Former Gov. Charlie Baker and former Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito have endorsed Republican Micah Jones in the 6th Congressional District race, giving the Essex attorney and Army veteran the backing of Massachusetts' most prominent Republican figures ahead of the Sept. 1 primary.

Baker, who has largely stayed out of politics since becoming NCAA president in March 2023, called Jones "the right candidate to lower the temperature in Washington, D.C. and deliver results for the people of the North Shore and Merrimack Valley," according to the Andover Townsman, which reported the endorsement on Monday, Aug. 3.

"Our politics is broken," Polito said in a statement. "In Micah Jones we have a candidate who is committed to putting partisan differences aside and working to solve problems. His commitment to public service is unmatched in this race, and approaches like Micah's are sorely missing in Congress."

Jones, who is running unopposed in the Republican primary, thanked Baker and Polito and said he is committed to advancing their model of bipartisan governance in Congress.

The winner of the six-candidate Democratic primary on Sept. 1 will face Jones in the Nov. 3 general election.

On the Democratic side, Progressive Mass endorsed state Rep. Tram Nguyen of Andover in June, citing her legal aid background and legislative record on worker protections. The grassroots organization said Nguyen has championed expanding unemployment benefits, increasing the minimum wage and protecting injured workers from retaliation.

The endorsement adds to a growing list for Nguyen, who has collected backing from more than 100 elected officials, organizations and labor unions, including the SEIU State Council and the United Auto Workers International, according to Andover News.

Nguyen, who represents Andover, Boxford, North Andover and Tewksbury in the state House, chairs the Committee on Climate Action and Sustainability. She is the first Asian American woman to chair a committee in the Massachusetts House.

Not all progressive groups lined up behind a single candidate. The Progressive Democrats of America declined to endorse anyone in the race after sending questionnaires to all six Democrats. State coordinator Russell Freedman said only three candidates responded, and each received roughly a third of the vote, falling short of the 60% threshold required for an endorsement.

"Taking this step is important to me because I hear all the time how voters in this district are eager to have a candidate not fueled by or beholden to the special interests," Nguyen said on July 24, when she released five years of tax returns and challenged her rivals to match her transparency.

Six Democrats are competing for the nomination to fill the seat left open by Rep. Seth Moulton, who chose to challenge Sen. Ed Markey in the U.S. Senate primary rather than seek re-election. The field includes Bethany Andres-Beck, John Beccia, Jamie Belsito, Dan Koh, Mariah Lancaster and Nguyen.

The Democratic primary is Sept. 1. The general election is Nov. 3.