Tom Gallagher (Massachusetts politician)

Gallagher was born and raised in the South Bronx, New York City. He earned a scholarship to attend Regis High School in Manhattan, and later earned a Bachelor of Arts in Philosophy from Boston College.[3][4]

Gallagher ran unsuccessfully for the Massachusetts House of Representatives in 1978, losing narrowly to a 14-year incumbent. Gallagher defeated the incumbent in a 1980 rematch election, and represented the Allston–Brighton neighborhood of Boston until 1986. A member of the Boston chapter of Democratic Socialists of America, Gallagher was the first declared socialist state legislator in Massachusetts since the 1920s.[4]

After leaving office, Gallagher relocated to San Francisco and became involved in local progressive politics. Gallagher worked in the campaign for Proposition 186, which would have established a single-payer healthcare system in the state. He also worked on implementation of the Humphrey–Hawkins Full Employment Act.[3] Gallagher also worked as a substitute teacher in San Francisco and South San Francisco, California. Gallagher was a candidate for California's 12th congressional district in 2020, campaigning as a progressive alternative to Nancy Pelosi.[5] Gallagher has contributed articles to Common Dreams and has been profiled in Jacobin.[6][7][8]

• List of Democratic Socialists of America who have held office in the United States