‘Squad’ Rep. Ayanna Pressley’s hubby still on $2B government contract as partner pulls out

NY Post ^ | 7/30/26 | Ryan King

[Libloather]

“Squad” Rep. Ayanna Pressley’s husband, Conan Harris, is still involved with a real estate firm that locked down a controversial $2 billion deal for the development of a new courthouse in Massachusetts despite a key partner divesting from that company due to ethical concerns.

Harris had been partners with John Barros in CoJo Real Estate, which was involved in clinching the winning bid for a 40-year lease to build a new courthouse in Springfield, Mass.

On Wednesday, Barros, the interim executive director for the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority, announced he was divesting from the firm due to an ethics controversy.

Thus far, Harris hasn’t followed suit even as the firm faces litigation in which two losing bidders raised conflict of interest concerns primarily centered around Barros.

“Notwithstanding the fact that John did everything right and complied fully with the law, he has determined that the significant public benefits that will come from the Liberty Junction Team’s project … outweigh his personal interests,“ his lawyer said in a statement.

CoJo Real Estate is part of the Liberty Junction group that won the contract. Harris is the principal on the team.

Critics argue that Barros’ involvement raised ethical concerns because the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority’s board has members who are also on the agency that selected Liberty Junction.

Others have questioned whether Pressley’s perch in Congress may have given her husband an advantage on the government contract.

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TOPICS: Business/Economy; Conspiracy; History; Local News
KEYWORDS: democratcorruption; evilpressley; governmentcontract; pressley; squad

[Libloather]

Pulling out saves lives.

[Dad was my hero]

2 b b b billion dollar courthouse??? does it fly too? WTH.

[butlerweave]

We be rich ,sucker

[Steely Tom]

This would be a scandal, if a Republican representative’s spouse was caught doing it.

[ProtectOurFreedom]

The ~$1.94–2.00 billion is the nominal, undiscounted total the state will actually pay out over the life of the lease. It comes from roughly $48.5 million a year × 40 years, covering rent plus pass-through costs like utilities, insurance, taxes, and fees reimbursing the developer.

The Net Present Value of that cash flow stream is $611 M That is what the deal is “worth” in today’s money.

NPV is the standard financial tool to evaluate and compare any long-term lease or direct investment gets evaluated.

This isn’t a traditional state-funded build. It’s a public-private lease-back deal: the developer privately finances and builds the ~330,000-sq-ft facility, then leases it to the Commonwealth for an initial 40-year term with two optional 10-year extensions (up to 60 years total occupancy).

The bids to the Commonwealth were all evaluated on an NPV basis. But critics allege the state chose the cheapest bid, not the best one. Liberty Junction’s $611.4M projection undercut rival bids ($720.7M for a Dwight Street proposal, $772M for a riverfront proposal). But the Globe’s editorial board flags that comparison as apples-to-oranges: the Liberty Street bid pushes ongoing building maintenance costs onto the state (rivals had the owner cover that), the building is reportedly less energy-efficient than competing proposals, and the winning bid’s cost doesn’t include a project labor agreement with construction unions — all of which could raise real long-term costs beyond the headline number. Springfield’s Clerk of Courts and Mayor Sarno have also criticized the pick as inadequate on parking and site quality, not lavish.

That doesn’t fix the problem of the conflict of interest, of course. And $50 million per year WITHOUT maintenance costs? Sounds very extravagant to me.

[mass55th]

Her husband Conan Harris served over 10 years in prison for drug trafficking before he married her in 2014. Can ex-cons get $2B government contracts?

The body of an 18 year old girl who had been shot was found at a rental property owned by Conan Harris. This happened on July 18. No suspect has been found.

Death of Woman 18 Found Dead in Mattapan Home Owned by Pressley's Husband Ruled a Homicide

[Brandonmark]

Was Harris also her brother, or is that another one?

[Liz]

Must be "true love."

Conan Harris, the husband of U.S. Representative Ayanna Pressley, was involved in an altercation with a reporter where he slapped a recording phone out of the journalist's hand. No criminal charges have been filed against Harris regarding the encounter.The event unfolded in early January 2026 when a reporter approached Rep. Pressley in a city hall building to question her regarding alleged childcare fraud in Minnesota.

