As a candidate for the State House now, I can see up close how this happens. You get inundated all the time with groups with specific asks, and it's so easy to just say yes to all of them, knowing that you either don't have to follow through or you disappoint them after you win.

#mapoli is struggling with high energy prices and a reliance on fossil fuels. One solution: follow Australia by helping to add more solar and storage to generate our own clean energy literally at home. chrisoatesforrep.substack.com/p/how-solar-...

If Democrats win a trifecta in 2028, their first act should be proportional multi-member districts to finally put an end to gerrymandering once and for all. www.nytimes.com/interactive/...

I’ve hit my first thousand doors of the campaign. Here are some lessons learned. chrisoatesforrep.substack.com/p/lessons-fr...

Amazing to see algorithmic media at work. One of these are the analytics for a TikTok video on housing policy. The other is about childcare costs. Since their algo pushes content to who it thinks wants to see it, this is a platform effect than just what viewers want.

How I can get bills through the State House is a common question. But it's not something I can do alone. In a healthy democracy, all elected officials are worried about the next election. The All-Party Primary ballot question would help with that. chrisoatesforrep.substack.com/p/getting-to...

Being interviewed as a candidate for print can be a daunting task, not knowing which of your words will be quoted. But state races aren't like the presidency, where every word is parsed. Here, getting any coverage is difficult. chrisoatesforrep.substack.com/p/being-inte...

This -- not new natural gas pipelines -- is what's going to rescue New England's energy system & bring down bills.

Somerville and Medford! going live with weekly office hours now at meet.google.com/oep-stvg-tqc. Let me know what you want the Commonwealth to do differently!

My four year old got upset at the start of soccer so I spent the practice carrying him and I think he still touched the ball more than Bentancur in the first half.

Palm cards! Designed by myself with two main objectives: 1. Bright name! I started this race with name ID hovering area zero so I want that to jump out. 2. Family picture rather than professional. I want people to know what I care about and I’m sure I’ll show my policy chops as the campaign goes

My PhD dissertation is back into relevancy. What’s interesting is how little has changed in some aspects from 03-05 (my case studies) to today, despite huge changes in the world. US still wants EU to have strong militaries but not too independent.

Judging an economy is more complicated than just looking at GDP numbers. So I break it down into three components (with a statistic of my own): The good: Wealthiest state in the nation. The bad: Home prices The worrying: Other states growing faster open.substack.com/pub/chrisoat...

About to collect the last batch of signatures I need to get on the ballot, but I'll leave this depressing chart here, from a newsletter I'll be publishing tomorrow.

These kinds of charts are invaluable. So often in politics policies can sound equivalent - I want X when my opponent wants Y - but the scale of the two are drastically different. The chart also shows why cities are in a tough spot. Absent new growth, more revenue comes from raising property taxes

Have you ever had a job interview where the other people going for the job are sitting right next to you? That's a bit like what a candidate forum feels like. A little weird, but a great way for voters to directly compare their options. chrisoatesforrep.substack.com/p/whats-a-ca...

Palm cards are the heart of a campaign's lit, but they are trying to do three separate goals: 1. Name ID 2. Persuade on candidate 3. Persuade on platform Those obviously can lead to conflicts on what to prioritize. Luckily for me experience in startups provides the answer to this dilemma...

Got to use my Italian two days in a row while doorknocking so now am going to take a break while watching one of the most underrated gems of Italian cinema. youtu.be/KF0VYpzsZYE?...

Childcare costs parents a lot. Not having it costs the rest of us even more.

Everyone knows childcare is expensive, but we don’t acknowledge that the cost is paid by all of us in the form of a weaker economy than if we had universal coverage. chrisoatesforrep.substack.com/p/why-univer...

Very pleased to have received the endorsement of the @tufts_democrats after last night's forum. It's easy for local politics to ignore students, but their enthusiasm for democracy is so important for those of us who have had a couple more decades to get jaded.

This represents a defeat for the United States. All the excellent tactical efforts from our servicemembers did not matter in the face of strategic incoherence that is leaving Iran in a stronger position than two months ago.

As a candidate, I can tell you that it's easier to tell people there are no trade-offs and that everything is the fault of [Unpopular Group X]. But that's not reality and we need people, no matter what you think about Rep. Khanna's other positions, to stand up for basic arithmatic.

If you’ve ever wondered what it’s like to deliver a political speech for the first time ever, here is the inside scoop. - No written text - Lots of nerves - Not too bad overall chrisoatesforrep.substack.com/p/what-is-it...

