CUMBERLAND – September 25, 2026

Senator Mike McKay earned the endorsement of SMART, the union representing sheet metal, air, rail, and transportation workers, in his bid for re-election to the Maryland Senate.

Rail built Cumberland. The yards, the shops, and the men who worked them are the reason this city exists where it does, and rail is still part of how Western Maryland moves freight and draws visitors. The trades SMART represents — sheet metal fabricators, HVAC mechanics, rail workers — are the ones who keep buildings standing and equipment running across the district.

“These are skilled trades, not filler jobs,” McKay said. “A sheet metal apprentice in Cumberland is building a career that will still be worth something in twenty years. My job is making sure the work is still here for him to do.”

McKay pushed two amendments to the state budget this session aimed squarely at transportation. The first would roll back the vehicle registration fee increases Annapolis has stacked on Maryland drivers. The second would establish a dedicated Roads and Bridges Account, so money collected for transportation is spent on roads and bridges instead of being diverted to cover other spending.

“If you collect a road tax, build a road,” McKay said. “That should not be a controversial position, and out here it is not. Only in Annapolis does that count as a radical idea.”

###

Stay up to date on Senator McKay’s fight for Western Maryland — sign up for his District Newsletter at MikeMcKayMD.com/#newsletter.