Jamie Zahlaway Belsito

Jamie Belsito was born in Winchester, Massachusetts. She graduated from Reading High School. She obtained a bachelor's degree from Salem State University. Her professional experience includes founding the Maternal Mental Health Leadership Alliance and working as the principle of Effie's Grace LLC, as a trustee at Salem State University, and as a Spanish Flamenco dance instructor and performer.[1][2]

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

I have been fighting for ordinary Americans on Beacon Hill and in DC for years. Now, I’m running for Congress to fill the open seat in the 6th District.

I draw on my experience with postpartum depression after the births of my daughters, sparking a maternal health movement that brought my policy experience to advocate for meaningful maternal mental health support at the state and federal level. I served as state representative to the Essex 4th District, championing the Ipswich and Parker River watersheds, coastal resiliency, veterans affairs, same-day voting, and maternal mental health support. I served on the Board of Trustees at Salem State, my alma mater, and am a proud product of this district's public schools. I founded the Maternal Mental Health Leadership Alliance in 2019, and have since won over $125M in critical appropriations for state programs and the national maternal mental health hotline. I’m a proud MC of the Tri-Town Pride Parade, the first Arab-American woman to be elected to the state legislature in Massachusetts, and an unwavering progressive voice for change.
I’m a Democrat who won’t back down. I will fight for Medicare for all, for equality, and for good union jobs that built America’s working class. I have been an unwavering voice against the illegal war of choice in Iran and called out the genocide in Palestine as a sitting elected official in 2022. I live in Topsfield with my husband and two daughters.

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?

People in this country are paying too much for healthcare and prescription drugs. To address this, my first priority is passing Medicare for All. When I was pregnant with my first daughter, I was laid off from my job and told I’d have to pay more than $1,000 per month to keep my health insurance through COBRA. Nobody should be denied access to essential care because of their employment status, or spend more than 10% of their weekly paycheck on health insurance. I will advocate for accessible, affordable health care through a single-payer system that covers routine care, hospital visits, mental health services, reproductive care, and prescription drugs across all 50 states.More broadly, we need to lower the cost of living for Americans and make life more affordable for everyone. To accomplish this, I would fight for universal childcare, guarantee maternity-paternity leave, raise the federal minimum wage to at least $20, reverse DOGE's cuts and expand our federal workforce, pass the PRO Act, implement a multi-millionaire and billionaire wealth tax, repeal the corporate tax breaks in the Big Ugly Bill, end the carried-interest loophole, cap prescription drug prices and punish medical and grocery price-gouging, and lower the cost of housing by taking on private equity, controlling the cost of rent, and reforming our zoning laws.We need a humane foreign policy, and we must divert trillions of our tax dollars from the over-inflated DoW, from the war of choice in Iran, and from bankrolling Israel's genocide in Gaza, and invest that money in our communities. We spent about a trillion dollars last year on the military, and the war in Iran has cost over a billion each day. There is always money for bombs, but never money for you. Rather than using such a ridiculously large portion of our tax dollars for violence and war, we should be investing in education, healthcare, the environment, and American families.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I’m deeply passionate about serving the American people in any way that makes their lives better. But a personal issue for me has always been maternal health. After the birth of my daughter, I suffered from debilitating postpartum depression. At that time, I couldn’t find the support I needed, and that spoke volumes to me about the challenges facing Black and Brown mothers, mothers who don’t speak English, and all mothers who don’t have the resources to fight for their care. That experience led me to found the Maternal Mental Health Leadership Alliance, through which I was instrumental in passing several federal policies, creating a maternal mental health hotline, and establishing over $100 million in federal funding for state programs.

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

There are three people who really come to mind

1. Congressman Joe Moakley, whom I was a congressional intern for, modeled independent, community-rooted leadership. He was unafraid to challenge power and stood firmly for human rights and his constituents, even when it wasn’t politically convenient.

2. Senator Bernie Sanders has shown what consistent, values-driven leadership looks like. The Senator has centered working people and refused to bend to corporate influence, helping shift the national conversation on economic justice and universal healthcare. Like Bernie Sanders, I come from a working-class background as the daughter of a union floor-layer, and as a State Elected, I flipped a long-held Republican seat by appealing to everyday people with legislation that supports working families.

3. Congresswoman Sarah McBride represents disciplined, forward-looking leadership grounded in lived experience. She demonstrates that representation and serious policy work can go hand in hand. Her existence itself is a resistance against Trump, much like mine would be as a proud, Arab-American woman.

