Marty Walsh

Martin Joseph Walsh (born April 10, 1967) is an American politician and trade union official who served as the 53rd mayor of Boston from 2014 to 2021 and as the 29th United States secretary of labor from 2021 to 2023. A member of the Democratic Party, Walsh resigned from his position as the US Secretary of Labor in March 2023 in order to accept a position as executive director of the National Hockey League Players' Association (NHLPA). Before his mayoralty, he served as a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives, representing the 13th Suffolk district from 1997 until 2014. As a trade union member, Walsh worked his way up to serve as the head of the Boston Building Trades Council from 2011 until 2013.

Walsh was elected mayor of Boston in 2013 and was reelected in 2017. He was regarded as friendly towards real estate developers, and the city experienced a building boom during his mayoralty. He added policies to the city's zoning code that were inspired by the federal affirmatively furthering fair housing policy. He successfully negotiated for a 40-minute school day extension in Boston Public Schools. He also served on the leadership of the C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group. During much of his mayoralty, Boston struggled with homelessness at Mass and Cass, which was ongoing at the time Walsh departed from office. While he supported Boston's bid for the 2024 Summer Olympics, he ultimately reneged on his promise to sign the host city contract's financial guarantee, which contributed to the collapse of the bid. In 2014, Walsh signed the Boston Trust Act, a so-called "sanctuary city" ordinance, into law. Amid the first Trump administration's federal hostility towards such policies, Walsh voiced his continued support for the city remaining a sanctuary city. In 2015, he supported the passage of a city ordinance to provide municipal employees with paid parental leave. The ordinance was passed and signed into law by Walsh. He supported an ordinance in the city council which regulated short-term rental of housing units, and signed it into law in 2018. In 2016, Boston and General Electric struck a deal for the corporation to move its headquarters to Boston. At the end of his tenure, he dealt with the COVID-19 pandemic's impacts on Boston.

Serving from March 2021 until March 2023 in the Cabinet of President Joe Biden as the United States secretary of labor, Walsh was the first former union leader to serve in that position in roughly 45 years. Walsh, a recovering alcoholic who has been sober since 1995, was the first-ever Cabinet member to openly be in a twelve-step program for recovery from addiction.

Since 2023, Walsh has been the executive director of the NHLPA (the union representing professional ice hockey players in the NHL). During his tenure the union negotiated with the NHL, IOC, and IIHF terms of an arrangement to allow NHL players to compete in the 2026 and 2030 editions of the Winter Olympics. Walsh negotiated the terms of a four-year collective bargaining agreement reached in mid-2025 between the NHLPA and NHL, which will enter effect ahead of the 2026–27 season.

Early life, education, and career

Walsh was born on April 10, 1967, in Dorchester, Boston, to John Walsh, an Irish American originally from Callowfeenish, a townland near Carna, County Galway, and Mary (née O'Malley), from Rosmuc, Co. Galway. Walsh's parents emigrated separately but married in the United States in 1959. His parents both left from Shannon Airport, with his father leaving in 1956 and his mother leaving in 1959.

Walsh grew up in the Savin Hill area of Dorchester, Walsh went to high school at The Newman School. Walsh would later seek treatment after hitting what he considered "rock bottom" in 1995. Michael Jonas of The Boston Globe reported that Walsh's victory benefited from "organizational ties and personal loyalties," with Walsh performing particularly strong in his own neighborhood of Savin Hill. Walsh's seat, the 13th district of Suffolk County, represented Dorchester as well as one precinct in Quincy. Walsh was reelected to eight two-year terms, often unopposed. 2005 ribbon cutting ceremony for the renovated Savin Hill station.L–R: Boston City Council President Michael F. Flaherty, Massachusetts Secretary of Transportation Daniel Grabauskas, State Senator Jack Hart, Walsh, Lieutenant Governor Kerry Healy, Boston City Councilor Maureen Feeney, Boston Mayor Thomas Menino

Committee assignments During his tenure, Walsh served as the co-chair for the Special Commission on Public Construction Reform. He also served as chair of the House Homeland Security and Federal Affairs Committee, as well as the chair of the House Committee on Ethics.

Votes and sponsored legislation Walsh supported same-sex marriage. In 2007, Walsh voted against a same-sex marriage ban, which was defeated 45–151. In 2013 and 2023 interviews, Walsh has called this, "the proudest vote I ever took as a state legislator." In 2013, Walsh was one of several legislators that signed onto a joint petition introduced by Representative Sarah Peake and Senator Patricia D. Jehlen that established the Special Commission on LGBT Aging.

