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We typically think of Massachusetts as a liberal, small-d democratic state. But if you look under the hood, a surprising reality emerges: We pass the lowest number of bills in the country, and our legislature is woefully opaque. Everything from climate legislation to hospital oversight has been stalled.

Our very own district’s representation exemplifies this crisis: Sitting State Rep. Marjorie C. Decker (D) does not reflect the priorities of our community, from good government, to good transportation, to affordable housing. Thankfully, Cambridge voters have the opportunity today to replace her with a progressive, pro-democracy candidate in former Harvard Graduate Student Union-United Auto Workers President Evan C. MacKay ’19.

To see why we should, let’s review Decker’s record. When 94 percent of voters in the district instructed her to make committee votes public in 2022, Decker voted against it several times. She also voted against giving state legislatures and the public more time to review bills before they are brought to a vote, without which legislatures pass omnibus bills at the very end of the session with little public oversight.

It goes beyond issues of process though. Decker has voted to limit the right to shelter, against pleas from advocates. And in 2023, she supported a tax bill that included hundreds of millions in tax cuts for businesses and the ultrawealthy, diverting funding from infrastructure and education investments strongly supported by Cambridge voters.

As a local mobility justice advocate, I’ve seen the disconnect between Decker’s values and her constituents’ values firsthand. After a memo from a state official revealed she had worked to oppose a popular weekend park on Memorial Drive, in opposition to the Cambridge City Council’s 7-2 vote to continue opening the streets to people, Decker issued a dubious denial that she had done so.

She doesn’t fare well on street safety either. In June, Decker failed to make a public statement after a car tragically hit and killed a cyclist on Cambridge’s streets but found the time to advertise a pricey fundraiser the very day of the vigil.

Today’s primary election is an opportunity to interrogate and reconsider the representation this district — one of the most progressive in Massachusetts — is receiving in the State House. When leaders refuse to support things we need, like housing and functional public transportation, we deserve bold new leadership.

That’s exactly what Evan MacKay offers. They are running on a platform that recognizes the lack of transparency in the state legislature, and their positions on housing and climate more closely align with Cambridge’s progressive values.

Despite the Red Line’s abject dysfunction, Decker has hardly mentioned the T in her campaign, while MacKay has made sustainable, multimodal transportation a centerpiece of their policy, earning an endorsement from Cambridge Bicycle Safety. Though Cambridge housing prices are unaffordable and grow more so by the day, Decker takes money from developers, while MacKay has pledged not to do so.

On climate, Decker has said hardly anything about private jet expansion at Hanscom Field, which is damaging our environment, and its number-one carbon emitter made a maximum contribution to her campaign, while MacKay has organized to prevent private jet expansion.

As former HGSU president, MacKay knows how to take on the establishment and win big. We have the chance to support a progressive champion who will fight to make our state government deliver on the needs of people in Cambridge and throughout our Commonwealth. Vote Evan MacKay for state representative.

Clyve Lawrence ’25, a Crimson Editorial editor, is a Government concentrator in Adams House and a volunteer for MacKay’s campaign.