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

Honesty, integrity, an open ear, and an open mind.

What legacy would you like to leave?

I would like to leave a safer country for our most vulnerable communities. I would like to create an affordable life for working families in this country so that future generations don’t have to spend every night worrying if they can afford their groceries, their rent, their medical bills, or their education.

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

I worked as a file runner at a local law firm five days a week for four dollars and fifty cents an hour at age fifteen. After college, my first job was as an intern in Congressman Joe Moakley’s office working on constituent immigrant casework.

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

Corporate control of our government and elected officials. We need to get money out of politics and elect leaders who will be responsible to the people, not just the ultrawealthy. Only then can we restore faith in democracy and produce tangible results for the American people.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

Organizations:

Massachusetts Peace Action

The Palestinian House of New England

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists

Elected Officials:

Massachusetts Auditor Diana DiZoglio

Beverly City Council President Julie Flowers

Gloucester City Councilor Dylan Benson

Amesbury Councilor at Large Scott Mandeville

15+ more locally elected officials and activists

Campaign websiteZahlaway Belsito's campaign website stated the following:Policy PrioritiesAffordability And LaborProvide Universal ChildcareAccessible childcare is incredibly important, especially for mothers who want to raise children while still pursuing their careers. Childcare in Massachusetts costs upwards of $20,000 a year for many parents. Yet among the richest 41 countries in the world, many of which offer heavily subsidized or even free childcare, the United States ranks 40th in quality of care. This is ridiculous. The government must do more to subsidize childcare and make it free and universally accessible for everyone who needs it. Guarantee Paid Maternity and Paternity Leave The U.S. is the only rich country in the world without a paid parental leave program. In one of the wealthiest nations in the world, Congress must provide paid parental leave and require that companies hold job positions open while parents take time to raise their children. I fought for this while leading the Maternal Mental Health Leadership Alliance, and will keep fighting for it in Congress. Support the Pro Act, Protect Workers, and Punish Union Busting CorporationsI will support the PRO Act and all efforts to protect and promote union organizing. When companies illegally fire workers for engaging in union organizing, the government must have the power to immediately reinstate those employees. Corporations must not be able to punish, fire, or demote managers and senior officials for being “too weak on unions.”Employees should never be compelled to sit through hours of meetings, completely irrelevant to their jobs, that force them to watch and consume anti-union content. We must ban and override all “Right to Work” laws that only harm unions and employees. Punishments need to be strengthened for companies who engage in illegal union busting tactics. Too often, companies threaten and fire employees for attempting to unionize, or offer rewards for those who do not; while these tactics are illegal, companies realize they will only have to pay small fines as punishment. Such fines must be exponentially increased, to a level far higher than any costs a company may incur as a result of workers choosing to unionize. Raise the Minimum Wage to at Least $20Every full time worker should make enough money to support themselves and their family. We need to raise the federal minimum wage, ensure everyone makes a living wage based on where they live, and tie the minimum wage to inflation so that all families can put food on the table, keep a roof over their heads, and live lives they’re proud of. Bring Back and Expand Federal Jobs, Reject Trump’s Job CutsThe government should be working to expand and grow the workforce, not shrink it. In 2025, the federal government cut almost 240,000 positions, at a time when many are already struggling to get jobs. We need to bring back jobs in the Education Department, the National Weather Service, the Forest Service, and much more. We also need to expand the number of available federal jobs, especially as we seek to build more environmentally friendly infrastructure, improve transportation networks, and provide better schools for our youth. It will take a lot of people to help manage and carry out these projects, so we'd better get hiring soon. Provide Transparent PayCompanies should be required to post transparent pay ranges for all of their job openings, ensuring that new hires get equal pay, regardless of their characteristics, and helping employees compare their salaries with those of new hires in similar positions. Ensure Union Involvement in Government Contracts Whenever the federal government is considering new contracts, it should first turn to union labor. When the East Wing of the White House, or the reflecting pool needs to be rebuilt, they must be rebuilt by union workers. I will fight to enshrine this in legislation. Anti-corruptionIncentivize Reforms Here in Massachusetts The federal government cannot compel state legislators to stop taking bribes, but it can condition grant money on ending the practice. I propose creating a pool of additional funding available for infrastructure improvements based on whether a state legislature is subject to public records law, whether its votes and committee votes are public, and whether its members are required to