State Sen. Julian Cyr is facing two challengers in the November election this year, as he seeks a fifth term on Beacon Hill representing the Vineyard, Nantucket and most of Cape Cod.
Mr. Cyr, a Truro Democrat who has risen in the ranks of the state senate, is in a three-way race with Barnstable Republican Christopher Lauzon and Joe Van Nes, an unenrolled dark horse candidate from West Tisbury. Brief interviews with each of the candidates follow.
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During a visit to the Vineyard earlier this month, Senator Cyr said if voters return him to office, he will continue to fight for more housing options, protections for reproductive rights and environmental stewardship.
“I’m really proud of my track record,” the senate assistant majority whip said. “I feel that I have, eight years in, been able to get twice as much done as I thought that I could. Not only do I show up for Islanders, but I think I’m dedicated to working on really tough issues.”
Mr. Cyr pointed to his work adding a seasonal communities designation in the state legislature’s massive housing bill, allowing Vineyard communities to create regional year-round housing trusts, develop housing for public employees and ease zoning in some circumstances.
“It’s really a significant win,” he said of the new law, enacted earlier this year.
Mr. Cyr’s inclusion of a seasonal communities carve-out for the Vineyard and Nantucket could lead to better future policy from the state for Islands, he said.
“By establishing this kind of concept of seasonal communities, this is like a stake in the ground by which we can layer all sorts of other policies related to the region,” he said. “This is sort of a mirror of a gateway city designation.”
Mr. Cyr also helped write a mental health care bill passed in 2022 that mandated insurance coverage for annual mental health wellness exams and other reforms. He said he wants to continue working on protections against “forever chemicals” commonly known as PFAS.
“I really identify with the issues and challenges that Islanders are facing, and I really feel that I’ve delivered,” said Mr. Cyr, who grew up in Truro and is 38.
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Christopher Lauzon, 35, is a Marstons Mills resident who helps run his family auto repair business. Throughout the campaign, he has pushed back on progressive policies of those in power on Beacon Hill.
Mr. Lauzon ran against Mr. Cyr in 2022, losing by about 20,000 votes. This time around he believes he has better name recognition.
“We’ve had a much stronger response, much stronger support,” he said.
For Mr. Lauzon, a former Hy-Line ferry worker with a degree in anthropology, the top three priorities for his campaign are affordability, the migrant crisis and offshore wind.
“I just was concerned with the direction the state has been going in for a long time,” he said. “My kids won’t be able to make a life on the Cape right now, unless we make some changes.”
Specifically, he wants to see the sales tax rolled back and he supports what he calls a “total overhaul” of the state’s housing policies, including potential changes to the 40B statute used by many affordable housing developers. He also wants to amend the state’s “right to shelter” law to discourage further illegal immigration.
A vocal opponent of offshore wind, he attended meetings held on Nantucket this past summer in the wake of the Vineyard Wind blade failure.
“I don’t think offshore wind is the answer,” said Mr. Lauzon, who suggests a pivot to natural gas. “I think other sources are the future,” he said.
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Joe Van Nes, a 39-year-old homesteader and former farmer from West Tisbury, has kept a relatively low-profile throughout the race. He filed as an unenrolled candidate with state campaign finance officials in June.
Speaking with the Gazette, Mr. Van Nes, who ran for Congress against Bill Keating in 2010, said he wants to reform tax laws around farmland in order to incentivize people to grow their own food – saving people money both on their land and on food bills.
“With property tax incentives geared toward the creation of small organic farms we can begin to reclaim our societies health and food autonomy,” he said.
Mr. Van Nes, who said he tried to ban high fructose corn syrup in West Tisbury, felt it was important to have a candidate outside the major parties.
“I don’t have any faith that anything will be done about [food safety] as long as the Democratic and Republican parties remain in power,” he said. “I’m just trying to get the word out that there’s a third option.”
Early voting has started and continues through Nov. 1. The general election is Nov. 5.
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