OP-Ed by Mike Minogue
Early in this campaign, a mother approached me with a question.
I knew her family. Years earlier, I had coached her son in our small town. She explained that her son was gay and asked me a simple question: Would I support him?
Without hesitation I said “Of course I will.” During the rest of our conversation we discussed at length how I am running to make Massachusetts a place where her son can thrive and know he belongs, and that her family, as a whole, can count on me to advance freedom for all.
“I’m running to make Massachusetts a place where your son can thrive and know he belongs.”
That conversation has stayed with me. Her son deserves what we all want for ourselves and our families: a great job, an affordable home, a safe community, and the opportunity to build a future here.
This is personal to me beyond that conversation. For years, I have worked alongside members of the LGBTQ+ community. They are my neighbors, friends, and members of my own family. I am committed to helping all people in Massachusetts feel safe, respected, and free to pursue their dreams.
No one should feel they have to leave Massachusetts because they cannot afford to build a life here. Yet too many people, gay or straight, single or married, are asking the same questions: Can I afford a home? Pay the electric bill? Find a great job? Give my children a great education? Will my community be safe?
My AAOK agenda, Accountability, Affordability, Opportunity, and Keeping our communities safe, is designed to answer those questions.
Accountability means completing the government audit that 72% of voters supported and making sure taxpayers know where their money goes. We need to eliminate waste and fraud so families can keep more of what they earn.
Affordability means confronting the cost of energy, housing, healthcare, insurance, and childcare. We need reliable, affordable energy, including natural gas and nuclear power, and we need to stop policies that unnecessarily drive up the cost of living.
Opportunity means bringing great jobs back to Massachusetts, including manufacturing jobs that support families, and expanding educational opportunities. I will opt Massachusetts into the new Federal Scholarship Tax Credit and bring in billions of dollars to support Massachusetts students.
Keeping communities safe means exactly that: every person and every family deserves to feel secure in the community they call home.
Massachusetts is worth fighting for. We should not have to leave because the political establishment keeps overspending, overregulating, and overtaxing the people who live and work here.
I’m running as a public servant, not another politician. I will fight for you and your opportunity to build a good life here, no matter who you are or whom you love.
That is the Massachusetts I’m running to build, for that young man I once coached and for every family that calls this Commonwealth home.
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