Juan Sanchez denied opportunity to educate voters on his goals for Secretary of the Commonwealth

Despite public protests, WGBH is sticking with its policies that bar third party candidates from participating in Jim Braude’s series of debates on Greater Boston. They continue to cite “money raised, total number of donations and established campaign infrastructure.” as their reason for non-inclusion.

“The Secretary of the Commonwealth is charged with ensuring a fair and open election process,” said Juan Sanchez, the Green-Rainbow Party candidate for this office. “For Galvin and Amore to participate in any debate that keeps other officially balloted candidates out of the discussion is a travesty. I call on them to boycott this process.”

WGBH also kept Jamie Guerin, the Green-Rainbow Party candidate for State Treasurer, out of a previous debate. By excluding Juan Sanchez from tonight’s Secretary of the Commonwealth debate Jim Braude continues to stifle third party voices and portray Massachusetts politics as a simple two party race. This bias seems incompatible with the WGBH mission of being “a public media company that has always been committed to truth, knowledge and the public good.”

Sanchez, the first Puerto Rican to make it onto the statewide ballot, brings a fresh perspective to an office that Galvin has held since 1995. As a Green-Rainbow Party candidate, he stands for campaign finance reform, rank choice voting and political transparency. By enhancing voter education and accessibility, he hopes to ensure that underprivileged and underrepresented groups have a real voice on Beacon Hill. He is a long-time activist that has been working to eliminate homelessness, ensure economic and workforce development, guarantee LGBTQ equal rights and promote social equity. 

"I am running for Secretary of the Commonwealth to ensure that elections are not rigged against the 99% in favor of a system that is beholden to big money,” said Sanchez. "I believe people should hold public media groups accountable when they deliberately suppress grassroots ideas and candidates without corporate backing. It is time for everyone to demand more from the electoral system.”

The Green-Rainbow Party of Massachusetts seeks a world where money does not influence politics or the media that covers it. Join us in boycotting WGBH debates until they can have fair and equal representation for all balloted candidates.