As the election for the 4th Hampden District of the House of Representatives nears, Kelly Pease and Bridget Matthews-Kane are not taking any votes for granted.
Two-time incumbent Rep. Kelly Pease, a Republican, was speaking before heading to Framingham for a National Guard briefing on Oct. 15. He said he is completely focused on the campaign, but as a member of the Veterans Affairs Committee, he felt it was important to get any update on troop deployments.
In the last two weeks of the campaign, Pease said he will continue to advertise and send out some mailers.
“The most important thing is every afternoon get out and knock on doors. You want to be engaged with voters. Meet them, let them ask you questions,” he said.
“I’m cautiously optimistic. You don’t want to get overly optimistic. Keep pedal on the metal, push through the last three weeks and do what you got to do. You never know until the votes are counted,” Pease said.
Westfield Ward 3 City Councilor Bridget Matthews-Kane, a Democrat challenging Pease in the district that includes all of Southampton and most of Westfield, said she is similarly focused on speaking to people. She said her strategy the entire time has been to focus on canvassing and knocking on doors.
However, she said she is switching her emphasis in the final two weeks to making sure that people get out and vote.
“I’ve knocked on hundreds of doors. People tell me they have not made up their final mind yet,” she said, adding that she only talks about the campaign for state representative. “I’m very focused on my campaign,” she said.
Asked if she is confident on the outcome, Matthews-Kane said she thinks that would be dangerous: “Anyone running for office should run like they’re losing.”
“I’ve learned so much. I enjoy campaigning. I really enjoy going to the doors and talking to people about their concerns,” she added.
Pease said the emphasis when he speaks to people remains the same.
“The core message for most local people is the same — I don’t care if you’re a Republican or Democrat. To fight for more money for schools, which are the biggest budget item; for roads, and for seniors, tax breaks to help them stay in the houses they raised their kids in.”
Pease said the school budgets are what drives property taxes.
“We want to make sure to keep the costs down so we don’t have to raise property taxes,” he said.
In Westfield, he also talks about clean drinking water and PFAS. As a member of the interagency PFAS task force, he said they were able to pass the removal of PFAS chemicals out of turnout coats for firefighters. Next term, he wants to increase awareness of the cancer-causing chemicals, and work towards a ban.
Matthews-Kane said she has been on the Westfield City Council for five years, working with Republicans, Democrats and independents alike to deliver real results for residents.
“I’ve served three years as Finance [Committee] chair. I’ve run budget hearings and oversee budget decisions,” she said, which resonated with people.
Over the course of the campaign, she heard a lot about affordability.
“It’s increasingly hard to live in the commonwealth. It’s important that the middle class can afford to live here,” she said.
Asked how she will be able to have an impact as a freshman legislator, one of a large Democratic House delegation that currently numbers 132 representatives, Matthews-Kane said she believes as a member of the majority party she will have more influence.
“In terms of shaping policy and bringing home money to Westfield and Southampton, I have found on the council I have been successful in finding ways to bring my legislation over the finish line. I intend to try the same things at the State House,” she said.
Pease said he had just been asked in another interview how effective he can be in a minority party with such a huge Democratic majority.
“It gives me more latitude to highlight when legislation goes too far,” he said, giving the example of the housing bill and the migrant crisis.
Pease said the Republican minority asked that Massachusetts residents be given a priority for emergency shelter, which was overwhelmingly voted down by the other party. But “because we raised that issue, a month later they came back and voted for it, because they got such grief from the public,” he said.
“We try to highlight and look out for the common person,” Pease said.
He also said that when it comes to advocating for Western Massachusetts, it doesn’t matter that he is one of only three Republican legislators from the region.
“All representatives from the Western Mass. caucus together to try to get our voices heard,” on issues like East-West Rail and the regional transportation budgets for schools. “We try to come together on regional issues with a common base line — you’re trying to help get what we need as our fair share.”
Matthews-Kane said she feels very close to both the Westfield and Southampton communities that she would be representing. She said her aunt and uncle, who met in Westfield High School, settled in Southampton, where their children, her cousins, were her best friends growing up.
“My first sleepover was at their house in Southampton. It is a really special place for me,” she said. “Both Westfield and Southampton are really special places to me. I grew up in these communities. My views were shaped by these communities. It would be an honor to serve these two communities at the State House in Boston.”
Pease concluded: “I’m very proud of my record, I’ve done a good job representing the 4th Hampden District. I would appreciate and humbly ask that I continue to serve the people of Westfield and Southampton.”
