Mission for Massachusetts

Marine Star Icon Conservative Star Icon Business Leader Star Icon Government Reformer

An Affordable Massachusetts

The Commonwealth has become one of the most expensive states to live in the country.  We need a governor who is focused on lowering the cost of living.  As the next governor, I will restore fiscal sanity to Massachusetts by cutting taxes, eliminating the fees and surcharges that are driving up our monthly bills.

It can be done.  By scrutinizing every agency and program, we can root out waste, fraud, abuse, and inefficiency. We’ll return discipline to the budget process and make sure every dollar spent is tied to real outcomes. I’ll veto any new taxes, period. No more schemes to tax prescription drugs, candy, or cable boxes.  And I’ll push for tax cuts that put money back where it belongs – in your pocket.

State government needs to live within its means and make tough choices. That’s what our families do at their kitchen tables, and that’s what state government must do as well.  

Ending The Migrant Crisis

Massachusetts is a magnet state for illegal immigrants due to Governor Healey and her welcoming policies.  Sanctuary state laws, driver’s licenses for illegal immigrants, and generous taxpayer-funded benefits have sent a message loud and clear to the border: if you break our laws, you’ll be generously rewarded. 

The Commonwealth cannot afford and should not spend over $1 billion a year sheltering migrants.  As the next governor, I will end Massachusetts’ sanctuary status and reform the Right to Shelter law so migrants are no longer entitled to taxpayer-funded benefits. I’ll ensure cooperation between state, local, and federal enforcement and agencies, expand the use of the federal SAVE program to verify eligibility for public benefits, and crack down on any nonprofit organizations that obstruct law enforcement when they are doing their duty. 

I will also seek legislation to roll back the Lunn decision, which currently prevents Massachusetts law enforcement from holding illegal immigrants for federal authorities. We must fix this loophole that puts dangerous individuals back on the streets.

Affordable Energy

Massachusetts families are being crushed by sky-high utility bills. And instead of offering relief, Maura Healey keeps adding new surcharges and mandates that make the problem worse. We pay some of the highest energy prices in the country because of Healey’s policies that punish consumers in the name of an ideological agenda.

As governor, on Day One, I will slash the hidden surcharges that inflate our electric bills every month, and I will strongly support building pipeline infrastructure to deliver cheaper natural gas to homes and businesses. I’ll restore oversight, transparency, and balance to the Department of Public Utilities and the agencies driving our energy policy. We will pursue an all-of-the-above strategy. We can protect our environment for the next generation without driving working families into poverty.

Honoring Our Veterans

As a Marine, I understand what it means to serve something bigger than yourself. And I understand the sacrifice that comes with it. That’s why one of my top priorities as governor will be standing up for the men and women who’ve worn the uniform. In Massachusetts, we say we honor veterans, but our actions don’t always match our words. Right now, veterans are sleeping in tents while the state spends over $1 billion on sheltering illegal migrants. That’s a moral failure.

Veterans should be first in line for housing assistance, not last. They should have access to the best mental health care, job training, and education benefits available. We need to build real support networks for returning service members and military families, not just offer slogans and ceremonies. As governor, I’ll create a one-stop statewide portal for veterans to access benefits and services they’ve earned, and I’ll ensure every state agency is aligned in supporting those who served.

Affordable Housing Without Penalizing Communities

Massachusetts is facing a housing crisis, but the solution isn’t to force one-size-fits-all mandates on our cities and towns. That’s exactly what Beacon Hill has done with the MBTA Communities Act.  It’s an unfunded mandate wrapped in a bureaucratic power grab, and I’m the only candidate for governor who is committed to repealing it.

As governor, I will scrap the MBTA Communities Act and replace it with an incentive-based approach that rewards communities for their contribution to solving this challenge. And we’ll open up more state-owned land for housing development in communities that need and want it. 

The best solutions don’t come from top-down dictates. They come from the ground up – from local leaders, planners, and residents working together. I trust our cities and towns to shape their own futures. And I’ll have their back, not stand in their way.

Standing with Small Business and Growing Jobs

I’ve spent my career helping entrepreneurs grow companies and create jobs. So, I understand what it takes to grow a business, and I understand the obstacles Massachusetts puts in the way.

Right now, the Commonwealth is dead last in the country in job growth. In the last year alone, Massachusetts lost over 12,000 private sector jobs and more than 5,000 businesses. Those aren’t just statistics. Those represent thousands of dreams crushed, families uprooted, and storefronts shuttered. High taxes and energy costs, rigid mandates, and crushing regulations are strangling opportunity.

As governor, I’ll cut red tape, lower taxes, and simplify compliance for small businesses. On Day One, we’ll scrap the outrageous state-mandated surcharges that inflate utility bills. I’ll repeal the most burdensome mandates, cut fees, and reject any effort to make it harder or more expensive to hire. I’ll champion vocational training and apprenticeships to ensure our workforce is ready for the jobs of the future.

Protecting The Second Amendment

As a Marine, I took an oath to support and defend the Constitution of the United States, including the Second Amendment. Law-abiding citizens have the right to keep and bear arms. Period.

I will continue to fight against any attempt to infringe on that right through unconstitutional legislation, bureaucratic overreach, or backdoor restrictions. That means standing up for lawful gun owners, hunters, sportsmen, and all citizens who exercise their rights responsibly.

At the same time, I believe in promoting responsible gun ownership. Massachusetts already has some of the nation’s strictest gun laws on the books. We must enforce laws that target criminals, including Bartley-Fox, not law-abiding residents. We need faster prosecution of gun-related crimes and better mental health interventions.

As governor, I’ll veto any bill that seeks to gut the Second Amendment. I’ll ensure our state police licensing system respects due process. And I’ll oppose any effort to create registries, restrictions, or red tape designed to intimidate or harass innocent firearm owners.

 

In the private sector, Brian built a career helping small American technology companies grow, create jobs, and win in their industries. As the founder of M33 Growth, he works closely with entrepreneurial founders and CEOs to scale businesses, drive innovation, and strengthen our economy.

But Brian didn’t just stop at building businesses. When his state needed him, he answered the call. In 2015, Governor Charlie Baker asked Brian to take on the nearly impossible mission of leading reform at the MBTA, following its operational and financial crisis in 2015. As Chief Administrator, Acting General Manager, and member of the Fiscal and Management Control Board, Brian brought a Marine’s mindset to Beacon Hill. He led a bold reform effort and team that cut waste, balanced the budget, modernized outdated systems, accelerated critical infrastructure repairs, and rescued the Green Line Extension project, all while improving service for the people who rely on it. His work at the MBTA has been hailed as a model for conservative reform, proving what’s possible when strong leadership takes on a bloated bureaucracy.

That’s the exact opposite of what we’re seeing today. Under Maura Healey, Massachusetts is sliding backward. Her reckless tax hikes, runaway spending, and refusal to confront waste and mismanagement are driving families and businesses out of the state. The Commonwealth has become unaffordable for everyday people even as Healey’s policies cater to illegal immigrants. Brian Shortsleeve is ready to lead with the focus and discipline of a Marine, putting taxpayers first, restoring fiscal sanity, and getting Massachusetts back on track.

Brian is a proud Massachusetts native and a graduate of Harvard College, where he attended on a ROTC scholarship, and Harvard Business School. While at Harvard College, he was an early leader in the successful fight to protect the ROTC program and return ROTC training programs to campus, where they had been banned since the Vietnam War. He is also a longtime supporter and member of the Alumni Advisory Committee for the Advocates for Harvard ROTC, which continues to fight to protect and expand the ROTC program at Harvard.

He was named one of the 50 Most Influential People in Boston by the Boston Business Journal and was honored on The Boston Globe’s “Game Changers” list for his work driving transparency and transforming the MBTA. The Boston Herald said Shortsleeve “helped turn a bloated, underperforming agency into one focused on riders, performance, and results.”​

Now, Brian Shortsleeve is on a new mission: to bring commonsense conservative leadership to Beacon Hill – cutting taxes, slashing waste and overregulation, and making Massachusetts a place where businesses and families can thrive once again. 

Brian and his wife, Liz, have three boys. 

Contribute Today to Support the Mission to Bring Commonsense Conservative Leadership to Beacon Hill

Use of military rank, job titles, and photographs in uniform does not imply endorsement by the U.S. Marine Corps or the Department of Defense.

The Shortsleeve Committee, P.O. Box 59, Danvers, MA 01923

 

Want to hold a fundraiser? Contact us at [email protected]

For media inquiries, contact [email protected]

For general information, contact [email protected]

By providing your phone number and checking the box, you are consenting to receive polling/voting text messages (e.g., election reminders, opinion polls) and public service announcement text messages (e.g., legislative updates, member updates, and voter education) from The Shortsleeve Committee at the number provided, including messages sent by autodialer. Message frequency varies.

By providing your telephone number and checking the box, you consent to receive calls and text messages.
Msg & data rates may apply. Msg frequency may vary. Messages may include requests for donations. Reply “STOP” to opt-out & “HELP” for help. View Privacy Policy for more info.”

Message and data rates may apply. Reply HELP for help. Reply STOP to unsubscribe. See our Privacy Policy | Terms and Conditions.