When I was in school, my teachers didn't give me full credit for an answer just because I wrote one down. They wanted to see how I got there; they told me, “show your work.”

I've been thinking about that a lot during this year's state Senate race.

I have lived in this district for 13 years. During all that time, Mike Rush has been my state senator, and for most of that time, there hasn't been anyone on the ballot to seriously challenge him.

So now that someone finally is challenging him, I decided to do something I don't think is unreasonable: I went looking for his record.

Not his endorsements. Not pictures of him with other politicians. Not campaign slogans.

His work.

Rush's campaign says he's “doing the work” to make Massachusetts more affordable. His website says he passed legislation to make Massachusetts more affordable, created housing people can afford, delivered tax relief, expanded healthcare access, increased education funding and more.

Okay.

Show your work.

Which legislation did you sponsor or champion? What did it accomplish? How much did it save a family in this district? How many additional affordable homes did it create? What measurable difference did it make in the lives of the people who elected you?

Because after 13 years of living here, I can tell you something about affordability:

It hasn't gotten better.

And I'm tired of being told that someone is “doing the work” without being shown what the work actually was.

This isn't about pretending Mike Rush has done nothing. He has. His work on behalf of veterans is real, and he deserves credit for it. But Rush has been in the Massachusetts Legislature for 23 years – first as a state representative and then as a state senator.

Twenty-three years is a long time to be doing an assignment.

At some point, “I've been working hard” isn't an answer.

Show your work.

And that's particularly true when the person asking for another term won't debate his challenger.

Persis Yu has repeatedly asked Rush to debate her. Rush has not agreed. When his campaign was asked about the debate request, the response pointed to his “proven record.”

If Mike Rush is proud of his record, why won't he debate Persis Yu?

A debate would give him a perfect opportunity to do exactly what I'm asking him to do. He could explain his votes. He could defend his priorities. He could tell us what he has accomplished. He could tell us why Massachusetts is more affordable because of his work. He could tell us what he plans to do next.

Instead, we're getting endorsements.

Governor Maura Healey endorses him. Mayor Michelle Wu endorses him. Other politicians tell us that he works well with them.

That's nice.

But those endorsements answer a different question.

They tell us that other politicians like Mike Rush.

They don't tell us whether Mike Rush is the best person to represent us.

And there is a striking alternative on the ballot.

Persis Yu is a social worker and attorney who has spent nearly two decades representing consumers and working families. She has taken on banks, corporations and the federal government. She fought the Trump administration on behalf of student-loan borrowers, taking on a powerful government that was trying to strip borrowers of protections.

She is also raising two children who attend public school.

That matters to me.

She isn't talking about the cost of raising a family as an abstract policy issue. She's living it. She knows what housing costs. She knows what childcare costs. She knows what it costs to feed and educate children.

And she has spent her career taking on powerful institutions when they stand between ordinary people and economic security.

Yu is also the daughter of an immigrant who fled fascism.

Her life story is a reminder that democracy isn't something we can take for granted. Neither is government accountability.

That's the kind of experience I want to see brought to Beacon Hill.

I don't expect my state senator to agree with me on everything. I don't expect miracles. And I certainly don't expect one legislator to single-handedly make Massachusetts affordable.

But I do expect accountability.

I expect my senator to be able to tell me what he has accomplished.

I expect him to defend his votes.

I expect him to answer hard questions.

And when someone finally steps forward to challenge an incumbent who has gone years without serious competition, I expect that incumbent to stand on a stage with her and make his case.

We're not stupid.

We know the difference between an accomplishment and a campaign slogan. We know the difference between an endorsement and an explanation. And after 23 years in the Legislature, we are perfectly capable of looking at a record and deciding whether it is good enough.

So, Senator Rush: you've had plenty of time.

You've had 23 years to do the assignment.

Show your work.

And if you're proud of your answer, debate Persis Yu.

Sheeri Cabral

Hyde Park

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