Mayor Michelle Wu has crossed a line that Boston mayors rarely cross — and she's doing it loudly, on purpose. Last Tuesday, Wu stood inside a Brighton restaurant and told a crowd of supporters that the Massachusetts Senate is "holding us back" and "throwing up more obstacles." She wasn't just venting. She was formally endorsing Daniel Lander, a former aide, in his primary challenge against Senate Assistant Majority Leader William Brownsberger. She's also backed Latoya Gayle in a race against Senator Nicholas Collins, another Democrat she views as an obstacle.

The core dispute is Wu's commercial property tax shift proposal — a plan that would reduce the residential tax burden by loading more of it onto commercial real estate. The Senate has blocked or stalled it repeatedly, and Wu has clearly decided that the diplomatic path is closed. Endorsing challengers against sitting members of your own party is a high-risk move: it burns bridges, generates enemies, and can fail spectacularly if the incumbents hold on. But it also signals that Wu is betting her political capital on a specific vision of Boston's future and is done waiting for the chamber up the hill to get on board.

What happens next: the Democratic primaries are the ballgame. If Lander or Gayle wins, Wu gets an ally and a message sent. If both incumbents survive, Wu faces a more hostile Senate with fewer chips to play. Either way, the 2026 primary season just got a lot more interesting.

House and Senate leaders announced Monday they've reached agreement on a roughly $63 billion state budget — just two days before the new fiscal year begins Wednesday. No tax or fee increases, no dipping into the rainy day fund, according to budget chairs Senator Michael Rodrigues and Representative Aaron Michlewitz. The Legislature is expected to vote Wednesday, then it heads to Governor Maura Healey's desk for her 10-day review.

The Trump Justice Department filed suit against Massachusetts and Rhode Island on Monday, challenging state laws that extend in-state college tuition rates and financial aid to undocumented students. The administration argues the policies unfairly disadvantage American citizens — the outcome will likely depend on which federal circuit weighs in, given that courts in Texas and Minnesota have already split on similar laws.

Attorney General Andrea Campbell co-led a 26-state lawsuit Monday challenging the Trump administration's new Medicaid work requirement rules, which go beyond what Congress authorized in the "One Big Beautiful Bill." The coalition argues that federal regulators rewrote the statute's protections for people with serious illnesses and disabilities — potentially stripping coverage from hundreds of thousands of MassHealth enrollees who never should have been affected.

Merrimack Health quietly shuttered its maternity unit at the Methuen campus (formerly Holy Family Hospital) on Monday — more than a month ahead of the August 1 date it had announced. The Massachusetts Nurses Association, which represents staff there, was given six days' notice. It's the 13th maternity unit closure in Massachusetts since 2010, and the sixth in a Gateway City. Services are being consolidated at Lawrence General Hospital, less than two miles away.

Alvin Campbell Jr., 45 — the older brother of Attorney General Andrea Campbell — was sentenced Monday to life in prison plus over 100 additional years for raping five women he picked up outside Boston bars while posing as an Uber driver. Judge Mary K. Ames called his conduct "manipulative and depraved." Campbell was convicted on 21 of 22 counts earlier this month.

Off-duty State Police Trooper Jacob Mick died Sunday evening after his motorcycle collided with a vehicle on Providence Road in Grafton. Mick, a Northborough native who joined the force in 2023, was married and the father of an infant daughter. State Police Colonel Geoffrey Noble called it "an enormous tragedy." The Worcester DA's office is investigating.

State budget vote expected Wednesday, July 1 — The Legislature is set to vote on the fiscal year 2027 spending plan the first day of the new fiscal year; watch for late amendments and any last-minute drama on Beacon Hill. Boston Globe →

Quincy roofing company owner Craig Galligan arraigned July 17 — The owner of The Roof Kings, LLC faces workers' compensation insurance fraud and larceny charges after allegedly underreporting payroll to avoid higher premiums; arraignment is set for Norfolk Superior Court. State House News Service →

Three-year bachelor's degrees pilot launching fall 2027 — Merrimack College and Suffolk University received state approval for reduced-credit degree programs; if you're advising students or tracking higher ed affordability, the annual reporting requirements are worth following. CommonWealth Beacon →

Full budget details →

Yesterday's Biggest Contributions

Data from the MA Office of Campaign & Political Finance

Full hearing schedule →

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

Candidates

• Kenneth Willette (Republican) — House, 4th Essex — Filed: 6/26/2026
• Amy Upton — County Commissioner, Dukes County — Filed: 6/25/2026
• Stephen Foley — House, 5th Norfolk — Filed: 6/24/2026

PACs

• Commonwealth for Tomorrow Independent Expenditure Political Action Committee — N/A, N/A — Filed: 6/25/2026

OCPF →

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