As the September 3 primary approaches in Massachusetts, challenger MacKay is one of 13 Democrats attempting to unseat an incumbent House lawmaker. This highlights the lack of competition in the state, with 79 percent of Democratic House primary races uncontested between 2002 and 2022. MacKay’s campaign focuses on increasing transparency in legislative proceedings and holding lawmakers accountable for their decisions.
Incumbent Representative Decker, who has held her position since 2012, emphasizes her track record of passing bills and being transparent with constituents. However, MacKay and their supporters argue that Decker is out of touch with the district and fails to address important issues like pedestrian and cyclist safety effectively.
The state legislature’s inefficiency was highlighted at the end of the last session, with many bills left unpassed. Massachusetts has the lowest ratio of bills passed to bills introduced, making it the least effective state legislature in the country. MacKay’s campaign aims to bring attention to these issues and increase voter awareness and engagement.
While challenging incumbents like Decker is rare in Massachusetts, candidates like MacKay and Jaymin Patel believe that offering choices and competition is crucial to holding lawmakers accountable and bringing about positive change on Beacon Hill. The culture of complacency and lack of competition in Massachusetts politics poses challenges to meaningful reform and innovation in the state legislature.
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