SOMERVILLE, MA — Matt McLaughlin, Somerville City Councilor and candidate for State Senate in the 2nd Middlesex District, recently released a video calling out Matt Damon for an endorsement. McLaughlin, a Somervile native and working-class candidate, drew parallels between his life and Matt Damon’s famous character, Will Hunting.
“Like Will Hunting, I used to mop floors at MIT,” McLaughlin said. “I graduated from Harvard University, served two tours in Iraq with the Army and returned home to fight for working people in Massachusetts.”

In many ways, Matt Damon and Matt McLaughlin have lived similar lives. Both grew up in the Greater Boston Area, and like Damon’s Will Hunting character, McLaughlin mopped floors at MIT before attending Harvard like Matt Damon.

The video opens with McLaughlin attempting the same near-impossible math problem that Will Hunting solves in the movie. He then admits that he cannot solve it, but can instead address the affordability crisis in Massachusetts. While sitting on the famous “Good Will Hunting bench” located in the Boston Common, McLaughlin later states his background and accomplishments. The video ends with McLaughlin re-affirming his commitment to working families while standing in front of the State House, where he will be headquartered if he wins the September 1st primary.

“Good Will Hunting and Matt Damon were very inspirational to me as a young man,” McLaughlin said. “I grew up in a world of low expectations, where street skills were more valued than excelling academically. Both the character and the actor showed me that a local kid can make it. I may not have Will’s genius, but I do have the drive to change my community for the better.”

McLaughlin also has a loose connection to Damon, as Damon’s mother lived very close by to Mclaughlin’s family home.

“My grandmother worked out in the same gym as his mother,” McLaughlin said. “I used to pass by his mother’s house on my way to school without even knowing it. One day there was a limo parked outside of her house; Damon was picking up his mom to go to a film premiere. I remember that as a moment where my idea of what was possible for myself became much bigger.”

Unlike Will Hunting, McLaughlin was not discovered by solving math problems. He escaped his surroundings by joining the Army and served two tours in Iraq. While overseas, he heard of mounting challenges in Somerville and decided to return home to help his community. After working in advocacy, he served fourteen years as a City Councilor in Somerville, simultaneously graduating from Tufts on the GI Bill and receiving a Masters in Public Administration from the Harvard Kennedy School.

McLaughlin’s campaign focuses heavily on affordability, an issue that has impacted him directly. McLaughlin said he has watched as countless members of his family and community have been displaced due to the high cost of living, a problem that has only gotten worse in recent years. A CBSpoll found that one out of three Massachusetts residents is thinking about leaving the state due to the high cost of living. McLaughlin is asking for Damon’s endorsement so he can continue the fight for affordability on Beacon Hill.

“Don’t do it for me,” McLaughlin said. “Do it for Chuckie. Because in 20 years there won’t be a single working class person in the neighborhood. Help me fight to make Massachusetts a place where everyone can Afford to Dream.”

The video will be released across social media platforms and CTV at 9pm on Wednesday, July 22nd. A link is also provided here: https://youtu.be/wy0b06n8ygM