Robbie Goldstein

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

Robbie Goldstein

Democratic Party

Elections and appointments

Last election

September 1, 2020

Education

Bachelor's

Tufts University, 2005

Ph.D

Tufts University, 2012

Medical

Tufts University, 2012

Personal

Religion

Jewish

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Campaign Twitter

Campaign Instagram

Campaign YouTube

Personal Facebook

Robbie Goldstein (Democratic Party) ran for election to the U.S. House to represent Massachusetts' 8th Congressional District. He lost in the Democratic primary on September 1, 2020.

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

Biography

Robbie Goldstein received an M.D. and a Ph.D. from Tufts University in 2012 and a bachelor's degree from Tufts University in 2005. His professional experience includes being a primary care physician, an infectious disease specialist, a faculty member for Harvard Medical School, and the founder and medical director of the Transgender Health Program at Massachusetts General Hospital.

Elections

2020

See also: Massachusetts' 8th Congressional District election, 2020

Massachusetts' 8th Congressional District election, 2020 (September 1 Democratic primary)

General election

General election for U.S. House Massachusetts District 8

Incumbent Stephen Lynch defeated Jonathan D. Lott in the general election for U.S. House Massachusetts District 8 on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Stephen Lynch (D)	80.7	310,940
		Jonathan D. Lott (Healthcare Environment Stability)	18.7	72,060
		Other/Write-in votes	0.6	2,401

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 385,401
= 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 8

Incumbent Stephen Lynch defeated Robbie Goldstein in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Massachusetts District 8 on September 1, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Stephen Lynch	66.4	111,542
		Robbie Goldstein	33.5	56,219
		Other/Write-in votes	0.1	222

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 167,983
= 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

• Mohammad Dar (D)
• Brianna Wu (D)

Endorsements

To view Goldstein's endorsements in the 2020 election, please click here.

Campaign themes

2020

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

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

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Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I grew up in a small town in upstate New York and watched my parents care for our community every day. They worked hard running a dental practice and taught me the value of investing in your neighbors. I came to Massachusetts nearly 2 decades ago as a college freshman and I built my life here. I met and married my husband here, I trained in science and medicine here, and I established a practice here.

I have spent my entire career caring for the people of the 8th district in Massachusetts. I have seen thousands of people struggling to get the care they need. From my work researching breast cancer genetics to seeing patients as their primary care doctor, I have seen the ways who you are and where you live impact your health.

I am running for Congress because we can't afford to wait any longer to improve our health as a community and take on the most pressing challenges we face: gun violence, the epidemic of substance use, a changing climate, the rising cost of housing, an expensive and unreliable transportation system, and the increasing costs of health insurance and prescription drugs.

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?

• It's time for a fresh perspective on healthcare - one grounded in the fundamental truth that healthcare is a human right, not a benefit for those who can pay.
• It's time for a fresh perspective on equality - one that asserts the importance of a woman's right to choose, recognizes the critical importance of federal protections for the LGBTQ community, and understands the compounded impact that race, ethnicity, and discrimination have on income, housing, education and health.
• It's time for a fresh perspective on the role of government - one that demands bold action to confront the epidemics of our time - gun violence, substance use, and discrimination - that have taken the lives of far too many.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

As a physician, I approach public policy from a healthcare perspective and believe that we need to elect leaders who can address our broken healthcare system. I also recognize that healthcare is much more than just having an insurance card in your pocket - housing is healthcare, food security is healthcare, climate change is healthcare. And, as we all address the systemic racism that exists in our country we can not forget the racism that permeates the healthcare system making it much harder for Black and Brown Americans to live a healthy life. Racism is a public health crisis that requires elected leaders who understand how to use data and evidence to implement changes that can move us towards justice.

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

Jill Lepore's These Truths. We have a tremendous amount to learn from history, if we are open to hearing the truth, apologizing for our transgressions, and including everyone in the process. Her single volume history of the United States does not ignore our collective racism, misogyny, and xenophobia and it doesn't make excuses. It asks us all to learn from history and to work towards a better future - one that may actually live up to the words that gave birth to our nation.

What qualities do you possess that you believe would make you a successful officeholder?

For ten years, I have worked to fundamentally redefine the way we provide care to LGBTQ patients at MGH. My scholarly work has focused on the stigma and discrimination faced by our community, and the ways that impacts our health. I am most proud of leading the effort to create the hospital's Transgender Health Program (THP). In addition to providing primary care, the THP provides our patients with culturally competent mental health providers, community resources, and opportunities to be in a safe space and get the quality of care they deserve.

In the beginning, many people thought that this kind of systemic change was too challenging for a healthcare system with thousands of employees and patients. I built a coalition from the ground up, partnering with transgender advocates, educating as many people as possible about the importance of gender affirming care, and connecting with hospital leaders around our shared values of giving every person the highest quality of care in a culturally sensitive, compassionate, and respectful manner.

I am proud of the work we've done to build a program that provides high-quality, personalized care to the transgender and non-binary communities in and around Boston. As a member of Congress, I will lead in the same way we built the THP: identifying gaps, working in partnership with those most affected, and building coalitions to implement solutions.

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

My first job was working in my parents office - the family dental practice. My sister and I would go to the office after school, on the weekends and all summer long to help my parents. In the process, we watched them care for the community and the community cared for us. We continued to help until we went off to college.

What is your favorite book? Why?

And the Band Played On, by Randy Shilts. I've read this book over 10 times, each time learning something new about our country, our government, and our response to the HIV epidemic. The book opened my eyes to the importance of activism, it inspired me to work with those living with HIV, and it provided me a history that I didn't learn in schools about my community (the LGBTQ community).

What qualities does the U.S. House of Representatives possess that makes it unique as an institution?

The US House of Representatives is the people's house. From the beginning, representatives have been directly elected by the people of their communities and are held accountable with elections every 2 years. This constant connection with the community makes the House more capable of representing their voice and ensures that representatives vote in alignment with their constituents. But, importantly, this close connection with the people of the district is paired with votes on issues that impact the entire country. Representatives are able to lift up the voices of a community to drive broad and impactful policy, making sure that the people of this country have a voice in shaping the country.

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

I think what is most important is that representatives have experience in how to lead. Leadership skills are transferable from industry to industry and are more important than decades of experience in politics. I believe that it is important for our elected officials to have a diversity of backgrounds and that they bring prior experience outside of politics into the governing process.

Is there a particular representative, past or present, whom you want to model yourself after?

I look to many of the elected leaders we have in Massachusetts for inspiration. This includes Senator Elizabeth Warren, who demonstrates the power of evidence-based governing every single day. She has demanded that progressive policies be data-driven from before she took office. I also look to Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley as a representative who lifts up the voices of the communities she represents. She marries the data-driven policy approach of Senator Warren with a leadership style that centers those who have been excluded from the table for too long.

We also have unbelievable representation in our state government in Massachusetts, including Representative Nika Elugardo who is the best messenger for progressive policies I've ever seen. She reminds me (and everyone in Massachusetts) that our policies are about justice and that we must fight every day. She is joined in the State House by Representative Liz Miranda who, like Congresswoman Pressley, amplifies the voices of her communities while fighting for policies that improve their lives every day. She is an unbelievable legislator, knowing how and when to bring others to her side as she fights for what is right.

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

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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)