Mass. Democrats hold listening sessions to engage with voters

Nearly three months after Donald Trump won the White House, Massachusetts Democratic Chair Steve Kerrigan is looking forward.

"There are 645 days between now and the midterm elections," said Kerrigan. "Our job as a political party, though, is to use those 645 days to the best of our ability to organize, organize and organize."

WATCH ANYTIME FOR FREE

Stream NBC10 Boston news for free, 24/7, wherever you are.

The Democratic Party's long road to 2026 and 2028 is well underway, starting with a series of listening sessions aimed at hearing from voters across Massachusetts.

"We're doing these nine, and one in each Congressional district, but we're also doing a bunch of them in person in the next several months," Kerrigan said.

Get updates on what's happening in Boston to your inbox. Sign up for our News Headlines newsletter.

Get top local stories in Boston delivered to you every morning. Sign up for NBC Boston's News Headlines newsletter.

The economy, the Trump administration, housing, transportation and Democratic values are all coming up during these sessions.

But Democratic strategists are split over how productive this exercise really is.

"These are just fruitless conversations, they're not going to bring anything," said Jacquetta Van Zandt.

"These are an incredibly crucial starting point," said Jesse Mermell.

NBC10 Boston political commentator Sue O'Connell weighs in on the mutual tariff threats that arose between President Donald Trump's administration and the Colombian government this weekend.

Some argue the party itself needs to be completely changed.

"I think the state party is very archaic," said Van Zandt. "We still do caucuses. Like, we haven't really moved into modern day kind of campaigning."

Others are granting more merit to the conversations.

"Clearly, we need to talk about what people's policy concerns are," said Mermell. "I also am curious about what messages resonate, and where those messages need to be placed."

The debate is likely to continue both inside and outside those formal listening forums.

"What you can't do is tell a voter how to feel," said Kerrigan. "If folks feel their personal economy isn't where it should be, we've got some work to do."

Voters who want to get involved in future listening sessions can inquire with the Massachusetts Democratic Party.