Political newcomer Chris Oates throws hat into the ring in 34th Middlesex District race
The race is on for the 34th Middlesex District. Political newcomer Chris Oates, a Somerville resident, has tossed his hat into the ring.
Chris Oates may be new to the process of running for office, but he’s no stranger to politics.
The fact is, this Somerville resident has been interested and active in the field of politics since he was a kid. A political science major at Brown University in Rhode Island, Oates followed that up with a master's and a doctorate in international relations at Oxford University in England.
His dissertation was about United States/European Union relations around foreign policy. The doctorate carried on his work about U.S. influence on the E.U.
He eventually graduated, came back home to the Boston area (he’s from Canton) and volunteered with the Elizabeth Warren campaign before heading back to England, where he worked on political risk consulting.
So, yes, you could say Oates is familiar with politics. But, what about local politics?
Yes, he’s pretty familiar with the internal workings of the State House, as well as other legislative bodies nationwide.
In 2017, Oates and his wife Sarita Konka, a doctor, moved into the Magoun Square area, on the Somerville/Medford line. He had already been involved with rank choice voting and then created a startup called Legislata, a company that provides transcripts of meetings from Congress, state legislatures across the country, and some city halls.
“I was working on a campaign and found that there was an astounding lack of technology on Beacon Hill,” Oates said. “There was a meeting held at the Election Laws Committee and I couldn’t get the transcripts. They didn’t exist. How could the transcripts not exist? I found that it’s not a must in most states. There’s no big model.”
With AI and speech-to-text technology available, Oates set up his company to make those documents available.
Deciding to run
As the primary caregiver for his 4-year-old son, Kai, Oates said he was keeping track of legislation about daycare. That’s when he heard Rep. Christine Barber had decided not to seek re-election in the 34th Middlesex District in favor of running for Sen. Pat Jehlen’s seat in the 2nd Middlesex District, after Jehlen announced in fall 2025 she was retiring.
“It took me about a month to decide,” Oates said. “I know policy background and I care about our communities. I think politics are the way to promote a better life for the people of the Commonwealth. I knew if someone else got in and I didn’t like what happened, I’d regret it for the rest of my life.”
So he threw his name into the ring against Somerville City Councilor Will Mbah and Medford School Committee member Paul Ruseau.
The issues
There are a lot of issues Oates wants to address. When pressed for his top three issues, he said they are universal in nature.
“They do affect the entire district,” he said. “But they’re not just in the district.”
Oates said housing costs are at the top of his list, and that’s something everyone in the state is dealing with. He said there needs to be housing reform right away.
Energy costs are also on his list.
“A lot of those issues are due to old infrastructure,” Oates said. “We could make those changes by asking a lot more about how we’re supplying it. If we embrace solar like California, we could go a long way.”
And of course, universal childcare is at the top of the list as well. Helping families with affordable childcare would keep more money in the pockets of working parents. “Because childcare is really expensive,” he said.
On the campaign trail
Oates has been out knocking on doors, meeting the residents of the district. He said he gathered the necessary 150 signatures all by himself and plans to hit the bricks to talk to more voters.
“It’s important if you’re asking someone to put you on the ballot,” he said, of the door knocking. “It’s especially important if they don’t know you.”
Oates said it’s a struggle against Mbah and Ruseau, who are better known and have the name recognition in their communities.
“It’s weird because every political insider says it’s going to be a tough race,” he said. “Yes, they have the name recognition, but people also want new voices at the State House. I know it will be an uphill battle, but it’s not impossible.”
Oates said he plans to use his knowledge of policy and pair that with explanations that will help the public understand what’s going on. And he plans to use social media to get his name out there.
In the meantime, he’s out talking to people.
“I feel like every time I meet a voter, it changes me and I learn something,” Oates said. “It’s not a Somerville or Medford thing, it’s not that specific. I’m going to go out to events, talk to people and start to build a more nuanced picture of the district. I want to have a sense of what the priorities are for the entire district.”
And even though there’s still a lot of work to do between now and the September primary and the November general election, Oates is excited to get out and campaign.
“I am excited,” Oates said. “The best part of the job so far has been meeting people in the district.”
For more information about Chris Oates and his campaign, visit www.chrisoates.org, email chris@chrisoates.org, or call (617) 903-8155.
