The Mass Brief: Massachusetts voters think the state is slipping. They're re-electing…

        October 20, 2026

    The Mass Brief: Massachusetts voters think the state is slipping. They're re-electing…

        Mass Brief

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THE MASS BRIEF
Tuesday, October 20, 2026

The Lead

Massachusetts voters think the state is slipping. They're re-electing Healey anyway.
Here's the paradox of the 2026 campaign. A new Suffolk University/Boston Globe poll finds that only 15 percent of likely voters think Massachusetts has gotten better over the last four years, while about 42 percent say it's gotten worse. And yet Gov. Maura Healey leads Republican challenger Mike Minogue 59 to 36 percent, with fewer than 4 percent undecided. That includes voters surveyed after the two debates, which suggests the race has little room left to move.
The explanation seems to be that gloom isn't the same as appetite for change. Minogue, a former Abiomed executive, has hammered on affordability and governance, but those themes haven't converted a sour mood into votes. Voters were also nearly evenly split on whether Healey or President Trump bears more responsibility for the state's economy, which gives her a convenient place to point.
Minogue's problems go beyond the poll. His running mate, Shawn Oliver, suspended his campaign Sunday after an OUI arrest in New Bedford (more below), and Minogue now says he'll govern without a lieutenant governor at all. With over 200,000 early votes already cast and two weeks to go, the campaign is down to damage control.
Full story at Boston Globe →

What Else You Should Know

The ballot is a monster, and the polls say it's a toss-up. The same poll found voters split on several of the record-tying nine questions. Question 3, which would replace party primaries with a top-two system, leads 47 to 41 percent. Question 7, which would allow single-family homes on smaller lots, is deadlocked at about 41 percent each way. Question 5, the tax-cap measure, has 40 percent in favor and a whopping 20 percent undecided. Boston Globe →
Not sure how Question 3 works? Neither is anyone, so here's the short version. All candidates would appear on a single primary ballot regardless of party, and the top two vote-getters would advance to November. It would apply to statewide, legislative, and congressional races, not city or town contests. GBH News → Meanwhile, Question 4 would let people register to vote or update their address on Election Day itself, with proof of residency, rather than the current 10-day cutoff. GBH News →
What happens if there's no lieutenant governor? Good question, and now a live one. GBH walks through the scenarios if Minogue wins and carries out his plan to go without a No. 2. Oliver pleaded not guilty Monday to OUI, negligent operation, speeding, and a marked lanes violation after a crash that flipped his car and damaged five parked vehicles. He's barred from driving while the case is pending, and his next court date is Nov. 16. GBH News → WBUR →
Wu says BPS is on the rise. Critics say show us the scores. In her second State of the Schools address, Mayor Michelle Wu renewed her pledge to make Boston's schools the best in the nation. She pushed back on a billboard campaign reading "BPS IS FAILING HER," which cites state data showing most third-graders below grade level in math and reading. She also blamed federal immigration enforcement for hurting enrollment. No major policy announcements, but plenty of defiance. Boston Globe →
Critics say Healey's ticket-price cap could backfire. Two op-eds in CommonWealth Beacon argue that the cap on resale prices in the governor's "Great Divide Act" would strengthen Ticketmaster's grip on the market rather than lower costs. One author, a longtime concert promoter, says the cap makes it easier for Ticketmaster to gouge fans buying in the first place. Both credit the bill's ban on deceptive sites and "speculative" tickets. Worth reading if you've ever lost a fight with a checkout queue. CommonWealth Beacon →
Boston's empty lab space might take a lesson from Providence. A former Providence textile mill that could have become an Amazon warehouse is now 50 Sims, a 113,000-square-foot hub for artists, small businesses, job training, and even a brewery. Its developers say it offers a model for Greater Boston landlords stuck with millions of square feet of vacant lab and office space. Boston Globe →

Worth Your Attention

Today, 1 to 3 p.m.: Students from 10 Massachusetts colleges, including Harvard, MIT, BU, and Northeastern, rally outside the State House calling for AI regulation. Boston.com →
Now through Nov. 3: Early in-person voting is underway, and Election Day is two weeks out. WBUR has explainers on all nine ballot questions plus tips for tackling the multipage ballot. WBUR →
Wednesday into Thursday: A nor'easter passes offshore. Most of southern New England stays dry, but expect gusty winds and rough seas, with the best shot at showers on the Cape and Islands. Boston.com →

