With the September primary just over two months away, progressive groups across Western Western Massachusetts and beyond are coming out in support of Democrat Tahirah Amatul-Wadud's congressional run.

The Springfield attorney, who is looking to unseat longtime Democratic U.S. Rep. Richard Neal this fall, has picked up endorsements from Franklin County Continuing the Political Revolution, Indivisible Williamsburg, Rise Up Western Massachusetts Indivisible, and -- most recently -- Indivisible Project and Progressive Democrats of America.

Russell Freedman, the Progressive Democrats of America state coordinator, said his organization was "delighted" to announce its support for Amatul-Wadud, contending that she's "a progressive who understands the needs of the people in the 1st Congressional District" when it comes to jobs, health care and other issues.

"The 1st Congressional District needs a progressive champion, who is willing to talk to her constituents and represent them in Congress," he said in a Thursday statement. "Tahirah Amatul-Wadud is a terrific candidate and we urge progressives to join us in helping her campaign and giving her their votes on Sept. 4."

Maria Urbina, national political director for Indivisible Project, meanwhile, told The Republican that Amatul-Wadud is one of just 23 candidates nationwide to win the backing of her grassroots organization, which launched to promote progressive policies and candidates following President Donald Trump's 2016 election.

Urbina, who noted that Indivisible's endorsements are based off of local chapters' recommendations, said the political newcomer's bid against Neal, a 30-year incumbent, are "exactly the kind of race and candidate" her organization likes to support.

"I think Tahirah is a perfect example of someone who is animating the grassroots, who has this tremendous personal story, who has this exciting vision for the future and who has been able to do this all while being highly local and highly locally driven," she said in a recent interview.

Urbina added that not only does Amatul-Wadud offer a progressive vision and response to constituent's concerns about "basic representation," she brings the perspective of being a woman and person of color -- something which she argued is lacking in Massachusetts' congressional delegation.

"To us, as an organization that has really come up through a movement that is centered around constituent advocacy and centered around ordinary people asking their elected officials, demanding their elected officials more ... Tahirah's a perfect arc of someone that represents a better future, a more inclusive future," she said.

Although Urbina acknowledged that it may be difficult for some Democrats to support Amatul-Wadud over Neal, who holds the position of House Ways and Means Committee ranking member, she questioned the importance of the congressman's high-power role if some constituents feel he's not representing them -- an argument his challenger has also made on the campaign trail.

"Whether you have that leadership position or not, if your stewardship and your leadership is not responsive to the needs of your constituents at its full potential then it's almost like wasted leadership," she said.

Indivisible Williamsburg, a local chapter of the national grassroots organization which has come out in support of Amatul-Wadud's bid, took aim at Neal's representation of the 1st Congressional District in a June 2017 ad campaign.

The congressman's office, in response to the ads, noted that Neal had held dozens of public events throughout the expansive district while still casting hundreds of votes in Washington and fundraising for Democratic candidates.

It added that Neal "has always welcomed the views of his constituents, and he will continue to be a strong and accessible voice for their concerns both at home and in Washington, D.C."

The congressman and Amatul-Wadud, a member of the Massachusetts Commission on the Status of Women and board member for the Massachusetts Council on American-Islamic Relations, will square off in the state's Democratic primary on Sept. 4.