Meet John
John Gaskey
John Gaskey grew up in El Paso, Texas. He is a 23-year veteran of the Coast Guard and retired as E-7 (Chief Petty Officer). He comes from a military family. His sister serves in the Marines, his father was in the Navy during the Vietnam War, his grandfather served in World War 2 in the Pacific Theater, and his Great-Grandfather served in World War 1. John's oldest son currently serves full-time in the National Guard.
He was stationed in Massachusetts during the 9/11 terrorist attacks. During John's time in the Coast Guard, he served on the USCGC Escanaba (WMEC-907). The Escanaba patrolled from the waters off New England enforcing federal and international fishing regulations to deep in the Caribbean on migrant interdiction patrols, to more recently through the Panama Canal, to the Eastern Pacific for drug interdiction missions.
When he worked with mass migrations from Cuba and Haiti, he saw the horrors that these people were being subjected to, to get here, with people having their money and belongings stolen on the journey. From this, he has a personal vision of how the government bodies’ immigration policy hurts the people they’re allowing in.
Since retiring from the Coast Guard, John has worked in the medical device field, and has gotten to see the issues with how hospitals have functioned. Changes to the healthcare system that have happened over time, especially during the Covid pandemic, devastated a lot of things, and caused a lot of corruption within the medical system.
John currently serves on the Carver Planning Board and in September became the Republican nominee for State Representative, after defeating 22-year incumbent State Representative Susan Gifford in the Republican Primary. The General Election is Tuesday, November 5th. The towns in the 2nd Plymouth District are Carver, Middleborough, and Wareham. Please vote John Gaskey for State Representative.
John's Platform
Immigration
John has seen firsthand how flawed the immigration system is in the United States. John will fight to make the legal immigration process easier, while also enforcing our existing laws to crack down on criminals who do not respect our process. It is not fair to our citizens, as well as to legal immigrants, to reward illegal immigrants with any benefits whatsoever. We need to prioritize our citizens first, especially our homeless, our seniors, and our struggling families.
Economy
Inflation is hurting everyone in the district. As your next State Representative, John will help combat inflation. He will fight for legislation that supports, not penalizes, small-business owners. He will fight for lower taxes, and cut wasteful spending, to keep more money in your pocket.
First Responders
Our first responders, whether it's police, fire, or EMS, keep us safe. John will fight to make sure these services continue to receive the resources required to continue serving our communities effectively.
Fiscal Responsibility and Transparency
The Massachusetts Legislature voted to give $1.8 billion of our tax dollars to illegal immigrants. That is just one example to the insane spending that happens behind closed doors on Beacon Hill. I will be a fighter for fiscal responsibility, and ensure that when when tax dollars are spent, they provide the best possible value for taxpayers. I will fight to also make the legislative process more transparent and accessible. I support Auditor Diana DiZoglio's ballot question to audit the legislature.
Inappropriate Content in Public Schools
School is for learning, not indoctrination. Everyone has a right to self-expression and make their own personal decisions. Unfortunately, certain ideologies are being pushed on impressionable children. At an age where kids often just want to fit in, it is inappropriate for teachers to be pushing ideologies and gender identities on students often as young as 6! Let kids be kids, and allow them to grow, learn, and make their own decisions independently.
Seniors
John supports increased focus on chronic disease prevention and management, long-term care, and benefit flexibility. He will work to expand access to primary care and support policies that help seniors remain in their homes and maintain financial security. If you visit any food pantry in the district, most of the recipients are seniors. We need to ensure our seniors, many of whom have lived in the district their whole life, can afford to retire and continue to comfortably live in the district. John will support lowering property taxes for seniors that continue to decrease with age.