Santiago Has Fought for Pro-Science Policies as a State Representative While Serving as an E.R. Doctor during the Coronavirus Pandemic

June 30, 2021

PHILADELPHIA — Today, 314 Action Fund announced its endorsement of Dr. Jon Santiago in the race to become the next mayor of Boston. A physician, Santiago has fought on the side of science in the emergency room and in the Massachusetts House of Representatives, where he has served the people of the ninth Suffolk district since 2019. Dr. Santiago would be the first physician to serve as mayor of Boston in nearly 150 years.

“Throughout the pandemic, Dr. Jon Santiago has shown remarkable leadership — from treating patients as an emergency room physician at Boston Medical Center to fighting for pro-science policies that help Boston families,” said Shaughnessy Naughton, president of 314 Action. “Dr. Santiago’s backgrounds in medicine and policy make him uniquely qualified to lead Boston as the city continues to recover from the pandemic and into a more just and more equitable future. We’re proud to support him and are eager to help make sure Bostonians know his story.”

“I am thrilled to be endorsed by 314 Action,” said Dr. Jon Santiago. “A STEM program changed my life and set me on a path to achieve my dream of becoming a medical doctor. As mayor, I will use my background to reimagine and reshape Boston by using the mayor’s office to expand STEM learning for our students and let science guide sustainable policy making.”

314 Action Fund is committed to building a bench of strong STEM candidates at the state and local levels who may pursue higher office in the future. In 2020, 314 Action Fund committed $1 million to elect scientists running for state legislative offices across the country in a partnership with the Democratic Legislative Campaign Committee and Democratic legislative caucuses. In 2022, 314 Action Fund will aim to spend $50 million to elect scientists across all levels of government, with initial targets of seven U.S. Senate races, forty U.S. House races, and twenty-one statewide races. 

ABOUT DR. JON SANTIAGO:

Dr. Jon Santiago, an emergency room physician at Boston Medical Center, knows how to run and win a progressive campaign rooted in pro-science policies. In 2018, Santiago succeeded in a primary election challenge to the Massachusetts House of Representatives’ assistant majority leader, going on to win the seat that November to represent the ninth Suffolk district.

Since his election, Santiago has fought for evidence-based policies to address complex policy issues facing Bostonians, including combating the opioid crisis, expanding access to affordable housing, and improving public transportation. During the coronavirus pandemic, Santiago has served as a part of the Massachusetts House of Representatives’ COVID-19 Working Group.

Santiago is a Captain in the U.S. Army Reserve and has served as a volunteer for the Peace Corps.

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314 Action Fund is powered by a grassroots community of over six million people working to elect scientists, doctors, and STEM professionals who will use science and facts to address our most pressing issues like climate change and health care. In 2018 and 2020, we played a pivotal role in flipping the U.S. House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate, electing eleven Democratic scientists to federal office, as well as over 100 to state and local offices. In 2021 and 2022, 314 Action Fund will continue working to elect science leaders and defeat climate deniers in Congress and legislatures across the country.