Dave Cavell

This page was current at the end of the individual's last campaign covered by Ballotpedia. Please contact us with any updates.

Dave Cavell

Democratic Party

Elections and appointments

Last election

September 1, 2020

Education

Bachelor's

Tufts University, 2006

Law

Georgetown University Law Center, 2013

Personal

Religion

Jewish

Profession

Teacher

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Campaign Twitter

Campaign Instagram

Personal Facebook

Personal LinkedIn

Dave Cavell (Democratic Party) ran for election to the U.S. House to represent Massachusetts' 4th Congressional District. He lost in the Democratic primary on September 1, 2020. Cavell unofficially withdrew from the race but appeared on the primary election ballot on September 1, 2020.

Cavell completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Dave Cavell earned a bachelor's degree from Tufts University in 2006 and a J.D. from Georgetown University Law Center in 2013. His career experience includes working as a teacher, speechwriter, lawyer, and public servant.

Elections

2020

See also: Massachusetts' 4th Congressional District election, 2020

Massachusetts' 4th Congressional District election, 2020 (September 1 Democratic primary)

Massachusetts' 4th Congressional District election, 2020 (September 1 Republican primary)

General election

General election for U.S. House Massachusetts District 4

Jake Auchincloss defeated Julie Hall in the general election for U.S. House Massachusetts District 4 on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Jake Auchincloss (D)	60.8	251,102
		Julie Hall (R)	38.9	160,474
		Other/Write-in votes	0.3	1,247

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 412,823
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Massachusetts District 4

The following candidates ran in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Massachusetts District 4 on September 1, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Jake Auchincloss	22.4	35,361
		Jesse Mermell	21.0	33,216
		Becky Grossman	18.1	28,578
		Natalia Linos	11.6	18,364
		Ihssane Leckey	11.1	17,539
		Alan Khazei	9.1	14,440
		Chris Zannetos (Unofficially withdrew)	3.3	5,135
		Dave Cavell (Unofficially withdrew)	1.6	2,498
		Ben Sigel	1.6	2,465
		Other/Write-in votes	0.2	242

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 157,838
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Deb Goldberg (D)
• Herb Robinson (D)
• Nick Matthew (D)
• Thomas Shack III (D)

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Massachusetts District 4

Julie Hall defeated David Rosa in the Republican primary for U.S. House Massachusetts District 4 on September 1, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Julie Hall	62.8	19,394
		David Rosa	36.6	11,296
		Other/Write-in votes	0.6	182

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 30,872
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Campaign themes

2020

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Dave Cavell completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Cavell's responses. Candidates are asked three required questions for this survey, but they may answer additional optional questions as well.

Expand all | Collapse all

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I was born and raised in Brookline and I went to Tufts University. Since graduating, I've spent my life in public service. My first job out of college was as a 4th grade public school teacher in the South Bronx in New York. I had 32 students with unlimited potential, all of whom had been failed by the system before they ever stepped inside my classroom. That's why I decided to enter public service, and that's why I'm running for Congress. After teaching, I worked as a speechwriter for Deval Patrick in Massachusetts before taking a job as a speechwriter for President Obama in the White House. Most recently, I have been serving as Assistant Attorney General and senior advisor to Maura Healey in the Massachusetts Attorney General's office.

