Joe Tache, the Boston Party for Socialism and Liberation’s U.S. Senate candidate in Massachusetts, said he is campaigning on the belief that access to basic necessities is a fundamental right.

“In Massachusetts, which has been dominated by Democratic Party politicians for decades now, but where the cost of living has continued to increase, and where people are struggling to survive and stay … it’s very important to put forward an independent socialist message,” Tache said in an interview.

Tache, who went to Northeastern University, is running a campaign focused on 

building unity among the Massachusetts residents, offering socialism as “the solution” to the “national emergency” of capitalism, according to his campaign website. 

As a third-party candidate, Tache faces a long-shot campaign against Democratic Senate incumbent Ed Markey and M.A. Representative Seth Moulton, among other candidates. 

Tache’s campaign plans to “use society’s wealth to meet people’s needs,” and support immigrants, Black America, women, the LGBTQ community and Palestine, according to his campaign website. 

Tache said a greater understanding of one another is key to addressing current issues. 

“We need to stop turning the blame and finger at each other, and rather understand the underlying political and economic dynamics of the capitalist system that are creating the problems that we have today,” Tache said. 

Tache started attending protests in Boston in 2014, amidst a wave of protests across the country against police brutality when Michael Brown was killed by police in Ferguson, Missouri. 

“[That summer] was the first time I’d ever gone to protests,” Tache said. “I felt so empowered being alongside thousands of other people who had the same values and were demanding the same justice that I was.” 

Tache said he began his involvement with Boston PSL in his senior year of college, and has served as an organizer since graduating NU in 2018.

A third party candidacy is difficult, Tache said, because his campaign does not have access to the same resources as mainstream candidates. He said this makes it difficult for the campaign to reach voters. 

However, what they lack in funding, Tache said they make up for with volunteer work. Tache said the spirit of the campaign is grounded in volunteer-based outreach, inviting the community to help “build a real grassroots movement character for the campaign.” 

Ximena Hasbach, Tache’s campaign manager, said the campaign wants to “hit the ground running” and plan more events and volunteer meetups across the state. 

“We’re really excited to have hundreds of volunteers be signed up to give their time for this campaign that they believe in,” Hasbach said.

Ki-Jana Carter, a Boston PSL organizer and a field organizing team member for the Tache campaign, said what sets the campaign apart is that it treats voters like “politically active people” and not “objects that politics happen to.” 

“It’s very rewarding to get to hear what matters to people,” Carter said. “I think most people are not really asked in a genuine way what it is that they want to see change in society, what are the things that they’re struggling with as working class people.”

Hasbach said Tache is often in the streets alongside voters, including at protests and campaign events.

Alongside Boston PSL, Tache said he helped organize and spoke at the Jan. 30 “ICE Out” and Jan. 21 “Stop ICE Terror” rally in Copley square. His campaign is also hosting an event in Dorchester on Feb. 14 in celebration of Black History Month, featuring performances from local artists. 

Tache said politics today is dominated by billionaires and capitalism, working for the “sake of maximizing their profits.” He said through the Boston PSL movement, he aims to eliminate this political structure.

“If you believe that we need to end the rule of billionaires in our politics and we need to transform our political and economic system, that means that we need a political movement that breaks from the status quo,” Tache said. “If that resonates with you, then I invite you to get involved with our movement.”