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The Mass Brief
Monday, June 22, 2026
Your morning rundown on what’s happening in Massachusetts — every morning.
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The Lead
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Massachusetts Could Blow Up Its Primary System — And Voters Will Get to Decide
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The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruled unanimously Monday that a ballot question replacing the state’s party primaries with a California-style “top-two” system can go before voters this November — and it’s a bigger deal than it might sound. The proposal would scrap separate Democratic and Republican primaries entirely, replacing them with a single all-party September primary where every candidate appears on the same ballot regardless of party. The top two vote-getters advance to November, full stop — even if they’re both Democrats, both Republicans, or neither. Two Democratic Party operatives sued to block it, arguing the system disadvantages third-party candidates who currently have a guaranteed path to the general election. Justice Dalila Argaez Wendlandt, writing for the court, essentially said that’s a policy debate, not a constitutional one. The court’s job isn’t to decide if the new system is better — just whether it’s legal. It is. What happens next: the campaign behind the question says it already has more than enough signatures to secure its spot on the November 3 ballot. If it passes, Massachusetts elections — long dominated by whichever candidate survives a low-turnout Democratic primary — could look very different starting in 2028. Incumbents in heavily blue districts should be paying close attention. So should the roughly 57% of Massachusetts voters who aren’t registered with either major party and currently have limited say in who makes it to November. |
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What Else You Should Know
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Brockton Mayor Faces Restraining Order Hearing Over Student Encounter
A 17-year-old Brockton High School student testified in Hingham District Court Monday, asking a judge to extend a civil restraining order she took out against Mayor Moises Rodrigues last month. She described two encounters, including one during a May parade where she says Rodrigues put his arm around her waist, pulled her close, and danced while she was trying to march and play her instrument. This one will be closely watched. |
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Wu Takes Aim at Senate Leadership — Again
Mayor Michelle Wu endorsed Daniel Lander, her former aide, in his primary challenge against state Senator Will Brownsberger of Belmont — the third-ranking Democrat in the Senate and a key obstacle to Wu’s property tax agenda. This is Wu’s second Senate primary intervention in weeks, and this one stretches beyond Boston into Cambridge, Watertown, and Belmont. Brownsberger has Governor Maura Healey in his corner, which means this race is effectively Wu vs. Healey — a dynamic worth watching. |
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A Woman is Dead After a Mattapan Carjacking. Bystanders Held the Suspect.
Bent Jenna, 45, was killed Saturday afternoon on Blue Hill Avenue after a man allegedly crashed his own car, carjacked a woman waiting at a car wash, then drove the wrong way and struck Jenna as she crossed the street. Her family, reached in Sierra Leone in the middle of the night, said they want people to remember her “as an amazing woman whose life mattered.” Ibraim Matos, 37, of Hyde Park, has been charged with murder. Bystanders physically detained him until police arrived. |
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The State’s New Housing Secretary Says We’re On Track. Really.
Juana Matias, Governor Healey’s newly appointed Secretary of Housing and Livable Communities, sat down with CommonWealth Beacon and made a striking claim: Massachusetts is not just on pace to build its goal of 222,000 new homes by 2035 — it may be slightly ahead. That’s a bold statement given lagging permit numbers, a looming rent control ballot question, and federal funding uncertainty. Worth reading the whole conversation before deciding whether to be relieved or skeptical. |
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A Chaotic Night in Brockton
Two separate shootings injured people in Brockton on Sunday evening, and hours later police — with help from surrounding departments — used pepper spray to disperse a large crowd on Main Street that had been celebrating after a World Cup match. It was a rough night for a city already managing a lot. |
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Middleborough Man Arrested for Recording Under Child’s Skirt at Concert
Brandon Cora, 27, was arrested Friday at the Xfinity Center in Mansfield after venue security — alerted by a witness — caught him allegedly recording beneath a 13-year-old girl’s skirt. He’s charged with photographing sexual or intimate parts of a child and was set to be arraigned in Attleboro District Court Monday. The quick action by the witness and security personnel was credited with making the arrest possible. |
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Worth Your Attention
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Brockton Mayor Restraining Order Hearing — The court hearing involving Mayor Moises Rodrigues continues in Hingham District Court; Judge Scott Peterson is presiding over the student’s request to extend the order. Boston Globe → Brandon Cora Arraignment — The Middleborough man charged with recording a child at the Mansfield concert venue faces arraignment today in Attleboro District Court. WCVB → November Ballot Shape-Up — With the SJC clearing the all-party primary question Monday, keep an eye on the Secretary of State’s office for the official certification timeline as the November 3 ballot continues to take shape. GBH News → |
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FY2027 Budget Tracker
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Current stage: Conference committee reconciles
Governor's Budget (H2) — filed House Budget (H5500) | 1744 amendments filed — house_floor Senate Budget (H5501) | 1 amendments filed — conference
📋 No notable actions in the last few days. |
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This Week on Beacon Hill
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Monday, June 22, 10:30 AM Joint Committee on Financial Services (2 bills) Topic: The Joint Committee on Financial Services will hold a public hearing on the following late-filed matters: Location: A-1 , Boston
Tuesday, June 23, 10:00 AM Joint Committee on Consumer Protection and Professional Licensure (8 bills) Topic: Late-filed Matters Location: B-1 , Boston
Tuesday, June 23, 11:00 AM Joint Committee on Economic Development and Emerging Technologies (1 bills) Topic: H.5436-An Act establishing MassQuantum Location: Written Testimony Only, Boston
Tuesday, June 23, 1:00 PM Joint Committee on Municipalities and Regional Government (14 bills) Topic: Late files Location: A-1 , Boston
Thursday, June 25, 9:00 AM Joint Committee on Revenue (4 bills) Topic: Miscellaneous & Late Files III Location: Written Testimony Only, Boston
Friday, June 26, 11:00 AM Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy (1 bills) Topic: H.5161: An Act to promote affordable utility services in the Commonwealth Location: Written Testimony Only, Boston
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New on the Ballot
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Recent filings with the Massachusetts Office of Campaign and Political Finance: Candidates
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One More Thing
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Westborough patrol officer Ashlyn Mercier made history over the weekend by becoming the first police officer ever crowned Miss Massachusetts. Her department’s response on social media was perfect: “Officer by day, Miss Massachusetts by title, and making the rest of us look bad 24/7.” Somewhere, her fellow officers are going to have a very good time with this at roll call. |
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