The lack of affordable housing across the state will be the focal point of the race between state Rep. Mike Connolly and his challenger, affordable housing advocate Neil Miller.
Connolly has not faced a challenger in any race since he unseated 13-term incumbent Tim Toomey in the 2016 Democratic primary by just under 400 votes. The seat covers central Cambridge and Somerville. Miller has not previously run for office. He has volunteered with A Better Cambridge, an all-volunteer housing advocacy group, for the last six years. In January of 2025, Miller left his job as a data scientist for the federal government. He is a student at the Harvard Kennedy School.
Miller told Cambridge Day “the reason that I’m running is that Massachusetts is a great place to live,” but it could be better. “There’s this gap between, I think, good intentions and the results that people see,” Miller said, citing oft-lamented legislative inertia.
Miller wants to hire in-house at the MBTA and MassDOT instead of paying external consultants; improve public service hiring pathways; and re-evaluate procurement rules to increase vendor competition. On housing, he wants to expand multifamily zoning rules statewide and remove parking mandates for new developments, he said.
Connolly and Miller share many concerns. In his re-election campaign, Connolly said he will prioritize housing affordability, defend against federal action, and “continue working to make state government work for our constituents and for our community.”
“I’m very grateful for the trust that the people of Cambridge and Somerville have placed in me. We’ve certainly accomplished a lot in recent years and there’s so much more to do,” Connolly said. He cited his record on housing, including his role as co-chair of the Housing for All Legislative Caucus, the passage of the Affordable Homes Act, and establishment of an eviction and foreclosure moratorium during COVID. He’s also pushed for social housing — state-owned mixed-income housing developments — he said.
Connolly was named the vice chair of the House Committee on Intergovernmental Affairs at the start of this term. Such roles come with an additional leadership stipend, which Connolly said is roughly $7,776 per year, with inflationary adjustments.
Miller was “disappointed” to learn that Connolly received a stipend. He said these enable legislative inertia by making individual representatives dependent on the good favor of the House leadership. In 2023, 109 of 160 state representatives received a leadership stipend, the Boston Globe reported. Connolly was not among them, with the Globe noting that as one of the House’s more progressive members, he often disagreed with House leadership.
“A big focus of mine will be ending handouts from leadership for committees that don’t do any work,” Miller said. “Legislators should be paid for getting results, not just for their relationship with leadership.”
Connolly said via email “I am honored by the trust the Speaker placed in me to serve as a member of his extended leadership team for the first time this term. At the same time, I am proud of my extensive record of standing up for our community’s progressive values on Beacon Hill.” The House Committee on Intergovernmental Affairs has met five times this session, Connolly said, with discussions including emergency preparedness, budgets and the impact of federal actions, and support for fallen active-duty police and firefighters.
Miller will hold his first campaign event Sunday, when he’ll lead a community walk through the district beginning at 11 a.m.
There will be many such events throughout Cambridge and Somerville this year, an unusually competitive Beacon Hill election cycle. State Sen. Pat Jehlen is retiring, and among those seeking her seat are state representatives Erika Uyterhoeven and Christine Barber, who will leave their seats covering the 27th and 34th Middlesex Districts. State Rep. Marjorie Decker faces a rematch with Evan MacKay in the 25th Middlesex District, which is entirely within Cambridge. State Sen. Will Brownsberger is facing a challenge from Daniel Lander. (Disclosure: Lander’s mother, Lori Lander, is on the Local News Fund Advisory Board at the Cambridge Community Foundation, which has given financial support to Cambridge Day.)
Candidates must file nomination papers by 5 p.m. on April 28. The primary election is September 1.
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