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GOP State Rep Steve Xiarhos Endorses GOP’s Matt Muratore For Massachusetts Senate

October 1, 2024

State Representative Steve Xiarhos (R-Barnstable) recently endorsed his colleague, state Representative Matt Muratore (R-Plymouth), in the Plymouth and Barnstable District Massachusetts Senate race.

“I am proud to endorse Matt Muratore to be our next state Senator in the Plymouth and Barnstable District,” Xiarhos said in a press release from the Muratore campaign. “On the issues facing our district, I am confident that Matt Muratore will be an effective advocate for ALL of us in the Massachusetts State Senate.”

Muratore is running in the November 2024 general election against the Democratic nominee for the seat, state Representative Dylan Fernandes (D-Woods Hole), who represents the southern part of Falmouth, Martha’s Vineyard, Nantucket, and the Elizabeth Islands. 

Fernandes could not be reached for comment last week.

Xiarhos emphasized Muratore’s strong track record of leadership, stressing that his experience in state government makes him the right choice to represent the district’s needs.

Xiarhos highlighted what he described as pressing concerns the district faces, such as rising costs of living, the housing crisis, and problems with accountability on Beacon Hill.

“The voters want a senator who will make living here more affordable, who will fight for lower prices, and create more opportunities to buy or rent affordable housing,” Xiarhos said in the press release. “They also need someone who will stand up against waste, fraud, and abuse on Beacon Hill, and bring balance and transparency to the State Senate.”

Xiarhos also drew attention to other key issues specific to the district, including environmental threats to the region’s water supply and the burden of increased taxpayer burden that migrants are putting on the state due to its right-to-shelter law and lack of a residency requirement. 

“These issues are very important to me, and I know Matt will be a trusted colleague in the Senate, fighting alongside me for the right decisions,” Xiarhos said.

“I’ve worked with Matt in the House for years. He is a legislator I respect, someone I trust, and a person I enjoy working with daily. I am confident he is the best candidate to represent us in the State Senate, and I strongly encourage everyone in the Plymouth and Barnstable District to support him this November,” he added.

Other endorsements Muratore has received in this race include: state representative David Viera (R-Falmouth), former Governor Charlie Baker, former Lieutenant Governor Governor Karyn Polito, the State Police Association of Massachusetts, and the Massachusetts Correction Officers Federated Union.

Muratore beat Bourne School Committee member Kari Macrae, a conservative, in a close primary; he got 50.1 percent of the vote, and she got 49.8 percent.

The Plymouth and Barnstable District that Muratore is running to represent includes these towns: Kingston, Pembroke, Plymouth, and Plympton in Plymouth County; and Bourne, Falmouth, Mashpee, and Sandwich on Cape Cod (Barnstable County).

Xiarhos, who endorsed Muratore, represents much of Bourne and all of Sandwich. 

Four of the 40 Massachusetts Senate members are currently Republicans. The rest are Democrats.

Republicans are eyeing the Plymouth and Barnstable District as a possible rare pickup in the Massachusetts Legislature, because a Republican held it for several years in the recent past.

The current occupant, state Senator Susan Moran (D-Falmouth), won an open race for the seat in a special election in May 2020 called after former state senator Vinny deMacedo, a Republican, resigned to take another job. Moran, who has served more than four years in the state Senate, is leaving after her current term expires in January 2025. She is running for clerk of Barnstable County Superior Court, instead.

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