After Governor Mitt Romney used his gubernatorial veto in 2005 on a bill to expand the research of human stem cells in Massachusetts, Walsh voted against overturning the governor's veto. In 2005, he voted against reinstating capital punishment in Massachusetts. In 1998, he opposed Massachusetts Question 2, a ballot measure that would have decriminalized possession of less than an ounce of cannabis.

Ahead of the ultimate 2006 passage of the Massachusetts health care reform, Walsh supported efforts related to reform healthcare in Massachusetts with the goal of universal coverage. Walsh joined the vast majority of the House in voting in support of the healthcare reform legislation that was ultimately enacted (only two state house members voted against the legislation). After the healthcare reform legislation was partially signed into law by Governor Romney, Walsh voted for the successful overrides of Romney's partial vetos on segments of it.

Walsh was one of a number of co-sponsors on legislation to have Massachusetts join the National Popular Vote Interstate Compact which passed in the House on July 9, 2008. In 2010, Walsh voted in support of similar legislation which passed the legislature and was signed into law by Governor Deval Patrick.

On February 13, 2013, Walsh introduced a bill to have The Modern Lovers song "Roadrunner" be named the official rock song of Massachusetts. The song's writer, Jonathan Richman, came out against this, saying, "I don't think the song is good enough to be a Massachusetts song of any kind."

Other matters Despite some organized local opposition from civic associations, Walsh supported the Pine Street Inn organization in their pursuit of converting a six-family house in his district into transitional housing for the homeless. Despite support by fellow union leaders for the construction of dormitories on the University of Massachusetts Boston's campus, Walsh sided with many of his constituents in opposing their construction.

Local union leadership positions (2001–2013)

Working as a construction worker, at the age of 21 in 1988 Walsh joined Laborers' Union Local 223. In 2001 he became its secretary, and in 2005 he became its president. He also served as a co-chair of the Massachusetts Democratic Party Labor Caucus.

In late-2010, Walsh was elected to serve as both the secretary-treasurer and general agent of Boston Building Trades Council, a union umbrella group The position of general manager paid Walsh $175,000 annually. (resigning it after winning the mayoralty).

Walsh received a reputation for being a tough negotiator on behalf of the Boston Building Trades Council. As its general agent in 2011, he negotiated a 4% pay increase for 175 employees of the Boston Housing Authority.

In 2016, news emerged that, when Walsh was the general agent, his phone calls had been wiretapped by federal authorities in 2012 as part of an investigation. The Boston Globe reported that sources indicated that the investigation looked into whether, "organized labor used its influence with local governments to extort developers for construction jobs in Greater Boston."

A conversation was leaked in which he told a local union leader that he wanted a developer to use union labor at its Somerville, Massachusetts Assembly Row development, and that he wanted that local union's business manager to contact Boston Mayor Thomas Menino to have a Boston project by the company "thrown off the docket" of the Boston Zoning Board of Appeal. Michael Levenson of The Boston Globe described news that Walsh had seemingly utilized "strong-arm" tactics as causing some to question the validity of Walsh's prior reputation for having been "a fair-minded labor leader." He resigned his Trades Council position in April 2013 after formally announcing his bid for mayor. When Walsh initially announced his candidacy, he lacked substantial name recognition outside of his own state house district.

On September 24, 2013, Walsh received a plurality of the vote, among twelve candidates in the mayoral preliminary election, with 18.4% of the vote. As a result, he advanced to the general election, facing second place vote-getter Boston City Councilor John R. Connolly, who received 17.2% of the vote. Walsh's roughly 5,000-vote victory was aided by a strong performance in communities of color.

Walsh received strong funding from trade unions. Andrew Ryan of Boston.com wrote that the general election featured very few policy differences, and that Walsh won, in part, by projecting an "everyman" image and sharing a "compelling life story" involving his immigrant roots, childhood battle with cancer, and his battle with alcoholism.

In July 2017, Walsh announced he would seek a second term in the 2017 mayoral election. On September 26, 2017, he received 62% of the vote in the preliminary election. He advanced to the general election and faced second place vote-getter, Boston City Councilor Tito Jackson, who had received 29% of the vote. Walsh defeated Jackson in the general election held on November 7, with 65% of the vote, compared to Jackson's 34%. Walsh was sworn in for his second term on January 1, 2018; then-former vice-president Joe Biden presided at the ceremony.