uphold certain ethics standards regarding campaign expenditures and pay. This will force legislators to choose between their careers and their corrupt finances. Ban Congressional Stock Trading Members of Congress are using insider information to trade stocks and profit from their positions. In 2025 alone, members of Congress made over $630 million worth of trades, while simultaneously passing almost no legislation, allowing Trump to trample them, and letting Americans suffer. This should be illegal. Overturn Citizen’s UnitedWe need to overturn Citizen’s United and ban Super PACs. While a normal person can only donate $3,500 to one candidate, if they even have the money to do so, a Super PAC can receive and spend an unlimited amount of donations on an election. They often take money from dark money groups, functioning to obscure the transparency necessary to democracy. I’m one of only two candidates in the race who has taken the People’s Pledge and I will always reject these corrupt donations, even while my opponents receive millions from AIPAC aligned donors, Silicon Valley, and the Epstein Class. Get Dark Money out of Politics Certain organizations, which classify themselves as social welfare groups or trade associations, are allowed to receive and spend unlimited amounts of money on races, so long as they don’t explicitly say to vote for or against a specific candidate. They never have to disclose their donors. This allows billionaires to buy elections while never exposing their identity. This practice needs to end. All money spent on elections should be transparent.Prohibit the Bribery of Committee Chairs and Committee MembersCommittee members must not be able to receive campaign donations from the very companies they are tasked with regulating. Every election cycle, the healthcare industry gives an average of $270,000 to every member on the health subcommittees tasked with overseeing those very companies. It’s plain to see that committee membership and leadership translate directly to political donations, which then influence and buy the votes of membership. This helps explain why the healthcare industry, the fossil fuel industry, and others continue to get support and protection even as they scam Americans and destroy the country. I will fight to end this.Strengthen the Code of Conduct for the Supreme CourtSupreme Court justices should not be able to hold or trade stocks, nor accept gifts such as yacht rides from billionaire donors with a stake in their decisions. They must be forced to recuse themselves from decisions when they or someone close to them has personal or financial ties to the case. There must be basic oversight of their conduct. These unelected justices already serve for life; we need to at least make sure they serve the public. Impose Term Limits on the Supreme CourtIf elected to Congress, I would support imposing term limits on court membership, such that no member could serve more than 20 years. We must replace justices like Clarence Thomas, who has served on the court for almost 35 years, and has demonstrated his loyalty to profits and a lifestyle of luxury rather than to the Constitution and the American people. Amend Presidential PardonsPresidents should use their pardoning power to provide relief to those who are innocent of their crimes, or those being punished for acts that should never have been considered crimes. They must not be allowed to dish out pardons to the highest bidders, to their friends who have committed white-collar financial crimes, or to more than 1,500 hundred rioters who tried to help them overthrow democracy. While pardons are baked into the Constitution, I’d work with my colleagues to impose common-sense reforms, even if that means amending the Constitution. Reform the Government Contract SystemLike pardons, the President should not be able to give out government contracts and American tax dollars to his friends, with no oversight. All contracts should involve a competitive bidding process, such that the company who can do the work for the least amount of money gets the job. Trump must not be allowed to hand hundreds of millions of American tax dollars to small start-up companies that just happen to be owned by his son. Education Provide Universal Pre-KStudents who attend preschool are shown to be more likely to graduate high school on time, less likely to fail classes in high school, and more likely to attend college. This benefits everyone and creates tremendously better outcomes for low-income students, English language learners, and society at large. Preschool must be included as part of the public education system, so that all parents can enroll their children for free. Establish Universal School Meals Hungry children, worried about their next meal, can’t focus on their education. That’s why children across the United States must have guaranteed access to free breakfast and lunch when they come to school. Many families are burdened by the cost of paying for school meals, and far too many kids go hungry each day. Research shows just how important addressing this would be for attendance, behavior, and educational outcomes. Massachusetts is helping lead the way, but we must make sure this program is permanent and guaranteed everywhere.Provide Free Education at Community Colleges and State SchoolsHigher education must be available to everyone. A high school education is simply not enough for most Americans at a time when living is becoming increasingly unaffordable, and research shows the crucial positive impact college has on employment and earnings. Once again, Massachusetts is helping to lead the way, but community college and state schools must be free everywhere, and must be free permanently. Forgive and Ease Student LoansTotal student loan debt in the United States is approaching a staggering $2 trillion. We must