End-of-Session Tracker

⏳ Formal sessions ended July 31. Conferees were appointed in time, so talks run until the term ends Jan 5 — 77 days
Energy Affordability & Clean Power (H5175)
House ✓Senate ✓ConferenceGov's DeskSigned
Economic Development (H5576)
House ✓Senate ✓ConferenceGov's DeskSigned
Massachusetts Data Privacy Act (S2619)
House ✓Senate ✓ConferenceGov's DeskSigned
Climate Resilience for Communities (S3064)
House ✓Senate ✓ConferenceGov's DeskSigned
Student Learning & Mental Health (phone ban) (S2581)
House ✓Senate ✓ConferenceGov's DeskSigned
Health Care Workplace Violence Prevention (H4767)
House ✓Senate ✓ConferenceGov's DeskSigned
Ballot Question Campaign Finance Reporting (S2916)
House ✓Senate ✓ConferenceGov's DeskSigned
Public Records & Government Transparency (H5469)
House ✓Senate ✓ConferenceGov's DeskSigned
Primary Care (S3141)
House ✓Senate ✓ConferenceGov's DeskSigned
Higher-Ed Infrastructure (BRIGHT Act) (H4769)
House ✓Senate ✓ConferenceGov's DeskSigned
Pet Equity, Treatment & Safety (S3028)
House ✓Senate ✓ConferenceGov's DeskSigned

Track all bills →

💰 Money Watch

Yesterday's Biggest Contributions

$10,000.00 Joseph Markey Committee, Lynnfield, MA → Democratic State Committee [Committee]
$5,000.00 John Mcquillan (Triumvirate), Cambridge, MA → Democratic State Committee [Individual]
$5,000.00 Michael Nicholson Committee, Gardner, MA → Democratic State Committee [Committee]
$5,000.00 Hank Naughton (Napoli Shkolnik PLLC), Clinton, MA → Democratic State Committee [Individual]
$4,000.00 Guy Barthelemy (Better life at home), Stoughton, MA → Democratic State Committee [Individual]
$3,770.82 Jack Richardson Committee, North Falmouth, MA → Democratic State Committee [Committee]
$3,125.00 Connor Murray Committee, Andover, MA → Democratic State Committee [Committee]
$2,930.00 Daniel Gessen Committee, Falmouth, MA → Democratic State Committee [Committee]
$1,500.00 Elizabeth Dunne (Not Employed), Cohasset, MA → Democratic State Committee [Individual]
$1,500.00 Timothy Forde (KCI), Milton, MA → Democratic State Committee [Individual]

Big Spending This Week

$200,000.00 Inc. Massachusetts First Independent Expenditure Political Action Committee paid Red Eagle Media — Digital Media Placement [Independent Expenditure]
$125,000.00 Independent Expenditure Political Action Committee Housing Healthcare and Hope paid Shawmut Strategies Group, LLC — Adverts [Independent Expenditure]
$125,000.00 Independent Expenditure Political Action Committee Housing Healthcare and Hope paid Shawmut Strategies Group, LLC — Adverts [Independent Expenditure]
$100,045.73 Inc. Massachusetts First Independent Expenditure Political Action Committee paid Clear Channel Outdoor Holdings Inc — Billboards [Independent Expenditure]
$54,408.67 Inc. Massachusetts First Independent Expenditure Political Action Committee paid Checkmate Strategies — Mailers [Independent Expenditure]
$48,023.87 Coalition for Responsible Cannabis Policy paid Liam 2004 Films LLC — Public Service Announcement Production [General Expenditure]
$25,000.00 Inc. Massachusetts First Independent Expenditure Political Action Committee paid Red Eagle Media — Digital Media Placement [Independent Expenditure]
$25,000.00 Inc. Massachusetts First Independent Expenditure Political Action Committee paid Red Eagle Media — Digital Media Placement [Independent Expenditure]
$20,550.00 Committee to Protect Cannabis Regulation paid Melwood Communications — Communications Consulting - No Sv [General Expenditure]
$16,750.00 Committee to Protect Cannabis Regulation paid Beasley Media Group — Radio Media Buys - No Sv [General Expenditure]

      Data from the
      MA Office of Campaign & Political Finance

This Week on Beacon Hill

Monday, October 26, 9:00 AM
Joint Committee on Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure (1 bills)
Topic: Late-referred Local Alcohol Petition
Location: Written Testimony Only, Boston
H5673: An Act to increase the number of all alcohol licenses for restaurants in the tow (Filed by Sean Garballey)

Full hearing schedule →

One More Thing

            Tufts roboticist Matthias Scheutz is skipping the data-center arms race entirely. His lab is building AI compact enough to run on a single chip, so a hallway robot named Ava can respond to "take me to the elevators" without phoning home to a server farm that drinks a small city's worth of water. Sometimes the smart move is thinking smaller. WBUR →

See you tomorrow morning. The Mass Brief publishes every morning.

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