Alex Morse Image by wikimedia

By Josefin Dolsten August 13, 2020

(JTA) — In a bizarre turn of events, a new report casts doubt on allegations that Massachusetts congressional hopeful Alex Morse had inappropriate relationships with college students.

Morse, a 31-year-old gay, Jewish progressive Democrat running to unseat a longtime incumbent, was accused last week by the College Democrats of Massachusetts of having used “his position of power for romantic or sexual gain” in relationships with college students. Morse has been the mayor of Holyoke, a city of 40,000 near Springfield, for nearly a decade.

The allegations, revealed in an article in The Massachusetts Daily Collegian, claimed that Morse had matched with college students on dating apps, attempted to contact students he met through campus events and had inappropriate relationships with students at UMass Amherst, where he taught a course on urban government. In that article, Morse said he had relationships with college students but they were consensual.

Forwarding the News

Thoughtful, balanced reporting from the Forward and around the web, bringing you updated news and analysis each day.

Terms(Required)

I agree to the Forward's Terms of Service and Privacy Policy

Email(Required)

But on Wednesday, an article in The Intercept said that College Democrats had been discussing a plan to attack Morse since last year. The article said that leaders of the group discussed finding Morse’s dating profiles in an attempt to get him to say something inappropriate to damage his campaign. The group’s chief strategist, Timothy Ennis, allegedly claimed in group chats that he was attempting to secure an internship with Rep. Richard Neal, the centrist Democrat whom Morse is seeking to unseat. The Neal campaign has denied any collaboration with the students.

Morse was elected mayor of Holyoke, his hometown, at 22, becoming the youngest and first openly gay person to lead the city. He has aligned himself with “the Squad,” a quartet of progressive congresswomen of color. In an interview with the Jewish Telegraphic Agency last month, he defended the four representatives against accusations that their criticism of Israel veered into anti-Semitism.

The post New report suggests allegations against congressional candidate Alex Morse were concocted to benefit his opponent appeared first on Jewish Telegraphic Agency.

The Forward is free to read, but it isn’t free to produce

I hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, I’d like to ask you to please support the Forward.

Now more than ever, American Jews need independent news they can trust, with reporting driven by truth, not ideology. We serve you, not any ideological agenda.

At a time when other newsrooms are closing or cutting back, the Forward has removed its paywall and invested additional resources to report on the ground from Israel and around the U.S. on the impact of the war, rising antisemitism and polarized discourse.

Readers like you make it all possible. Support our work by becoming a Forward Member and connect with our journalism and your community.

This is a great time to support independent Jewish journalism you rely on. Make a gift today!

—  Rachel Fishman Feddersen, Publisher and CEO

Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.

$90 $180

$360

Other amount