ensure students can get the education they need to support their families and create generational wealth without being trapped in a prison of debt for the rest of their lives. The federal government should provide students with 0 interest loans to help finance their education, and use taxes on Wall Street and billionaires to forgive existing student loan debt. Raise Teacher SalariesTeachers are the foundation of our society, and yet most of them receive a truly disrespectful amount of money. We need to divert more of our tax money toward teachers, and not toward the military industrial complex, greedy pharmaceutical companies, or the pockets of the billionaires and Epstein class. I support the American Federation of Teachers in their demand that teachers receive $60,000 a year and support staff receive at least $45,000, with regular and significant pay raises. Teachers should also receive paid family and medical leave, childcare assistance, student loan forgiveness and support, and more generous retirement benefits. Improve School BuildingsChildren in schools across Massachusetts and across the US are suffering from miserable heat, mold, polluted drinking water, and worse. Over 36,000 U.S schools need updates or replacements for their HVAC systems. That doesn’t make it very easy for our children to learn. We need major renovations across the country, our youth deserve nothing less. Promote Teacher DiversityEvidence shows that students who interact with at least some faculty who look like them are projected to have far better educational outcomes. Yet only about 20% of public school teachers in the United States are people of color, despite a majority of public school students being non-white. This is an unsettling trend that has persisted since Brown v. Board of Education, when many African American teachers were forced out of their jobs. We must invest in recruiting and training a diverse workforce for our public schools, so that we can best serve the children who will be our future. Support Students Before and After SchoolMany students need a safe place to go when school is not in session, while others need access to extra help in order to catch up with their studies. By helping support schools or 3rd party organizations like the Boys and Girls Clubs, the YMCA, and numerous local organizations to provide programming outside of normal hours, we can keep students safe and improve educational outcomes. Environment Support the Green New DealThe Green New Deal represents our last best chance at mitigating the obvious effects of global warming. It contains many measures which, if implemented, will gradually reduce our dependence on fossil fuels without the need to sacrifice our lifestyle. The increasing intensity of storms, floods, and destruction from unprecedented weather events is obvious. We are seeing 100 year storms every 10 years. We cannot continue on the path towards ever increasing use of CO2 based fuels to support our lifestyle. As your Representative in Congress I will work to get this long delayed legislation enacted.Protect Our Communities from Environmental Disasters We’ve already seen the terrible impacts climate change is having on the district, from flooding in Salem to erosion on Crane Beach. The unfortunate reality is that climate change has already begun, and it will shape our lives and the lives of our children. We must be prepared for hotter temperatures, extreme precipitation events, flooding, and worse that will come as a result. While serving in the State House, I helped secure $2.5 million in funding for Crane Beach to protect it from climate change. In Congress, I will bring federal funding to the district to help our communities adapt to rising sea levels, keep our homes cool during increasingly hot summers, and defend against the coming El Niño event that threatens significant environmental destruction. Protect National Parks, Wildlife, and the our District’s Beautiful NatureI have long been committed to preserving and defending nature as a strong advocate for our district’s rivers and watersheds. As a state representative, I won the Ipswich River Defender Award for my environmental leadership. I will keep up that fight in Congress. The Trump administration has been engaged in a full-scale assault on our federal lands, selling them to his friends and donors to help with their drilling projects and oil sales. Our country’s vast beauty is worth more than all the money these greedy CEOs can offer or donate. As your congresswoman, I will do everything to reverse his attacks and preserve our land. Support the Electric Vehicle IndustryElectric vehicles are the future. They are better for the environment, cheaper to recharge, and easier and more affordable to maintain. Advancements in battery technology are also making them cheaper to manufacture, with BYD in China selling cars for as low as $10,000. We must ensure the American auto industry can keep up with these developments by reviving IRA tax credits, expanding EV charging infrastructure, and helping to subsidize research and manufacturing in the United States while our companies catch up. As a state rep, I fought hard to aid the industry, and obtained funding to support charging networks across the state. I will keep up that fight in Congress. Our investments will be rewarded generously with employment, domestic manufacturing, and environmental benefits. Revitalize and Expand Public TransportationTransportation emissions make up 28% of all greenhouse gas emissions in the United States, and transportation costs Americans an average of over $13,000 per year, one of the largest household expenditures. Both of these burdens could be lessened through investment in high-speed electric rail and increased bus service, making it faster, cheaper, and easier for Americans to travel. Promote Offshore Wind