I have happily crossed the first time candidate threshold from feeling pre-job interview anxiety before starting a canvass to now looking forward to getting a bit of free time so I can do one no matter how short. Great excuse to get some steps in and talk to neighbors about potholes. #mapoli

Canvassed all day today. There is a real skepticism among voters about promises on housing affordability. It really shows how trust is the most important resource an elected official has and it’s running pretty low among a lot of people. #mapoli

Universal childcare is expensive, but if New York City can make big steps in that direction, Massachusetts can too.

When I was up at 6 am with a 2 month old and barely had any brain functioning left, County Championship cricket was a glorious mental balm. Very happy those sleepless days mean I now understand this post.

As a first time candidate, I’m trying to publicly document as much of the process before I get inured to it. Clicking on the insights of a reel and seeing that other people have collectively spent 3 hours today watching my big face talk about housing is both humbling and horrifying

Trying a different aesthetic from the typical campaign videos. Since my background is in policy and academia, I feel most comfortable talking about charts and data. I also think there's a lack of that for state-level policy. Let me know what you think as we hone in on some best practices #mapoli

Trying out something a little bit new for campaign reels. Since I come from a policy background, I'm trying to explain the big problems facing the district with charts and data. Will it work in the medium of short-form video? Who knows! But I'm gonna try. www.instagram.com/reel/DWomPPj...

First policy newsletter of the campaign on perhaps the most important point on housing: it needs to be solved at the state level. We’ve put city officials in a tough spot where people expect them to solve a problem that spans the whole region. chrisoatesforrep.substack.com/p/why-housin...

Delighted to share our revised paper (w/ @juliaturner.bsky.social & @jacobbastian.bsky.social ) showing that Universal Pre-K has broad effects on local labor markets — effects well beyond only mothers. Larger effects for full-day programs. nber.org/papers/w33767 #EconSky #EarlyChildhood #ECE

In other art opportunity news: Union Square is going to add a mural at the substation directly across from the green line stop. The Somerville Arts Council is looking for the artist to make it happen with a grant of $50k. Deadline is April 15. Open to individual artists, teams, and nonprofits.

Electricity prices are essential to the US economy. But it’s very hard to get recent, granular data on them. We’re changing that. Today, @heatmap.news and MIT released the ELECTRICITY PRICE HUB, a new tool breaking down local power rates and bills going back to 2021. electricity.heatmap.news

I opened Instagram from my personal account and the first thing I see is my giant face from a campaign account video. That was weird

This chart is remarkable, though not for the reasons mentioned. It shows the change in trade by type of goods. AI-related goods are the highest, though from a low baseline so that number might be misleading. But we saw drops in manufacturing and growth in resources, while the rest of the world grew

Much as we may complain about the Democratic Party or elements within it at times, it is the party that stands up for transgender and nonbinary rights

What's it like deciding to run for office? Much like the old line about bankruptcy, very slowly, then all at once. chrisoatesforrep.substack.com/p/jumping-in...

At the risk of being, as the kids say, cringe, there’s nothing better for your hope in democracy than a nice spring evening collecting signatures to appear on the ballot and talking with neighbors.

This gets to the heart of one problem in Massachusetts politics. In 2024, we had the least competitive legislative elections in the country. You shouldn’t have to only persuade policymakers to solve problems. You should threaten to elect someone else who will solve them.

I was at the Somerville #NoKings today. It got me thinking about the Magna Carta. (Really) In 1215, outside of London, King John made a deal with rebel nobles about constraints on his power. It was much later recast as the first step to constitutional government and civil rights.

This might not be something that I as a state legislator could enact, but it should be illegal to have an off day right after Opening Day. It was a long winter. Crochet spun a beauty. And now it’s a Sox-less Friday.

I’ve criticized Chuck Schumer’s leadership in the past, but it’s important to recognize when our leaders succeed. He won this one.

A great point about why cars vs bikes vs transit isn’t an either-or. My wife and I have a car but are lucky to live where there’s pretty good public transit, so I can make a lot of trips by bus or T. And, of course, when I do that there’s one less car on the road to create traffic for others.

Having just seen a thread on housing debates in Somerville City Council, there’s one important thing to note - this is a statewide issue. I’m glad the City Council is addressing it and I obviously have preferences about the best policy, but when demand is regional, supply decisions have to be too

First #mapoli campaign tactic newsletter. I think first-time candidates (when feasible) should collect their own signatures. If you're asking a voter to help you get on the ballot, they deserve to meet you first. open.substack.com/pub/chrisoat...

The single best thing we can do in Massachusetts to ease energy bills is massive solar + battery deployment. The technology is there. We just need to use it.

This is why it’s so important to uphold a system of laws that can operate internationally

I promised the most transparent campaign in #mapoli, so here is the story of why I didn’t run for city council last year. As much as I wanted to serve, it wasn’t the right time or job for my family. It wasn’t an easy decision but it was the right one chrisoatesforrep.substack.com/p/deciding-n...