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THE MASS BRIEF
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Friday, August 07, 2026
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Good morning. It's going to be a scorcher — again — so hydrate, check on elderly neighbors, and let's get into it.
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The Lead
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Massachusetts voters have a US Senate primary in three and a half weeks, and if you're feeling more exhausted than excited about it, you're not alone. The Globe talked to more than a dozen Democratic and independent voters ahead of the September 1 showdown between Senator Ed Markey and Representative Seth Moulton, and the overwhelming sentiment wasn't enthusiasm — it was fatigue.
Monday's debate was supposed to be a moment for undecided voters to lock in a choice. Instead, it turned into an hour of Markey and Moulton trading barbs about who's too old, whose ideas are stale, old war votes, and Moulton lobbing a vague and unsubstantiated insinuation tying Markey's name to Jeffrey Epstein-related files. Lynn Chenevert, a 65-year-old Jefferson voter who came into the debate leaning toward Moulton, walked away disgusted by both. She's part of a large bloc — 20% undecided in an April Suffolk/Globe poll, and that number has only grown since, according to a June UNH survey.
This matters beyond the horse race. Massachusetts hasn't had a genuinely competitive, high-profile Senate primary in years, and this was supposed to be the marquee political event of the year. Instead, it risks becoming a case study in how negative campaigning depresses turnout rather than sharpens choices — which matters for down-ballot races and ballot questions riding on the same September ticket. Whoever wins on September 1 will need to quickly pivot from mudslinging to persuasion if they want a fired-up base heading into November. Right now, that base sounds like it just wants the ads to stop.
Full story at Boston Globe →
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What Else You Should Know
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Unions and Democrats declare war on the "jungle primary" question. A coalition of major Massachusetts unions and progressive groups launched a campaign against Question 3, the November ballot measure that would scrap party primaries in favor of an all-party system where the top two finishers advance, regardless of party. Campaign chair Jordan Berg Powers cast it as grassroots muscle versus deep-pocketed backers — expect this fight to get loud and expensive over the next three months.
WBUR →
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Suffolk DA race gets a rowdy Roxbury airing. Hundreds packed Hibernian Hall Thursday night as Linda Champion, incumbent Kevin Hayden, and former US Attorney Rachael Rollins traded pointed jabs in front of a crowd that functioned as an unofficial fourth debater — cheering, heckling, and forcing organizers to intervene repeatedly. Champion's core pitch: both her rivals already had the job and, in her telling, blew it.
GBH News →
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Brockton mother gets a new murder trial. The state's Supreme Judicial Court vacated Latarsha Sanders' 2022 conviction for killing her two young sons, ruling that jurors should have seen thousands of pages of medical records documenting her undiagnosed, untreated schizophrenia. The original trial judge, William Sullivan, is also currently presiding over the high-profile Lindsay Clancy case in Duxbury — worth watching how this ruling shapes that proceeding.
WBUR →
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Quabbin towns say they're being squeezed dry — literally. As drought conditions persist, tiny towns ringing the Quabbin Reservoir — which supplies water to millions of Greater Boston residents — are heading to Beacon Hill to demand funding help. New Salem's town hall is literally out of water because its well ran dry, even though the town sits beside 412 billion gallons of it. "It's like the Hunger Games," one town official said, capturing the resentment simmering between small, cash-strapped communities and the state system built on their sacrifice.
CommonWealth Beacon →
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Boston gun violence spike brings fast arrests. After three homicides in one week, Boston police made quick arrests in two Dorchester shootings — including a brazen daytime attack on Blue Hill Avenue where 23-year-old Billy Thien Huynh allegedly shot a man over a stolen motorbike. Suffolk DA Kevin Hayden called it a reminder of how illegal guns "are a menace to our city."
Boston Globe →
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Massive health data breach hits nearly 300,000 in Massachusetts. Brown University Health confirmed a December 2025 hack at a Lifespan Physician Group location affected more than 311,000 patients nationally, with the vast majority in Massachusetts. Social Security numbers, medical records, and driver's license info were potentially exposed — free identity protection is being offered, but it's a good moment to check your credit alerts.
Boston Globe →
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Worth Your Attention
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Tuesday: Vermont holds its primary for Chittenden County State's Attorney, a race that's become a referendum on public safety in Burlington and one border-state officials are watching closely. Boston Globe →
December: New Hampshire's Judicial Conduct Committee will hold a three-day hearing on formal misconduct charges against former state Supreme Court Justice Anna Barbara Hantz Marconi, who resigned in February. Boston Globe →
September 1: Massachusetts' Senate Democratic primary between Ed Markey and Seth Moulton — mark your calendar even if the campaign hasn't earned your excitement yet.
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End-of-Session Tracker
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⏳ Formal sessions ended July 31. Conferees were appointed in time, so talks run until the term ends Jan 5 — 151 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 →
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💰 Money Watch
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Yesterday's Biggest Contributions
| $1,109.38 | Todd Bacon-Committee (Purged The $1109.38 To Charity By Check), Lynn, MA → Peter Meaney [Individual] |
| $1,000.00 | Joe Destaphano (Amplix), Wrentham, MA → Marcus Vaughn [Individual] |
| $1,000.00 | Ed Laplante (Intesify), Wrentham, MA → Marcus Vaughn [Individual] |
| $1,000.00 | Sarah O'Neill (Not Employed), New York, NY → Thomas Melville [Individual] |
| $1,000.00 | Al Quaglieri (B.I.G Corp), Walpole, MA → Marcus Vaughn [Individual] |
Big Spending This Week
| $14,784.19 | Nicholas P. Collins paid CONNOLLY PRINTING — MAILING [Bank Reported Expenditure] |
| $10,678.42 | Michael Minogue paid THRIFTCO PRINTING — WIRE [Bank Reported Expenditure] |
| $9,702.74 | Michael Zullas paid WT DR CONNOLLY PRINTING- — ACH DEBIT [Bank Reported Expenditure] |
| $8,628.25 | Erika Uyterhoeven paid DBT PURCHASE — DBT PURCHASE [Bank Reported Expenditure] |
| $7,880.00 | Inc. Massachusetts First Independent Expenditure Political Action Committee paid Red Eagle Media — Media Production & Placement [Independent Expenditure] |
| $7,072.95 | Rob Consalvo paid SEASUNS CATERING — NONE [Bank Reported Expenditure] |
| $6,382.00 | Ironworkers Local 7 Community Independent Expenditure Political Action Committee paid Consensus Strategies — Text Messaging Program [Independent Expenditure] |
| $6,072.88 | Michael Minogue paid RJKPay — FEE [Bank Reported Expenditure] |
| $5,518.31 | John Lawn paid DBT PURCHASE — DBT PURCHASE [Bank Reported Expenditure] |
| $5,000.00 | Kristin Kassner paid PETER LI — CAMPAIGN MANAGER [Bank Reported Expenditure] |
Data from the
MA Office of Campaign & Political Finance
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One More Thing
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The old Croft School space in Jamaica Plain — the one that collapsed earlier this year under $12 million in debt and a founder who admitted to lying to families — is about to become an AI-powered private school where students reportedly finish "core academics" in two hours a day. One parent considering it summed up the moment perfectly: "Most kids are being prepared for a world that no longer exists now." Bold pivot, Jamaica Plain.
WBUR →
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The Mass Brief publishes every morning. Stay cool out there.
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