SPRINGFIELD—The Democratic primary in Massachusetts left the federal delegation’s deans in place. Congressman Richard Neal and US Senator Ed Markey, both facing primary challenges, beat back their opposition, depriving younger and often leftier challengers before primaries conclude this month. Down ballot, however, incumbency was less effective as tool for reelection.
WEST SPRINGFIELD—A rapid fire set of stops, cramming in as much as possible in the final hours of a campaign is classic. Salem Congressman Seth Moulton was here, at the Irish Cultural Center, after stops at two churches across the river in Springfield and a stop at Memo’s, a breakfast joint. With some brief remarks, he exhorted supporters to work the phones and, above all, to vote.
Perhaps against better judgment, one scrolls through Facebook or Instagram. Amid the stunning vistas and global miseries and AI swill, a user in Springfield may find a video. The MTA paid for it and they’re plugging a candidate. Public records show the union has dropped at least $30,000.
CHICOPEE—The first and only face-to-face debate in the 1st Congressional District’s Democratic primary saw some heat and a bevy of accusations. US Representative Richard Neal and challenger Jeromie Whalen, an educator from South Hadley, traded blows on healthcare, Social Security and, arguably, the very essence of the democratic process itself.
The Massachusetts Division of Capital Asset Management (DCAMM) and Liberty Junction, the developer selected to build the new courthouse in Springfield, can keep talking—and negotiating. That was the ruling from Superior Court Judge David Hodge, who refused to enjoin the process, as the plaintiffs in a suit had requested.
As skeptical as the ruling was, it might not have gone far enough to given DCAMM and Liberty Junction confidence the case is ending soon.
As primary season rolls to a close, the action on the campaign finance side of the races begins to ramp up.
Second quarter reports became available on July 15. Candidates for the Democratic nomination in the 1st Massachusetts Congressional race hit the airwaves in July, after the deadline for the second quarter report. The second three months of 2026 also saw another kind of financial report: the candidates’ personal financial disclosures.
Since selecting the site for the new Springfield Regional Justice Center, the Commonwealth has had a fight on two fronts. In the public relations war, the Commonwealth has been releasing more information about the bid and process that led to the selected developer,
Then there is the lawsuit unsuccessful bidders USPB JV, LLC and Springfield Tower, LLC have filed. They allege Barros’ involvement tainted the bid.
More than four months after oral arguments, a panel of federal judges have effectively revived a suit that seeks to restore the Environmental and Climate Justice Community Change (ECJCC) grant program. Last year Springfield and a motley band of municipalities and nonprofits sued the Environmental Protection Agency for illegally terminating the program.
The Springfield City Council’s July 27 meeting looked back. While the procedural posture remain cloudy, the body revisit the new food truck ordinance that became law this year.
Also before councilors was an order seeking an outside ethics opinion on a Community Preservation Act (CPA) grant.
The process of retooling Holyoke’s fiscal machinery had lumbered along for several years. Yet, it has hit its stride after the City Council elected last year took office this past January. Among the changes, the city’s once diffuse financial functions are consolidating under a Chief Administrative & Financial Officer (CAFO).
