Josh Caldwell

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

Josh Caldwell

Democratic Party

Education

Bachelor's

Suffolk University, 2015

Personal

Birthplace

Boston, Mass.

Religion

Atheist

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Twitter

Personal LinkedIn

Josh Caldwell (Democratic Party) ran for election for Governor of Massachusetts. He did not appear on the ballot for the Democratic primary on September 6, 2022.

Caldwell completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Josh Caldwell was born in Boston, Massachusetts. He earned a bachelor's degree from Suffolk University in 2015 and pursued graduate education at Emerson College. Caldwell's career experience includes running a nonprofit organization focused on identifying inequity in gentrifying communities, working in executive sales, and running a wholesale pretzel organization.

Elections

2022

See also: Massachusetts gubernatorial and lieutenant gubernatorial election, 2022

General election

General election for Governor of Massachusetts

Maura Healey defeated Geoff Diehl and Kevin Reed in the general election for Governor of Massachusetts on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Maura Healey (D)	63.7	1,584,403
		Geoff Diehl (R)	34.6	859,343
		Kevin Reed (L)	1.6	39,244
		Other/Write-in votes	0.1	2,806

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 2,485,796
= 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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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Dianna Ploss (Independent)

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Governor of Massachusetts

Maura Healey defeated Sonia Chang-Diaz (Unofficially withdrew) in the Democratic primary for Governor of Massachusetts on September 6, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Maura Healey	85.3	642,092
		Sonia Chang-Diaz (Unofficially withdrew)	14.4	108,574
		Other/Write-in votes	0.3	1,972

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 752,638
= 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

• Benjamin Downing (D)
• Josh Caldwell (D)
• Danielle Allen (D)
• Orlando Silva (D)
• Scott Donohue (D)

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Governor of Massachusetts

Geoff Diehl defeated Chris Doughty in the Republican primary for Governor of Massachusetts on September 6, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Geoff Diehl	55.3	149,800
		Chris Doughty	44.4	120,418
		Other/Write-in votes	0.3	769

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 270,987
= 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

2022

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Josh Caldwell completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Caldwell'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 am angry.

Angry about the injustice our systems of oppression enforce on us, the labor class.

Angry how that subjugation is exacerbated if your skin is not white.

I am a Non-Profit executive working on implementing reparation programs, and support services in gentrifying communities nationally. We hope to take our views on reparations, equity, anti-capitalism, and degrowth to coalesce the labor class before incrementalism kills us all.

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?

• Reparations. The Commonwealth is the original bastion of heirarchal race ideology. It is time we led the way on addressing it.
• Healthcare, Housing, Utilities, Education, Food, Child Care need to be nationalized and regulated for the safety of the community and their ability to participate equitably in it.
• We will implement a UBI that accounts for historical oppression indicators as well as additive parent wages.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

Re-Investing in public housing programs, Nationalising Utilities, Reparations, Universal Child Care.

We need to prove to the populace that Government can actually be a force for good.

Legalize All Drugs

Decriminalize Sex Work

Who do you look up to? Whose example would you like to follow, and why?

There are hundreds of Black, Brown, and Indigenous people that have called for similar movements. I hope to follow in their lead.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

The Sum Of Us: Heather Mcghee

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

Transparency

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

To ensure the most harm reduction, and work to make the most equitable state.

What is the first historical event that happened in your lifetime that you remember? How old were you at the time?

The Gulf War is the earliest thing I can remember. I would have been 3 at the time.

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

The first job I had was at Blockbuster. I worked there for four year.

What is your favorite book? Why?

NK Jemisin Broken Earth Trilogy.

Made me think of Fantasy in a different way.

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

Where I'll Go

Moana

What is something that has been a struggle in your life?

Poverty, Alcohol, Trauma.

Our society inflicts a lot of trauma. Our politicians are too out of touch with what it is actually like to exist in this world.

A governor is the top executive authority in his or her state. What does that mean do you?

It means that we can make a statement. Our campaign calls for extremely radical changes. Changes that most likely won't be achievable in a four-year term. What it does mean, though, is that we can announce to the State House, exactly where our priorities lay; of which we can then work to create pathways to those outcomes.

Electoralism has been defined by reactionary politicking that performatively deals with outcomes of a system that survives on subjugation.

Governors have many responsibilities, which vary from state to state. Which of those do you personally consider the most important in your state?

It is about setting the tone, and that includes the governor's Submission of the budget, Funding is crucial to make sure we can make equitable change.

Different states require governors to have different degrees of responsibility for the state budgeting process. If it were your choice, what do you believe is the appropriate degree of gubernatorial involvement with this process in your state?

I appreciate the structure of Commonwealths process in which the Governor submits a budget proposal and Congress works on a budget in which the Governor can then Veto, Approve etc...

In most states, governors have the power to make line-item vetoes. If that is true in your state, what would be your philosophy for how and when to use this power?

I would use this liberally, to ensure that money is going to areas that ensure the greatest amount of equity and harm reduction.

What do you believe is the ideal relationship between the governor and state legislature?

The Governor is akin to the President of their state. It is a statement of political party position. Of which the state legislature works to enforce and enact those policies.

What do you perceive to be your state's greatest challenges over the next decade?

Climate Change and Racial Inequity.

Tell us your favorite joke.

A string walks into a bar and asks for a beer.

The bartender says...we don't serve your kind in here.

The string walks outside, ties his middle in a knot, strips their ends and walks back into the bar.

"Bartender, how bout a beer," The string asks.

"Eh? Aren't you the string we just threw out of here? "

Incredulously the string answered: "I am afraid not"

Under what circumstances should the governor of your state be able to use emergency powers?

If elected I would declare a state of emergency to combat the very real dangers of Climate and Racial Inequity. There is a fine line to walk to ensure appropriate use and not political malfeasence.

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

2022 Elections

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Candidate

Governor of Massachusetts

Website

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