Walsh served as mayor of Boston from January 2015 through March 2021.

City politics Boston's strong mayor form of government had conventionally limited the impact that members of the Boston City Council had on the city government. However, during Walsh's mayoralty, the Boston City Council began to increasingly wield its power. The body yielded less to the mayor than previous iterations of the council had in the preceding decades, and also made use of its subpoena powers for the first time in decades. In December 2019, Milton J. Valencia of The Boston Globe opined that, beginning under the City Council presidencies of Michelle Wu (in 2016 and 2017) and Andrea Campbell (beginning in 2018), the council had "been, perhaps, the most aggressive in recent history in pushing reforms, often to the left of the mayor, on issues addressing climate change and economic and racial equity."

Walsh was regarded to be a popular mayor, which was reflected in opinion polling.

Walsh resigned as mayor on March 22, 2021, the same day that he was confirmed for his position in the Cabinet of Joe Biden. Kim Janey, president of the Boston City Council, became acting mayor upon Walsh's resignation.

Economy and fiscal matters Walsh was seen as friendly towards real estate developers throughout his mayoralty, and Boston underwent a substantial building boom during his seven years in office. During the course of his mayoralty, officials in Boston granted approval to 7.7 million square feet of real estate developments, including more than 40,000 more housing units. Steve LeBlanc of The Associated Press wrote in 2021, "during his tenure as mayor, Walsh has overseen the city's ongoing rejuvenation, which has led to challenges that include gentrification and rising housing costs."

After Walsh left office, the editorial board of The Boston Globe would opine that, as mayor, Walsh, "kept Boston on an even keel financially and invited economic growth". During Walsh's tenure, Boston maintained a AAA bond credit rating. and provided city employees with six weeks of paid parental leave after childbirth, stillbirth, or adoption. Walsh signed the ordinance into law.

In January 2016, Boston struck a deal for General Electric to move their headquarters to the city. Some critics argued that Boston had given General Electric a "sweetheart deal". However, The Boston Globe jointly named four deputies of Walsh and Governor Charlie Baker who had been involved in striking the deal as their "Bostonians of the Year" for their roles in the deal.

Policing Soon after taking office, Walsh appointed William B. Evans the permanent commissioner of the Boston Police Department. In 2018, Walsh appointed William G. Gross as commissioner, making Gross the first African American individual to hold the position. In January 2021, upon Gross' retirement, Walsh made Dennis White, also African American, the new commissioner of the Boston Police Department. Days after appointing White, Walsh suspended him pending an investigation into allegations of domestic violence. Walsh is considered not to have properly vetted White before appointing him. In October 2020, he pledged to adopt all of the final recommendations that the taskforce had made. In January 2021, he signed into law an ordinance that created a police accountability office, one of the recommendations the taskforce had made. The ordinance orders the Boston Police Department to not detain immigrants for potential deportation unless a criminal arrest warrant had been issued for them. This marked a shift away from the Secure Communities program the city up until then been a party to since 2006. In January 2017, after newly-inaugurated president Donald Trump threatened to withdraw federal funding from cities that have sanctuary policies, Walsh reaffirmed that Boston would stand by its policy, declaring, "If people want to live here, they'll live here. They can use my office. They can use any office in this building."

COVID-19 pandemic Walsh was mayor during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. During the course of the pandemic, Walsh regularly updated the public using social media, robocalls, and text alerts. Under Walsh, the city put in place restrictions aimed at stymieing the spread of the COVID-19 virus. Walsh urged Bostonians to adhere to social distancing guidelines, and made efforts to limit public activity. Days after declaring a state of emergency, he suspended all construction projects and closing all of the Boston Public Library locations and city community centers. In March, the City of Boston also closed all playgrounds at its parks. At the same time, he also announced an interim 9pm recommended curfew, and the interim closure of all recreation sports areas at city parks.

On March 16, 2020, Walsh announced the Boston Resiliency Fund, a city-led fundraising effort to support programs and charities serving those impacted by the pandemic. Walsh established the Boston Rental Relief Fund in April 2020, using $3 million of city funds. The fund, using city dollars, would provide aid to those at risk of losing their rental residences amid the pandemic. He later added an additional $5 million in June 2020. At the end of Walsh's tenure, Jon Keller of WBZ-TV wrote that, "Walsh's calm, empathic leadership during the pandemic has drawn high marks from city residents." Later that year, Walsh unveiled plans to renovate a facility to house hundreds of homeless people displaced due to the closure of the Long Island Bridge. A homelessness crisis emerged during Walsh's tenure at Mass and Cass. While Walsh, in 2019, outlined plans to deal with the homelessness crisis at this so-called Mass and Cass (also known as the "Methadone Mile"), it persisted to be a problem when he left office in 2021.