Today, we face unprecedented challenges and a president utterly unequipped to deal with them. As a former Assistant Attorney General, I will bring experience and legal knowledge to strengthen our institutions and pass legislation to fight the abuse of power emanating from the White House. I'm the only candidate in this race who has worked on all of the big issues we face today in our district and in our country-from the climate crisis, to gun safety, to the opioid crisis and beyond. That's why I am running for Congress: because at this moment in our country's history, we need leaders who are day-one ready.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• Day-one ready. I am the only candidate in this race who has worked on all the major issues we face. As a speechwriter for President Barack and First Lady Michelle Obama, and then as Assistant Attorney General under Maura Healey, I have fought to protect our environment, end the opioid crisis, defend the Affordable Care Act, stop wage theft, and countless other issues facing our district and our nation today. We are living in unprecedented times. Whoever we send to Congress will not just need to vote on crucial legislation immediately, but also to lead on progressive policy for structural change. I am the only candidate in this race who is day-one ready.
• Holding power accountable. There are a lot of good candidates in this race, but I am the only one who has actually stood up to powerful interests in my public service career. In the attorney general's office, we investigated ExxonMobil, sued the NRA in court and won, and put Purdue Pharma out of business. We also sued the Trump administration over 50 times on matters ranging from immigration to healthcare. In Congress, that is the kind of leader I will be: unafraid to hold our president and powerful corporate interests accountable.
• As the only teacher on the ballot, I'm committed to protecting public education. I'm ready to support teachers, students, and parents across our district and make sure that schools reopen safely. I was proud to attend the teacher's strike in Taunton, where teachers were protesting fall layoffs. Unlike the other candidates, I've actually been at the front of a public school classroom. I know how dire the situation is for public schools trying to reopen in the fall, and I'm committed to ensuring substantial municipal relief so that schools can open safely and that our students can continue to learn.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I am passionate about ending the opioid crisis, protecting public education, and saving our democracy. In the AG's office, I traveled to places like Fall River, Taunton, and Attleboro frequently with Attorney General Healey, and I saw first hand what opioids had done to families in these cities. I promised myself that whatever came next, I would fight for those families.

As the only teacher on the ballot, I am also passionate about education. Teaching in the South Bronx after college, I saw how badly our system of public education had failed my kids before they even entered the classroom-half of my students had asthma, and on the first day of school, some students had to sit on the carpet because we didn't have enough chairs. Teachers like myself bought supplies out of pocket. That is unacceptable in the richest nation on earth.

Lastly, I am committed to saving our democracy and comprehensive election reform. That means getting dark money out, ending partisan gerrymandering, instituting ranked-choice voting, and ending voter suppression. When the AG's office investigated the NRA and ExxonMobil, I saw firsthand the kind of stranglehold these mega companies had on our democracy. If we want to save our democracy, we need someone in Congress who has stood up to powerful interests and kept them accountable.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

I believe politicians must be accessible to the people they serve. Indeed, that is the very meaning of the phrase "public servant." My mentor and former boss, Maura Healey, called the Attorney General's office "the people's law firm." I want to bring that attitude to Congress. I have spent my career in public service, fighting against powerful corporations that threaten our democracy. But it's not enough to just stand up to bad actors. You also must lead by example and reach people where they are, solve their problems, and show them that government can be a force for good. That is why I look forward to opening not just one or two district offices, but to implementing a traveling office so that we reach people where they are in every corner of the district.

What legacy would you like to leave?

There are so many things I look forward to working on in Congress-as I mentioned before, I'm passionate about climate, education, curing opioid addiction, and government reform. Recently, however, I've been working with a colleague on a proposal called the "George Floyd Education Act," which would ensure that all public school students learn about Black history. At this pivotal moment as a nation, I believe it is vital to reform how we teach this subject. It is my hope that this act fundamentally changes what our kids are learning, and in so doing paves the way for a real change in how we think about race in America.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

My first job out of college was as a 4th grade homeroom teacher at Public School 28 in the South Bronx, one of the poorest districts in America, as a member of the United Federation of Teachers. I met and taught some of the brightest, most curious, most impressive young students I have ever encountered. But I saw a broader system that failed my students before they ever entered my classroom. I had students who were homeless in my classroom and would fall asleep during class because they had not been able to sleep in a homeless shelter. I also saw heroic teachers spending hundreds of dollars of their own money to buy school supplies and equipment for their classroom - including myself. Public school teachers and students are often described as our most important responsibility as a society. It is time we started acting as if they truly are. In Congress, I will fight to make sure that our students have what they need. I'll fight to make sure that kids don't go to school hungry and that they have the resources they need to learn and thrive.

