Good morning. It's a sunny start before midweek rain moves in, so get outside today — we'll walk you through what you need to know first.

The Lead

Southeastern Massachusetts is becoming the GOP's best shot at relevance in a deep-blue state — and it's not an accident.

Bristol and Plymouth counties gave President Trump his strongest Massachusetts numbers in 2024, Republicans flipped a state Senate seat there that Democrats had held for decades, and now GOP gubernatorial candidate Brian Shortsleeve and running mate Shawn Oliver — a New Bedford city councilor — are treating the region less like a campaign stop and more like a base to build from. Oliver stood in front of fishing boats in New Bedford this week pitching a "South Coast economic plan" aimed at port revitalization and rolling back regulations on commercial fishermen, framing the region as one that's "too often left behind" by Beacon Hill Democrats.

The strategy makes sense on paper: these are working-class, historically Democratic communities with real economic grievances — fishing industry decline, manufacturing losses, affordability pressure — that don't always track with the priorities of the Boston-Cambridge political class. Whether Shortsleeve and Oliver can actually convert that resentment into statewide traction is another question; Massachusetts Republicans have flipped legislative seats before without it adding up to real power. But if the GOP is going to matter in this state at all over the next decade, this is where it starts. Watch Bristol and Plymouth counties closely as the fall campaign heats up — they're the closest thing Massachusetts has to a political weather vane right now.

Full story at Boston Globe →

What Else You Should Know

The RIDE's new bag rules are quietly cutting off seniors and disabled riders from groceries. A policy change last August requiring MBTA paratransit users to collapse and stow shopping carts inside their own seating area — rather than in the trunk or rear of the van — has left longtime riders like 79-year-old Dorchester resident Lillie Bryan rationing what she buys. More than 50 RIDE patrons showed up at a T board meeting this month wearing "Secure Our Dignity" shirts; the T says the rule frees up space for wheelchairs and walkers on the shared service. Boston Globe →

Stoughton's police chief and town manager are both under fire, and the town is bracing for more. The Select Board meets behind closed doors Wednesday to discuss Police Chief Donna McNamara — pulled off the job earlier this month with no public explanation — and Town Manager Thomas Calter, amid resident calls for Calter's ouster. McNamara's attorney says she's preparing legal action against Calter and the town; a rally supporting her is planned for this afternoon. Boston Globe →

Mayor Wu is promising concrete barriers for bike lanes after a city planner's death. Louisa Gag, a Boston transportation planner and bike advocate, was killed on Tremont Street near Roxbury Crossing when a truck struck her. Facing criticism at Gag's vigil that her administration had slowed its street-safety push, Wu pledged an audit of the Streets Department, faster City Hall response times, and cast-in-place concrete barriers like those on Congress Street. WBZ/CBS Boston →

Maine Democrats picked their new Senate nominee — and it matters here too. Former state Senate president and logger Troy Jackson won a lopsided nominating vote Saturday to replace Graham Platner, who dropped out after a sexual assault allegation he denies. Jackson now faces five-term Republican Sen. Susan Collins in a race that could decide Senate control — a race Massachusetts political operatives and donors will be watching closely given the proximity and shared media market. WBUR →

Offshore wind's federal freeze could mean rolling blackouts, one congressman warns. With Trump administration policy changes stalling Massachusetts offshore wind projects, idle port terminals and rising energy bills are becoming the norm — and at least one member of the state's delegation says the grid itself could be at risk if the freeze continues. MassLive →

Massachusetts is sending firefighters west. Gov. Maura Healey dispatched a crew to northern Minnesota to help battle wildfires that have been degrading air quality across the region — a reminder that "someone else's" climate disaster keeps becoming everyone's problem. WWLP →

Worth Your Attention

Full budget details →

Yesterday's Biggest Contributions

Big Spending This Week

Data from the MA Office of Campaign & Political Finance

Full hearing schedule →

Recent filings with the Massachusetts Office of Campaign and Political Finance:

PACs

• Americans4Hindus-Massachusetts Political Action Committee — N/A, No office — Filed: 7/23/2026
• American Workforce Independent Expenditure Political Action Committee — N/A, No office — Filed: 7/22/2026

OCPF →

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