Boston was originally selected as the United States' bid city for the 2024 Summer Olympics. Walsh supported Boston bid for the 2024 Summer Olympics, This was one of a number of events that led to the cancelation of Boston's bid for the Olympics on July 27, 2015. Boston's bid had run into opposition from residents. Walsh also served in the leadership of C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group.

Walsh's handling of education has received criticism, being regarded as a significant shortcoming of his tenure as mayor. which was implemented. A 2020 state audit of Boston Public Schools found the city to lack any, "clear, coherent, district-wide strategy for supporting low-performing schools."

Walsh supported an ordinance in the city council which regulated short-term rental of housing units. It passed in the City Council, and he signed it into law in June 2018. The ordinance restricted short-term rentals to owner-occupied housing units, required hosts to register with the city, and required the city to collect and publish data on short-term rentals. Airbnb sued the city over the ordinance; the suit was settled in August 2019 with an agreement which included having Airbnb hosts in Boston enter their ordinance-required city-issued registration number into the website, or face having their listings removed from the website.

In June 2020, Walsh declared racism to be a public health crisis. That month, in an effort to address institutional racism, Walsh announced he would create an "equity and inclusion cabinet" in his administration, launch a racial equity fund, and declared his intent to pursue a new zoning amendment aimed at addressing the issue of resident displacement. The racial equity fund launched months later, with Walsh stating it would invest in nonprofits that, "empower Black and brown residents in economic development, in public health, in youth employment, in education, in the arts, and other areas."

Secretary of Labor (2021–2023)

On January 7, 2021, Walsh was announced by President-elect Joe Biden to be his designated nominee for secretary of labor. On February 11, 2021, the United States Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions voted to move Walsh's confirmation forward to a full Senate vote. The nomination was confirmed by the United States Senate on March 22, 2021, by a vote of 68–29. He was the final department secretary of Biden's Cabinet to be confirmed. The day after being confirmed, he was sworn in by Vice President Kamala Harris.

Walsh was the first Cabinet secretary to openly be in a twelve-step program for recovery from addiction. As secretary, amid a national rise in addiction, Walsh discussed his own experience with alcoholism, and participated in addiction-related events. Walsh was also the first former union leader to serve in the position in roughly 45 years, since the tenure of William Usery Jr.

Expectations and reception of tenure Walsh entered with high expectations from many unionists. This was driven both by his own working-class unionist background, and by the fact that Biden had made supporting unions a high priority in his agenda. Towards the start of Walsh's tenure, Steve Tolman (president of the Massachusetts AFL-CIO) told The Boston Globe that he believed that Biden had an opportunity to be the most pro-labor president ever, and Walsh had opportunity to be the most effective labor secretary ever. Kim Kelly of Fast Company called Walsh's tenure "tumultuous". Commenting that Walsh's union credentials had given union members high hopes at the start of Walsh's tenure, Kelly wrote, "as his short tenure comes to an end, it's hard to say how well the former Boston mayor lived up to those expectations."

Trade unions Ben Penn of Bloomberg Law reported that, as labor secretary, Walsh lobbied trade unions not to criticize the prospective appointment of David Weil, which helped to clear the path for Biden to nominate Weil to serve as the administrator of the Wage and Hour Division without vocal union opposition.

In October 2021, Walsh and Vice President Kamala Harris announced new guidelines aimed at encouraging more federal workers to join trade unions, with the objective of boosting the collective bargaining powers of American trade unions. Also in October 2021, Walsh became the first labor secretary to visit a picket line and stand with the strikers when he visited the 2021 Kellogg's strike. Walsh also played a role in mediating the resolution to the 2021–22 Major League Baseball lockout. Walsh was involved in efforts to avert a strike in the 2022 United States railroad labor dispute. Walsh negotiated a tentative agreement to avert a rail strike. However, the agreement failed after members of several unions voted to reject the agreement over lack of guarantees relating to demands such as time off and paid sick days. Ultimately, to avoid a strike that would have a major impact on the United States economy, the Biden administration and Congress passed a bill which forced the agreement on all the party unions, including those whose membership had voted to reject the agreement.

