By Jason Mackey

When I announced my candidacy last April, I was told to expect nothing less than a grueling campaign with a high risk of failure. Despite that, the opportunity and honor of serving the 27^th Middlesex as our next State Representative far outweighed that risk of failure, and I enthusiastically jumped into the race. The early days of the campaign were great. I met hundreds of amazing Somervillians and learned a lot about the challenges they routinely overcome. The people truly are what make Somerville a great place to live, and I looked forward to representing their interests on Beacon Hill.

Despite the optimism of those early days, and encouragement from my earliest supporters, a series of unforeseen family emergencies – combined with the stress of running as a first-time candidate – compelled me to make one of the hardest decisions of my life, which was to indefinitely suspend my campaign for State Representative of the 27^th Middlesex District. This decision was quietly made earlier this month, and I’ve since spent weeks trying to talk myself out of it.

I’m not used to giving in; it’s not in my nature. As an entrepreneur, I wouldn’t have gone very far had I quit when the going got tough. Giving in is the last thing I ever want to do. To quote Winston Churchill, “Never give in, never, never, never – in nothing, great or small, large or petty – never give in except to convictions of honor and good sense.” This decision is one of those times where good sense wins.

Thank you to everyone who supported me. From friends and neighbors to my Kitchen Cabinet and elected officials. Thank you. And although this was my first campaign, I promise it won’t be my last. There’s still so much more to do, and so many ways we can do better. I love this City; I’m not going anywhere, and I promise to continue serving the people of Somerville to the best of my ability.

In time, I will refocus my efforts on championing diversity and inclusion through my role as Ward 5 Diversity Chair; fighting to eliminate housing insecurity through fair housing policies; and continuing to make the case for a Universal Basic Income (UBI) through the nonprofit I co-founded called UBINow.org.

Moving forward, all I ask is that you please vote in the State Primary on September 6, and again in the General Election on November 8. If you’re unsure of where to vote, visit www.sec.state.ma.us/WhereDoIVoteMA. If you’re curious about the statewide candidates I’m voting for next week, feel free to checkout my ballot from this year’s Democratic Convention at www.massdems.org or any of my social media accounts. And please encourage your friends, wherever they live, to vote for Democrats up and down the ballot.

Thank you, Somerville, for the opportunity of getting to know you. Your support has been incredibly humbling, and I’m honored to have had the experience of running for office in this great City.