Garlick falsely claims NARAL endorsement

Published by The Boston Globe

Democratic candidate for state representative Denise Garlick of Needham issued an apology over the weekend for distributing campaign literature falsely claming the endorsement of NARAL Pro-Choice Massachusetts.

Garlick’s campaign dropped off flyers to homes in Needham on Saturday listing NARAL with other organizations who have endorsed Garlick. The organization, however, has decided to remain neutral in the race for the seat now held by state Rep. Lida Harkins, who is stepping aside. The district covers Needham, Dover and Medfield.


“Obviously, while we played no part in the error, it is deeply disturbing if voters are left with a misimpression,” said Andrea Miller, executive director of NARAL. “We take our endorsement process very seriously, and we are very concerned.”

Miller said the campaign for Democratic candidate Jerry Wasserman called NARAL on Saturday to alert the organization to the error, and NARAL called Garlick’s campaign and asked the candidate to fix the error.

Garlick’s campaign stopped distributing the flyer on Saturday and printed a new version without NARAL, which was distributed to homes on Sunday, said Alex Garlick, communications director for Garlick’s campaign.

A statement posted on Garlick’s website notes that Garlick is listed as a pro-choice candidate on NARAL’s website, but admits that NARAL has not endorsed a candidate for the 13th Norfolk primary.

“Due to a misunderstanding, the Garlick campaign listed NARAL’s endorsement on a single piece of campaign literature, hand-delivered to some Needham homes on September 11, 2010 and apologizes for the error,” said the statement.

A statement issued by Wasserman’s campaign said he has been endorsed by Planned Parenthood, and he has worked on women’s and reproductive rights throughout his career.

"It's unfortunate when a campaign feels the need to invent an endorsement in order to give the appearance of support that they don't have," said Wasserman in the statement. "When voters care deeply about a particular issue, endorsements can be very important in influencing their vote.