Changes to rules and standards While Walsh was secretary, the Department of Labor finalized new rules on healthcare and retirement fund management. This included reversing a Trump administration rule that prohibited retirement fund managers from considering environmental, social, and corporate governance factors when reaching decisions in regards to investment. The department also finalized its rule on how to implement provisions restricting surprise billing in health insurance. The department also explored creating new policy that would provide access to contraception to employees whose companies deny them insurance for it. Numerous rule changes by the Trump administration-era were reversed under Walsh. This including reinstating a rule that prohibits employers from paying workers who spend more than 20% of their time performing functions in which they don't interact with consumers the lower "tipped" hourly minimum wage of $2.13 as opposed to standard hourly minimum wage of $7.25. This rule had previously been in effect from the 1980s until the Trump administration removed it. In reinstating the rule, further protections were added for tipped workers beyond what the earlier policy had enforced. However, in a January 2022 per curiam decision, Biden v. Missouri, the Supreme Court of the United States blocked this policy.

Executive Director of the NHLPA (2023–present)

On February 7, 2023, it was reported that Walsh would leave the Cabinet to become head of the National Hockey League Players' Association (NHLPA), the National Hockey League (NHL)'s players' union. He was formally confirmed unanimously Walsh is reported to earn a $3 million annual salary in the position.

In October 2023, The Athletic wrote, "in his introductory news conference in late March, Walsh vowed to bring a 'different' style of leadership, and it feels like Walsh is going with a more personal approach," observing that Walsh was making an effort to meet directly with all of the league's players, was holding phone calls with many players, and was giving players his personal cell phone number.

Collective bargaining agreement On June 27, 2025, it was announced that the NHLPA and the NHL had agreed to terms for a collective bargaining agreement (CBA) that will be in effect from late 2026 until late 2030. The agreement's four-term duration is much shorter than past agreements, something Walsh has stated he deliberately sought. Walsh believes that it was unideal that the longer length of past CBAs had led to many players spending the entirety of their NHL careers playing under the conditions of a single CBA that had been negotiated before they became an NHL player.

When the CBA negotiated with Walsh at the helm of the NHLPA takes effect for the 2026–27 NHL season, the NHL will downsize its preseason and will expand its regular season from 82 games to 84. In order to downsize the preseason, teams will be limited to four preseason exhibition games. During the 2024–25 NHL season, pre-seasons had averaged 6.5 exhibition games per team, with five teams playing eight exhibition games during their pre-seasons. Additionally, veteran players will now be limited to appearing in only two exhibitions games per preseason. An 84-game regular season is not unprecedented in the NHL, with the NHL twice having had 84-game regular seasons (in 1992–93 and 1993–94).

Walsh has disagreed with characterizations that players had opposed wearing jerseys on anti-LGBTQ grounds, and has instead characterized the motivations of those players as having been, "religious beliefs or political back home beliefs". The league adopted a policy which prohibits such pride-themed jerseys from being worn. Walsh was critical of the Coyotes playing with Mullett Arena (a 5,000-seat college hockey arena) as their temporary home arena, lacking any definite plans for a new permanent venue. He opined in February 2024 that the team should be relocated to a new market if the situation cannot be quickly remedied. One concern was that the Coyotes' arena situation was decreasing the team's revenue due to its limited seating capacity and lack in luxury seating options. With the team experiencing the league's worst financial losses, it was of concern that the arena situation was a drag the amount that players received from their revenue-sharing agreement with the league.

Other NHL matters In September 2023, Paul Bissonnette made claims on his hockey podcast Spittin' Chiclets alleging that he had been informed by a whistleblower that Columbus Blue Jackets head coach Mike Babcock was demanding to see photographs stored on the private phones of the team's players. Soon after, Walsh held meetings with Columbus Blue Jackets players executives in order to look into the allegations. He then met with team and league executives. Within days of the assertions having been publicized by Bissonnette, Babcock resigned from his coaching position.