What is your favorite book? Why?

What it Takes: The Way to the White House by Richard Ben Cramer. This book, which approaches 1,000 pages, contains some of the most beautiful and incisive prose about the difficult, hilarious, frustrating, and mystifying work that goes into public service and the meandering paths that people take before finding public service. Ultimately, Cramer shows how a small group of dedicated people can make a real difference in this country and in people's lives one event, one day, and one campaign stop at a time. I was struck when I first read this by the fundamental decency of those who choose to engage with this work.

What was the last song that got stuck in your head?

The 1812 Overture by Tchaikovsky. I was listening to this piece on 4th of July in lieu of the normally televised Boston Pops celebration on the Esplanade.

Do you believe that it's beneficial for representatives to have previous experience in government or politics?

Absolutely. Especially now, as we are in the middle of a crisis with an uncertain future ahead, we need leaders who are experienced and ready on day one to make big decisions. I have been on the frontlines of all the major issues facing our district, and I have taken on the largest and most powerful interests in Washington that want to crowd out our voices. In 2020, there is too much at stake. I am the only candidate in this race who has dealt with climate change, gun violence, the opioid epidemic at state and federal levels and has sued the Trump administration over 50 times.

What do you perceive to be the United States’ greatest challenges as a nation over the next decade?

The answer to this question has changed over the past few months, as it has become clear that, due to lack of federal leadership, this pandemic has no clear end in sight. This massive public health crisis comes on top of so many other generational crises- crises like climate change, racial inequality and police brutality, to name only a few. The Covid-19 pandemic has laid bare the real costs of having no federal leadership. That's why I believe the greatest challenge for the country over the next decade will be to restore federal leadership to Washington. We need to restore science, expertise, accountability, and a sense of duty to our public and elected institutions. If we had real federal leadership, we could be that much closer to passing the Green New Deal, ensuring frontline workers have the resources they need, and other proposals that demand urgent action. Instead, over 120,000 Americans have died because the current administration politicized basic science and public health guidance. We must use this unprecedented moment to rebuild our economy and reimagine our future. With real leadership in Congress, we can pass a Green New Deal, head off climate change, and bring high-paying jobs to places like Fall River, Taunton, and Attleboro.

Both sitting representatives and candidates for office hear many personal stories from the residents of their district. Is there a story that you’ve heard that you found particularly touching, memorable, or impactful?

When I was in the AG's office, I met a young man in Taunton who had become paralyzed as the result of an opioid overdose. His story was a familiar one: a high school athlete prescribed opioid painkillers for a shoulder injury. The next thing he and his family knew, he was addicted. I made a promise to his family that I would fight for them in congress. And since running, I have spoken with countless families who have similar stories-grandparents who buried their own children and who are now raising grandkids. I've spoken to families who have been given the runaround by insurance companies and who are unable to get their loved ones the treatment they desperately need. Families in these situations deserve responsive and compassionate care, and I will use my office in Congress to make sure they get those services.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

See also

2020 Elections

What's on the ballot? U.S. President U.S. Congress U.S. Congress special elections State executives State legislatures State courts Ballot measures Municipal government School boards Election analysis hub

Government

Who represents me? U.S. Congress State executives State legislators State courts Ballot measures Municipal government School boards

Newsletters

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External links

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Footnotes

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Massachusetts' current delegation to the United States Congress

Senators

Edward Markey (D)

Elizabeth Warren (D)

Representatives

District 1

Richard Neal (D)

District 2

Jim McGovern (D)

District 3

Lori Trahan (D)

District 4

Jake Auchincloss (D)

District 5

Katherine Clark (D)

District 6

Seth Moulton (D)

District 7

Ayanna Pressley (D)

District 8

Stephen Lynch (D)

District 9

Bill Keating (D)

Democratic Party (11)