State Legislature
Ballot Question 9 to Test 2024 Landmark Gun Reform
Ballot Question 9 asks voters whether the state should keep the 2024 bill — “An Act Modernizing Firearm Laws” — in place, and was brought to the ballot by gun rights advocates who claim the current law is confusing and places an unnecessary burden on legal gun owners.
Ballot Question 8 Could Turn Back the Clock on Recreational Marijuana Sales
Ten years after Massachusetts legalized recreational marijuana, Ballot Question 9 aims to end its sale and home cultivation, while preserving the state’s medical marijuana program.
Ballot Question 5 Looks to Reformulate State’s Tax Revenue Cap
Since 1986, Massachusetts has had a cap on how much tax revenue the state can collect in a year, requiring the state to refund taxpayers if the cap is exceeded. But in 40 years, a refund has only been triggered twice.
Ballot Question 2 Could Give Public Defenders the Long-Sought Right to Unionize
Massachusetts voters will soon decide whether the roughly 800 attorneys and staff at the Committee for Public Counsel Services, the state’s public defense agency, can do something many other state employees already can: unionize.
Ballot Question 1 Tests Legislative Transparency, Again
Amid an ongoing push to increase the transparency of the state house, Massachusetts voters will decide on Nov. 3 whether to subject the state Legislature and governor’s office to public records laws — opening government financial documents and communications to public scrutiny after years of exemptions.
Erika Uyterhoeven Declares Victory in 2nd Middlesex District as Opponents Concede
State Rep. Erika Uyterhoeven is headed to the state Senate to represent the 2nd Middlesex district after all three of her active opponents conceded before midnight on Tuesday.
Markey Defeats Moulton in Democratic Primary
Incumbent Senator Ed J. Markey (D-Mass.) secured the Democratic nomination for U.S. Senate on Tuesday, beating Representative Seth W. Moulton ’01 (D-Mass.) after a campaign centered on generational turnover.
After Nearly a Decade Unopposed, Connolly Faces First Reelection Challenge
State Rep. Mike L. Connolly has represented the 26th Middlesex District, which covers parts of Cambridge and Somerville, for nearly a decade without facing a reelection challenger — until now.
Azeem Outraises Field in Senate Race Ahead of Primary, Powered by Cambridge Donors
Vice Mayor Burhan Azeem has made housing reform a centerpiece of his Cambridge political career, and Tuesday’s Democratic primary will test whether that platform can carry beyond the city.
Industry Donors, Key Endorsements Shape Suffolk and Middlesex Primary
After 14 years in the Senate without facing a primary challenger, State Sen. William N. Brownsberger ’78 will face former Boston mayoral aide Daniel A. Lander ’14 at the ballot box Tuesday.
The Massachusetts State Primary Is Tuesday. Here’s What to Know.
When polls open Tuesday for Massachusetts’ 2026 state primary, Cambridge voters will help decide several closely contested state and federal races. Here’s what you need to know ahead of Election Day.
Danielle Allen-Backed Top-Two Primary Proposal Clears Legal Challenge for Mass. Ballot
Harvard professor Danielle S. Allen’s push to replace Massachusetts’s partisan primaries with a top-two primary system is one step closer to the November ballot, after the state’s highest court rejected a legal challenge to the proposal last week.
Candidates for 2nd Middlesex District Senate Seat Split on Legislative Transparency in First Forum
The five candidates running in the Democratic primary for the 2nd Middlesex District state Senate seat appeared at their first candidate forum Tuesday, splitting over the state’s legislative audit and whether transparency reforms on Beacon Hill have been effective.
Three Progressive Groups Endorse Evan MacKay in Renewed Challenge to Decker
United Auto Workers Region 9A, Our Revolution Cambridge, and Progressive Victory announced their endorsements for Evan C. MacKay '19's statehouse campaign on Sunday afternoon at a rally in support of Trans Day of Visibility.
Gov. Healey Endorses William Brownsberger’s State Senate Re-Election Bid
Massachusetts Governor Maura T. Healey ’92 endorsed incumbent state Sen. William N. Brownsberger ’78’s campaign for the seat he has held since 2012 — marking the most high-profile endorsement of his reelection bid.
After Years in Campaigns and City Hall, Daniel Lander Runs for State Senate
Former Boston mayoral adviser Daniel A. Lander ’14 is mounting a grassroots challenge to longtime Massachusetts Sen. William N. Brownsberger as he campaigns across Allston, Cambridge, and nearby communities.
Brownsberger Leans on Decades-Long Track Record in Eighth Bid for State Senate
William N. Brownsberger began his political career in 1998. Now, he's running for an eighth term representing Suffolk and Middlesex in the Massachusetts Senate, and he's facing his first challenger for the seat in more than a decade.
Cambridge Vice Mayor Burhan Azeem Confirms Bid for State Senate
Cambridge Vice Mayor Burhan Azeem confirmed his bid for the 2nd Middlesex District State Senate seat in an interview with The Crimson, entering what is expected to be one of Massachusetts’ most competitive Democratic primaries this year.
The ‘Eyes and Ears’ Behind Harvard’s State Lobbying
The Association of Independent Colleges and Universities in Massachusetts is Harvard’s voice in the statehouse — and it’s using the University’s clashes in Washington to make the case for favorable policies closer to home.
State Commission on Combating Antisemitism Praises Harvard’s Anti-Discrimination Policies in Draft Report
The Massachusetts Special Commission on Combating Antisemitism condemned federal attacks on universities over antisemitism allegations, repeatedly praising Harvard for its anti-discrimination policies.
Harvard’s Congressional Districts Hit Hard By Federal Funding Shutdown
Harvard’s congressional districts have seen the largest funding cuts in Massachusetts as the federal government enters the twenty-seventh day of the shutdown.
‘My Voice Matters’: Cambridge Public Schools Celebrate $50,000 Sound Equipment Grant
Students at the Maria L. Baldwin Elementary School gathered at their monthly assembly on Friday to celebrate a $50,000 grant awarded to Cambridge Public Schools to install new sound systems in five district schools.
In Feud Over Nonprofit’s Deal With BioMed, Cambridge State Reps. Take Sides
At Cambridge City Council meeting on Monday, two of the city’s state representatives weighed in on a partnership between the East End House and BioMed that sits at the center of a public dispute over transparency and nonprofit funding.
‘Big Ugly Bill’: Mass. Officials Condemn Republican Megabill Ahead of Trump’s Signing
As Republicans’ “One Big Beautiful Bill” makes its way to President Donald Trump’s desk, Massachusetts officials condemned it as cruel and said it would hike costs for the state.
City Employee Kerry Augustin Declares Candidacy For Boston Mayor
As he vies to become the next mayor of Boston, City Hall employee Kerry Augustin recognizes he faces an uphill battle. But it’s one that he is willing to fight.
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