Democratic Senator Nick Collins Hired a Trump Operative. Voters Are Asking Why.

State Senator Nick Collins represents one of the Commonwealth's most diverse districts. Yet recently, his office has come under heavy scrutiny from those he claims to protect.

The reason? His chief of staff, Haley Walsh, appears in photographs from the 2024 Republican National Convention wearing Trump-branded clothing. Another image posted to her Facebook account showed Trump-branded liquor celebrating his election.

The photographs have circulated widely on social media, drawing attention to the politics of one of the most powerful people in Collins’s State House office.

Walsh is not an intern, volunteer or low-level staffer. A chief of staff manages personnel, advises the senator, helps shape legislative and budget priorities, coordinates political strategy and controls access to the elected official.

The question is not whether a Republican may work for a Democrat. It is what Collins knew about the politics of the person he chose to help run his office—and whether those politics matter in a district with thousands of Black, Latino and immigrant constituents affected by the Trump administration.

New England Ledger contacted the Collins campaign seeking answers to those questions but received no response at the time of publication.

Part of a Larger Pattern

If Collins had an unambiguously progressive voting record, Walsh’s convention appearance might amount to an unusual staffing choice. Instead, the photographs surfaced amid broader questions about Collins’s politics.

As we reported in our "Red, White, & Sometimes Blue" series, he has broken with most Massachusetts Democrats on major votes involving policing, immigrant driver's licenses, and other issues. More recently, his opposition to Boston's property-tax proposal left homeowners paying substantially more than they would have under the city's plan.

On June 9th, Collins waffled on his support for rent control when talking to voters at a Ward 4 & 5 Democratic Committee forum, despite previously indicating support for it in candidate questionnaires and forums when advocates were attempting to put the issue before voters on the ballot.

And just last week, Collins bailed on widely advertised candidate forum held by the Black Agenda Coalition where he could have addressed myriad questions to his diverse constituency, favoring instead a lightly attended public safety meeting with his strongest ally, South Boston City Councilor Ed Flynn, where it remains unclear what the result or takeaways were.

In that context, the politics of the person Collins chose to help run his office become more than State House gossip.

They become part of a larger question: Who exactly is shaping the agenda inside Nick Collins's office?

Black Homeowners Have Paid the Price

Collins's commitment to residents has equally come under scrutiny as a large share of his campaign contributions have come from real estate developers and investors. As New England Ledger previously reported, Collins opposed Boston’s proposal to limit the property-tax burden shifting from commercial buildings onto homeowners.

The average single-family homeowner subsequently faced an approximately 13 percent increase—about $780—with particular consequences for Black homeowners and seniors on fixed incomes.

That vote is part of the record now shaping how constituents view Collins’s less direct position on rent control

At a June 9 forum hosted by the Ward 4 and Ward 5 Democratic State Committees, Collins appeared alongside LaToya Gayle, who is challenging him for the Democratic nomination. When the candidates were asked about rent control, Gayle directly stated that she supports it.

Collins took a different approach.

He said he supports allowing cities and towns to adopt rent control locally and that he opposes no-fault evictions. But he did not say whether he believes Boston—or any of the communities he represents—should actually adopt rent control.

That distinction matters.

Supporting a local option means supporting a municipality’s authority to decide. It does not tell voters how Collins believes Boston should use that authority. He can support allowing cities to adopt rent control while personally opposing Boston doing so.

His opposition to no-fault evictions is also a separate position. Protections against eviction without cause may help tenants, but they do not necessarily prevent landlords from imposing rent increases that tenants cannot afford.

Collins had an opportunity to clearly state whether he supports rent control. Gayle answered yes. Collins did not.

That ambiguity is especially significant in a district where rising housing costs are displacing Black, Latino and working-class residents. Voters deserve to know whether their senator supports rent control for the communities he represents—not simply whether he believes local governments should be permitted to consider it.

Then the Photos Surfaced

Attending a political convention and holding conservative beliefs are not misconduct. But a chief of staff is not an ordinary employee. Walsh can influence legislation, strategy, scheduling and which constituent concerns reach Collins.

That makes several questions relevant: Did Collins know about Walsh’s politics and RNC attendance when he selected her? Has she advised him on housing, immigration or policing—issues where he has broken with fellow Democrats or avoided taking a clear position?

The photographs matter because of that broader record. Collins has split with his party on police accountability, immigrant driver’s licenses and emergency-shelter requirements. He opposed Boston’s property-tax proposal and would not say whether he supports rent control for Boston.

Each decision may have its own explanation. But voters deserve to know who is helping shape the pattern behind Collins’s office door.