The surest way to shake up Beacon Hill’s dysfunction is for people like Dylan Fernandes to start losing.

That may seem a little unfair to Fernandes, a Democratic state representative running for an open state Senate seat in Plymouth and Barnstable counties. He is the dictionary definition of a pleasant young man and an obedient Democratic representative.

But that’s exactly the problem: A vote for Fernandes is a vote for the status quo on Beacon Hill, and if he wins, his fellow lawmakers will see it as an affirmation that they need not fear any consequences for being part of the problem.

Fortunately, Republican Mathew Muratore is a perfectly viable alternative, coming from the centrist wing of the party, Charlie Baker. He has business experience in child care and nursing homes, giving him experience in two of the biggest challenges facing the state. He also held local political positions and defeated a MAGA-aligned candidate in tight Republican primary. Like Fernandes, he’s a state representative, which means he knows the ins and outs of Beacon Hill, but without the baggage that comes with being part of the mainstream Democrats.

What luggage, you ask? After procrastinating like a student writing a term paper, the Legislature failed to pass important and much-needed bills this year, including the governor’s economic development bill, with petty complaints and interpersonal disputes along the way. Democrats resolve their political disagreements in caucus meetings rather than in public, making it difficult to know where individual representatives stand on issues. Knowing how your representative votes is a key part of accountability, but it took a Republican to know. Insist on a roll call vote on recent climate legislation..

The House leadership behaves this way because it can: Few members have opponents, much less viable ones, to keep them honest.

However, the extreme dysfunction of the Legislature is giving Republican candidates the opportunity to use the same playbook that Democrats have often used against them in national elections.

In congressional elections, Democrats effectively argue that no matter how qualified and sane an individual Republican candidate may be, a vote for them is a vote for Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell and the Speaker of the House. Representatives, Mike Johnson, and everything they represent. Ultimately, that’s the biggest obstacle for Republican U.S. Senate candidate John Deaton in his race against Elizabeth Warren: His campaign basically ended when he put an R next to her name.

Well, at the state level, a vote for any Democrat – no matter how qualified, and Fernandes unquestionably is – is a vote for House Speaker Ron Mariano and Senate President Karen Spilka, and the dysfunction. they represent.

Despite last year’s spectacle, most of us will vote for a Democrat in this year’s midterm elections anyway, either by default because there is no Republican candidate on the ballot or with gritted teeth because Republicans nominated to a right-winger. Voters in Plymouth and Barnstable counties have the luxury of a viable and rational Republican candidate. It would be good for the entire state if they took advantage of the opportunity.

Alan Wirzbicki is the Globe’s deputy editorial editor. He can be reached at [email protected].