In late July 2025, after the criminal trial of five hockey players charged for the sexual assault and rape allegations at the center of the Hockey Canada sexual assault scandal resulted in acquittals for all criminal defendants, the NHLPA released a statement disagreeing with the league's decision not to immediately welcome involved players' return. The NHL had stated that the eligibility of the players would pending the league's own analysis of the allegations and review of the trial judge's findings, noting that behavior can fall short of criminal while still being "disturbing unacceptable". In response to this, the NHLPA released a statement opposing any hold on the players' eligibility and arguing that such an approach by the NHL would violate the CBA it had with the union, quote| were acquitted of all charges by Justice Carroccia of the Ontario Superior Court. After missing more than a full season of their respective NHL careers, they should now have the opportunity to return to work. The NHL’s declaration that the Players are 'ineligible' to play pending its further analysis of the Court’s findings is inconsistent with the discipline procedures set forth in the CBA. After having had his political activities limited by the Hatch Act while secretary of labor,

In March 2024, Walsh clarified that he had no present intention of making a full-time return to politics, declaring, "my job is at the NHLPA. I did politics for 25 years, I’ve moved on to the next phase of my life. I have no future political aspirations – and maybe not ever." Walsh had become acquaintances with Harris during her time as a U.S. senator, and was reported by The New York Times to have been one of her most trusted advisors at the time of her presidential campaigns.

2024 nomination to serve as a governor of the United States Postal Service On February 29, 2024, President Biden nominated Walsh to serve as a governor of the United States Postal Service.

Walsh declared that he did not intend to resign his players union leadership position if confirmed, noting that the duties postal service board membership are not a full-time job. Walsh clarified, "I'm very committed to the players, I love my job at the NHLPA. My job is at the NHLPA." Walsh further remarked, "It's not unfamiliar for a person in a labor union position to serve on a board, President Biden knows what I bring working for people and drawing on that labor experience."

On June 13, Republican senators JD Vance, Bill Hagerty, Mike Lee, Roger Marshall, Eric Schmitt, and Tommy Tuberville pledged to slow the confirmation of Walsh and a number of other pending Biden nominees for federal office and judgeships as a form of protest over the conviction of Donald Trump in New York State criminal court. On November 14 (as a lame-duck president following the 2024 election), Biden withdrew the nomination from Senate consideration without providing an immediate explanation. Even prior to marrying Higgins, Walsh had considered himself to have a de facto grandfather role in relation to her grandchild.

Walsh and Higgins reside in the Lower Mills neighborhood of Dorchester. They have resided there since 2015.

Walsh is a Roman Catholic. He speaks Irish and holds both American and Irish citizenship.

Alcoholism and recovery

Walsh is a recovering alcoholic. By the time he ran for mayor in 2013, he was eighteen years sober in a twelve-step program. Walsh has recounted that his experience with alcohol began when he started drinking beer as a teenager because he, "liked the taste." (using the format which Alcoholics Anonymous participants use to introduce themselves at meetings).

Walsh's experience with addiction was a component of the life story of him overcoming adversity which he told as a portion of his stump pitch to voters during the 2013 mayoral election. This aspect of his life story has been credited with helping Walsh to set himself apart as a candidate. After he delivered the university's 2018 commencement address, the Wentworth Institute of Technology awarded Walsh an honorary doctorate of engineering from its technical school. After he delivered the commencement speech at Bridgewater State University's 2019 undergraduate graduation ceremony, Walsh was awarded an honorary degree. After he delivered the college's 2022 commencement address, Endicott College awarded Walsh an honorary doctorate in law. After Walsh delivered its 2023 commencement address, Suffolk University (which Walsh had previously attended before dropping-out after a single semester) awarded Walsh an honorary doctorate of public service. That same year, after Walsh delivered the university's commencement address, Walsh was awarded an honorary degree by the Massachusetts Maritime Academy. Additionally, at its 2023 commencement ceremony, Dean College awarded Walsh an honorary Doctor of Public Service.

Political ideology and stances In November 2020, Robert Kuttner of The American Prospect described Walsh as being a "working-class progressive". In March 2021, Kevin Cullen of The Boston Globe opined that Maurice J. Tobin and Martin Patrick Durkin were the former United States secretaries of labor whose personal backgrounds and ideologies most overlapped with Walsh's own. In January 2021, The Hill opinion contributor John Logan noted,

Walsh has also been described as having been elected mayor in 2013 and 2017 on a more moderate platform than his successor Michelle Wu was elected on in 2021. including on issues such as climate change, economic equity, and racial equity. Additionally, Walsh aligned himself in support of LGBTQ+ causes, In March 2017, Walsh remarked of his administration's approach in regards to transgender people,

In mid-2025, Walsh expressed concern that the Democratic Party and its messaging had fallen out-of-touch with the sentiments of the American working class.

Electoral history Massachusetts House of Representatives

Boston mayor