC contributed $500 to her unopposed re-election bid.

Additionally, the NARAL Pro-Choice MA PAC made an in-kind contribution to Chang-Diaz in 2010 which the campaign valued at $107.14. Her campaign’s 2010 pre-election report says that it’s for the organization’s membership list and the time of its staff members.

Chang-Diaz favors legal abortion generally. She also voted in favor of the abortion-expansion ROE Act last year.

NARAL Pro-Choice Massachusetts, Eastern Bank, the Beer Distributors of Massachusetts, and the Boston Teachers’ Union could not be reached for comment on Tuesday.

Nor could Chang-Diaz.