Mike Connolly

Michael L. Connolly (born June 3, 1980) is an American activist, attorney, and politician from Massachusetts.

Early life and career Connolly was born in the Dorchester area of Boston, Massachusetts. From 2004 to 2006 he was a project manager for Rexel. During this time he also spent summers working for the law firm of Goulston & Storrs, P.C. and the Berkman Center for Internet and Society.

He defeated Representative Timothy J. Toomey Jr. in September 2016 in the Democratic primary for the 26th Middlesex District, which comprises East Cambridge and East Somerville. Connolly was active with Occupy Boston and ran unsuccessfully against Toomey in 2012. In 2016, he was backed by Our Revolution, a Bernie Sanders-based political organization, and was endorsed by the prominent Cambridge academics Noam Chomsky and Lawrence Lessig. Connolly beat Toomey by about 300 votes and was elected to represent the 26th Middlesex District after Toomey's term ended; Connolly did not face a Republican in the November 2016 election for the Massachusetts House of Representatives. Connolly opposed the November 2016 "ballot question that would lift the charter school cap" and supports the legalization of recreational marijuana. On July 10, 2023, Connolly announced he was leaving the Boston DSA in response to the expulsion proceedings.

His proposal to institute rent control in Massachusetts failed by a vote of 22-136.

Committee assignments For the 2025-26 Session, Connolly sits in the following committees in the House:

Vice Chair, House Committee on Intergovernmental Affairs Joint Committee on Bonding, Capital Expenditures and State Assets Joint Committee on Municipalities and Regional Government Joint Committee on Tourism, Arts and Cultural Development

For the 2023-24 Session, Connolly sat in the following committees in the House:

House Committee on Post Audit and Oversight Joint Committee on Bonding, Capital Expenditures and State Assets Joint Committee on Housing Joint Committee on Municipalities and Regional Government

For the 2021-22 Session, Connolly sat in the following committees in the House:

Joint Committee on Bonding, Capital Expenditures and State Assets Joint Committee on Export Development Joint Committee on Housing Joint Committee on Municipalities and Regional Government

For the 2019-20 Session, Connolly sat in the following committees in the House:

House Committee on Bonding, Capital Expenditures and State Assets House Committee on Steering, Policy and Scheduling Joint Committee on Export Development Joint Committee on Public Service

For the 2017-18 Session, Connolly sat in the following committees in the House:

House Committee on Bonding, Capital Expenditures and State Assets House Committee on Steering, Policy and Scheduling Joint Committee on Housing Joint Committee on Veterans and Federal Affairs

Caucuses Connolly is a member of the following caucuses:

Founding Member, Housing for All

Task forces and commissions Connolly is involved in the following task forces and commissions: