I grew up in generational poverty. My mother taught me resilience, and I went looking for ways to climb. I joined the Marine Corps. I beat cancer. I worked my way through college and law school, then built a trial practice fighting corporations on behalf of working families. Nobody handed me anything. I earned it through hard work and opportunity.
That path is closing for too many young people in Massachusetts. The median home price here tops $663,000. Young families work hard, live frugally, and save every dollar. And they still can’t clear a six-figure down payment. Skipping coffee and nights eating out doesn’t bridge that gap anymore. We are pricing an entire generation out of the American Dream.
This isn’t just an economic problem. It’s a family problem. How do you start a family, launch a business, or put down roots when housing eats every paycheck? Our most talented young people are leaving for states where they can afford to build a life and taking our economy and our future with them.
The fix starts with supply. Supply and demand isn't some partisan theory. Decades of restrictive zoning, red tape, NIMBYism, and regulatory overreach have strangled construction and driven costs through the roof. That’s why I support building five million new homes nationwide over five years by cutting federal and state red tape, reforming outdated zoning, freeing up private builders, and opening federal and state land to new construction.
This isn’t the government building houses. It’s government getting out of the way so the free market can build what families need: starter homes, townhouses, and single-family homes people can afford.
But supply alone won’t close the gap fast enough. We should also embrace innovation in how people buy in. Blockchain-based real estate tokenization - splitting property into tradable digital shares - lets families build equity in fractions instead of needing a six-figure check upfront. It’s a tool already gaining traction in other markets, and Massachusetts should welcome it, not regulate it away. Unfortunately, elected officials in Massachusetts see innovation like blockchain technology as the problem – not the solution. They fail to understand that government is the problem.
I lived the American Dream; from poverty to Marine, lawyer, and father. Homeownership gave my family and generation stability. It should still be the cornerstone of opportunity for every Massachusetts family. That means electing leaders who will fight to increase supply, embrace innovation, and restore that opportunity.
Our current leadership has had decades to fix this. They haven’t. It’s time for something different. Nothing changes until we do.
John Deaton is a candidate for U.S. Senate, a veteran, and the lead plaintiff in Deaton et al. v. Clerk of the House.