While filming, Harris—who is an "empowerment consultant" and previously served 10 years for federal drug trafficking charges—stepped in and swatted the journalist's phone.Video of the incident quickly went viral on social media, prompting condemnations from politicians, and commentators. However, law enforcement officials in Boston did not pursue or announce any legal action, and Harris has not been charged with assault for the slap.

[Liz]

Conan Harris’s individual net worth is not tracked separately from his wife, U.S. Representative Ayanna Pressley. Joint congressional financial disclosures place their combined household assets between $2.5 million and $8 million, offset by mortgages and liabilities.

Harris Wealth Sources

Consulting Firm: His management consulting company, Conan Harris & Associates, generated income between $100,001 and $1 million in recent reporting.

Real Estate: The couple holds multiple residential rental properties in Massachusetts, including units in Boston and Martha’s Vineyard.

Harris’ Prior Earnings: He previously earned a salary of about $92,500 as a senior public safety adviser in the city of Boston before launching his private firm.

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Conan Harris, husband of Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley, paid off over $17,000 in back taxes in February 2019. The IRS issued a federal tax lien against him in December 2018 for payment deficits from 2014, 2015, and 2016, which he stated were the result of a miscommunication.

[Liz]

Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley’s net worth is estimated to be between $2.5 million and $8 million, according to her recent federal financial disclosures. -——Fox News-——

Because congressional financial disclosure forms report assets and liabilities in broad ranges rather than exact figures, providing a precise net worth is difficult. Independent trackers like Quiver Quantitative estimate her mid-point net worth to be around $4.88 million.

The dramatic increase in her wealth since entering office in 2019—when her net worth was estimated by OpenSecrets to be a negative $12,500—is attributed to several major factors:

Real Estate Portfolio: Pressley and her husband, Conan Harris, own at least five rental properties. These include properties in Boston, Mattapan, Edgartown (Martha’s Vineyard), and Fort Lauderdale, Florida. Her Massachusetts real estate holdings alone are valued between $2.5 million and $8 million.

Rental Income: These rental properties generate a staggering combined annual revenue estimated at roughly $350,000.

Fox Business

Spousal Income: Her husband operates a management consulting firm, Conan Harris & Associates, which has significantly increased the household income since its launch in 2019.

Pressley earns a standard annual salary of $174,000 as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives.
Accompanying Liabilities

While Pressley’s assets have surged, her financial disclosures submitted through the House Clerk’s office also show substantial debt. She reports between $3.25 million and $9 million in liabilities. All of these outstanding balances are mortgages held with institutions like Chase Bank and Wells Fargo.

Ayanna Pressley was worth about $12,000 when she was sworn into office in January 2019=====Boston Herald=====

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Before her congressional career, Ayanna Pressley served for eight years as an at-large member of the Boston City Council (2010–2019), where she was the first woman of color elected to the council.Prior to her time on the council, she built a long career in Massachusetts politics.

She worked as a district representative and scheduler for U.S. Representative Joseph P. Kennedy II. She then spent over a decade working as a senior aide for U.S. Senator John Kerry, eventually serving as his political director.

[Liz]

Representative Ayanna Pressley’s district was not directly altered or dismantled by the Supreme Court’s major redistricting rulings.

Her seat, Massachusetts’ 7th Congressional District, is a deeply blue, minority-opportunity district covering parts of Boston and surrounding suburbs, and has not been subject to map redrawing from these recent federal decisions.

While her specific district remains intact, Pressley has been a vocal opponent of the Supreme Court’s rulings—such as the decision to void Louisiana’s majority-Black U.S. House district—arguing they weaken the Voting Rights Act and threaten Black political power nationwide.

[JeemBeau]

https://cdn.ballotpedia.org/images/DistrictImageMaps/2024/2023_01_03_ma_congressional_district_07.jpg

[JeemBeau]

And, being a lease, the Mass Commonwealth does not own the building at the end of the 60 years.

[JeemBeau]

Conan Harris was involved in trafficking cocaine. 10 years in prison is a healthy chunk of his adult life.

[Liz]

Thx

[Bullish]

Who would ever marry that thing?