MacKay vs Decker

100% Renewable Energy

The science is clear: we are running out of time to take action on climate change. In recent years, Massachusetts has fallen behind other states as a result of corruption and inaction in our legislature. 15 other states, including Virginia and Wisconsin, have committed to transitioning to 100% renewable energy—but not us.

Rep. Decker: Says she supports addressing the climate crisis, yet she opposed:

H.3231, which would require us to transition to 100% renewable energy by 2030.
H.3237, a moratorium on new gas expansion.
Setting deadlines to electrify the commuter rail, buses, and public fleets
Encouraging solar development on buildings and disturbed land.
Energy facility siting improvements intended to benefit environmental justice communities.

Most importantly of all, Rep. Decker says she supports transitioning to 100% renewable energy by 2045, but the bill she presented will never make it out of committee. Because of a lack of government transparency and accountability in the State House, we have no way of holding our representatives accountable when they publicly cosponsor legislation and then vote against it behind closed doors. Rep. Decker and other members of the establishment don’t want us to see how they vote, because then they would have to admit that they care more about giving tax cuts to the rich than protecting our climate.

Evan MacKay: Evan proudly supported the Cambridge Green New Deal, which included job training and particular attention to environmental justice communities. As the president of HGSU, the union that represents the most workers in the district, Evan helped testify for climate amendments before the City Council. Evan also helped organize a climate coalition to call for the governor to reject an expansion of Hanscom Field that caters specifically to private jet owners, successfully passing this resolution through the Cambridge City Council without a single opposing vote.

Fund and Fix the MBTA

Our public transit systems are in chronic disrepair due to decades of neglect and underfunding from our state legislature.

Rep. Decker: Instead of supporting fully funding the MBTA, Decker voted to give over $1 billion to our state’s wealthiest citizens and multistate corporations in 2023, undoing the transportation funding gains made by the Fair Share Amendment that voters passed in 2022.

Evan MacKay: Supports fully funding the MBTA and is opposed to tax cuts for our wealthiest state residents.

Keep Families and Pregnant People Housed

Rep. Decker: Until a few months ago, Massachusetts was a “right-to-shelter” state. Unhoused moms, parents, babies, and families in need could get into shelter immediately, and they could stay as long as they needed in order to get back on their feet. That all changed in March, when Governor Healey, Rep. Decker, and other House Democrats voted to impose caps and time limits on shelter stays for the first time in over three decades. Now there are hundreds of families being forced to sleep in airports, emergency departments, and on the street.

Evan MacKay: Evan believes everyone should have a right to shelter. MA is struggling with an ongoing housing crisis that is putting huge strain on our shelter system, and our state representatives are not doing anything to address it. We need affordable, accessible, multifamily housing, local options for rent control, and protections for tenants.

Government Transparency & Accountability

Rep. Decker: Rep. Decker is a vocal opponent of government transparency and accountability. She has made it clear that she prefers to operate behind closed doors and to remain unaccountable to voters for her votes on even the most popular Democratic bills. Even though 94% of the district voted to support public committee votes, Rep. Decker still claims that voters in our district don’t care about transparency, and has voted against making committee votes and testimony public.

Evan MacKay: Evan is an experienced pro-democracy and anti-corruption organizer who helped bring about major reforms within their union caucus, United All Workers for Democracy. Evan was driven to run for office in order to join a minority coalition of progressive legislators working to bring sunlight to the halls of the State House. Evan supports the Sunlight Act and has signed the Act On Mass “Voters Deserve to Know” Transparency Pledge.

Tax the Ultrawealthy

Two years ago, our district voted overwhelmingly for the Fair Share Amendment, which imposed a tax on households with very high annual incomes in order to produce progressive tax revenue. This revenue is supposed to go towards funding public transportation, infrastructure, and education. Unfortunately, less than a year later, Rep. Decker and other representatives voted to give massive tax cuts to the wealthiest people in our state.

We’re now seeing these tax cuts lead directly to a state budget deficit. Our politicians are slashing funding for needed social programs and refusing to fully fund others. In order to give tax breaks to billionaires, our reps slashed funding for numerous essential social services, including, but not limited to: MassHealth; disability services; behavioral healthcare; Department of Mental Health student loan forgiveness; housing; community college grants; and Emergency Aid for the Elderly, Disabled, and Children.

Rep. Decker: Decker is the co-chair of the committee on Public Health and positions herself as an advocate for behavioral healthcare, reproductive justice, and folks living in deep poverty, yet she voted against a billionaires’ tax in 2020 and voted in favor of tax cuts for the rich in 2023. In this legislative session alone, she voted in favor of both a $1 billion tax cut package disproportionately benefiting our state’s wealthiest residents and another regressive tax cut package for $440 million in tax cuts to the commonwealth’s richest residents, estates, and corporations. These tax cuts undermine the will of voters, expand the racial wealth gap, and result in cuts to social services, infrastructure, and public goods.

Evan MacKay: Evan supports progressive taxation to fund our public services and close the racial wealth gap. Evan knocked doors for the Fair Share Amendment in 2022.

Employees’ Right to Unionize

Rep. Decker: Rep. Decker does not support efforts to unionize or protect workers from harassment and discrimination within her own workplace, as she did not support the State House Employee Union.

Evan MacKay: Evan is a member of IBEW 2222, UAW Region 9A, and the former president of the Harvard Grad Students’ Union. They have a great deal of experience organizing for a better democratic process within union contexts and have provided support and solidarity to countless other union members. Evan fully supports state house workers’ right to unionize.

No Developer and Lobbyist Money

Rep. Decker: Rep. Decker takes thousands of dollars in donations from lobbyists, corporations, and real estate developers. You can check out Rep. Decker’s campaign finances here.

Evan MacKay: Evan is committed to only taking campaign contributions from voters like you and me. The majority of funding from Evan’s campaign comes from small-dollar donors within the 25th Middlesex district. You can check out Evan’s campaign finances here.

Stop Building More Prisons

Here in Massachusetts, we somehow do not have enough money to house homeless families and pregnant people, build affordable housing, or adequately fund our crumbling infrastructure and public transportation systems—yet we still have funds to build yet another prison for women and girls.

Rep. Decker: Rep. Decker did not cosponsor H.1795, which would have established a moratorium on the construction of new jails and prisons. She also has not visited any DOC-related facilities in this legislative session.

Evan MacKay: Evan supports using state funds to create jobs and house people, not incarcerate them.