An 'army of 16-year-olds' takes on the Democrats in Massachusetts Young progressive activists are an ardent, organized and unpredictable new factor in Massachusetts elections. By Ellen Barry New York Times May 19, 2021 — 2:26pm Text size Copy shortlink: BOSTON — Dana Depelteau, a hotel manager, had just gone public with a long-shot candidacy for mayor in Boston when he noticed that someone in city politics was going after him online. The effect of this attack, he said, was lightning-fast and pervasive. The morning after he announced his candidacy on Twitter, he showed up at his local barbershop and, while staring at himself in the mirror, overheard a customer describing his views as white supremacist.