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.
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.
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.
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.
Seth Moulton, the challenger in the Democratic Senate primary, has secured some notabl support from Westside’s mayor to the Sullivans of Westfield. This past Wednesday, however, Moulton added another noteworthy name to his stable of supporters: Hampden District Attorney Anthony Gullluni.
The Democratic primary for Senate came back to Western Massachusetts last Wednesday with the campaign’s first debate. Incumbent Senator Ed Markey jousted with his challenger, North Shore Congressman Seth Moulton, in a roughly hour-long debate that touched on effectiveness, healthcare and pushing back on Donald Trump.
The debate also provided a backdrop for Moulton to announce a slate of endorsements from the 413.
When former State Representative Benjamin Swan passed away on Memorial Day, Springfield lost more than an ex-pol. He was the last of a generation of civil rights leaders in the city which pressed for change. Then, they achieved political power themselves.
The COVID pandemic, in the words of Mercy & Baystate’s then leaders, provided an opportunity to collaborate and share resources. As the shroud of the coronavirus began to lift, they took turns appearing at the weekly pressers. One did not quite represent the other at each tradeoff. Little would anybody know then that their successors—or perhaps successor—could conceivably be in a position to do so.
In his opening remarks at a hearing with US Health & Human Services Secretary Robert Kennedy, Jr., Springfield Congressman and Ways & Means Committee Ranking Member Richard Neal alluded to their shared, if indirect history. As a young man, Neal supported Kennedy’s father, the OG Bobby Kennedy. Twelve years later, Neal was a delegate for Senator Edward Kennedy.
There were four concurring opinions, two dissents, and a majority opinion that had only three votes in parts. Nevertheless, a solid six justices said Trump lacked the power to impose these tariffs. The Bay State’s electeds welcomed the ruling and blasted Trump for instituting them in the first place.