Development The federal government must establish a simple, consistent policy for leasing offshore wind development sites, enabling clean energy companies to provide us with low-cost energy while lowering national emissions and creating thousands of jobs. We have to stand against the Trump administration as it attempts to tamper with companies like Vineyard Wind, harming Massachusetts workers and consumers. Support the Solar and Wind Industries Solar and wind technologies, while lowering our emissions, are also becoming increasingly cost effective. They are reaching a point at which they produce less expensive energy for American consumers than fossil fuels. To capitalize on this technology, protect the environment, and lower costs for Americans, we ought to revive clean energy tax incentives and make it easier for clean energy companies to obtain permits, build, and connect to the electrical grid. Incentivize Geothermal HeatingThe residential sector accounts for about 20% of our country’s emissions. This will likely get worse as Americans are forced to use more energy and pay far more money to keep their homes cool in the summer and warm in the winter. I will advocate to revive incentives and subsidies for geothermal heating which were cancelled by the Trump administration, enabling ordinary Americans to afford a clean and efficient method of heating their homes, which will significantly lower their energy bills in the long run.Regulate the Coal IndustryCoal mining destroys the lungs of miners, poisons local water supplies, and pollutes the air, leading to disastrous health impacts. It produces alarmingly high emissions and costs more than wind and solar to maintain. Instead of bailing out rich coal billionaires, our government needs to focus on phasing out the industry, protecting community health, and helping miners and workers to find safer, high-paying jobs. Protect Our Air and Water Everyone in America should have clean water to drink and air to breathe. I will fight to make polluters pay for damaging the environment, and hold the fracking companies pumping chemicals deep into our Earth accountable. Amidst the immense rise in lobbying from AI and tech companies, I will stand up against the data centers dumping their wastewater into any drinking supply across the country. Our air and water is precious for everyone; nobody should be allowed to poison it. Expand the Electrical Grid Right now, numerous developers are waiting for permission to connect their energy projects to the electric grid, with a combined capacity to generate and store 2,600 gigawatts of electricity. 95% of those projects are wind, solar, and battery projects capable of doubling our total electricity generation, meeting our growing demand, lowering prices, and significantly decreasing our emissions. I will take on the fossil fuel interests in their way and fight to make this process of permitting and building easier for them, in order to make our electricity cheaper and greener.Foreign Policy Block Arms Sales and Military Support to IsraelIsrael is committing genocide in Gaza and supporting violent expansion in the West Bank. I have been on the record calling out these human rights abuses throughout my political career – including at the end of my term as a State Rep. in 2023. Now, the United Nations has recognized this genocide, and placed Israel on a blacklist for allowing soldiers to carry out rape and sexual violence against men, women, and children. Members of Israel’s parliament have continued to defend this sexual abuse, saying that “Everything is legitimate.” As your representative, I would not support any weapons sales or military aid, offensive or defensive, to Israel. End These Irresponsible Trump TariffsThe Constitution reserves the power to raise taxes on Americans for Congress, yet our inactive legislature has allowed Trump to unilaterally force Americans consumers and companies to pay egregious extra fees on everything imported to the United States. As a result, in 2026, the average American household is on track to pay an extra $2,500 to the government. Retail prices have also increased by 7% as a consequence, burdening American consumers. What tangible policy benefits have we gained as a result? I will fight to make sure Congress reasserts its constitutional authority, and removes these costly taxes that have harmed every family, jeopardized our international standing, and produced no benefits. Prioritize Diplomacy and Reject WarWe cannot repeat the mistakes that led us into twenty years of war. The Constitution explicitly grants Congress the power to declare and initiate war, not the president. This separation of powers is fundamental to our democracy. I will stand against Trump, and any president who sparks illegal, imperialist wars abroad. I will fight to end the illegal war of choice in Iran. I will reject Trump’s attempts to spark the war he clearly craves just off our coast in Cuba and across South and Central America. I will fight to end the war in Ukraine. I will continue to stand firmly against bankrolling the genocide in Gaza. Rebalance the Military Budget A large portion of our military budget needs to be redirected to supporting American families and not foreign countries or endless wars. There’s no reason that we should be spending as much on our military each year as Russia and Ukraine, who are in an active war with each other, as well as China, India, Germany, and more, all combined. We spent about a trillion dollars last year on the military, and the war in Iran has cost over a billion each day. There is always money for bombs, but never money for you. Rather than using such a ridiculously large portion of our tax dollars for violence and war, we should be investing in education, healthcare, the environment, and American families. Abide by International Law and Prom