Massachusetts voters are set to hit the polls Tuesday for the state primaries — a mostly subdued set of elections that feature little competition up and down the ballot except for a select few races.
Secretary of State William Galvin predicted this past week that 500,000 Democrats and 250,000 Republicans will cast their ballots despite the largely low-intensity affair. But amidst a score of races where Democrats will cruise to reelection, a handful of contests warrant attention.
U.S. Senate Republican Primary
Three Republicans are duking it out for the opportunity to take on U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, a Democratic juggernaut in Massachusetts who is favored to come out of the November general election with a third term in hand.
Marine Corps veteran and cryptocurrency attorney John Deaton, Quincy City Councilor Ian Cain, and industrial engineer Bob Antonellis round out the conservative ticket. Deaton is leading the pack in overall fundraising this year, largely because he has loaned his campaign $1 million.
Deaton has drawn strong support from the cryptocurrency world, including from top giants in the space like Tyler and Cameron Winklevoss, the twins most known for their ties to the creation of Facebook.
But Deaton, who moved to Massachusetts this year from Rhode Island, has pitched himself as someone who knows the issues residents here are facing through the stories of his legal clients and the three-and-a-half years he spent at a Boston law school in the 1990s.
He has focused on immigration during his campaign, even traveling to the United States-Mexico border to highlight migration issues officials in the Bay State are facing. Deaton has consistently railed against Warren on a myriad of topics since kicking off his bid.
Cain, who was once a registered independent and Democrat, joined the race in April promising to “usher in the next generation of leadership” focused on the innovation economy and the digital world.
In the months since, he has managed to raise more than $390,000 in campaign cash, according to federal election filings.
He has named the migration of new arrivals to Massachusetts, infrastructure investments, “Communist China,” and the economy as top priorities.
Antonellis has raised more than $46,000 between April and Aug. 14, according to federal campaign finance reports. He has closely aligned himself with the policies of former President Donald Trump and regularly calls out Cain and Deaton for their “anti-Trump” positions.
Local Legislative Races
A smattering of local legislative races across the state offer voters the chance to pick between more than one person of their preferred political party.
Rep. Erika Uyterhoeven, a Somerville Democrat, is battling it out with Kathleen Hornby, who previously worked for Public Health Committee Co-Chair Rep. Marjorie Decker for almost three years.
Hornby has brought in more than $42,000 and spent $31,000-plus this year compared to Uyterhoeven’s $30,404 raised and $18,191 spent during the same time period.
Decker is also facing a challenger in Evan MacKay for her Cambridge-based House seat.
The six-term Democrat has so far trounced her opponent in fundraising this year, though the race has drawn a notable amount of media coverage, including an endorsement from The Boston Globe and feature stories in the Globe and CommonWealth Beacon.
Three Democrats, including two Newton city councilors, are running to replace Rep. Ruth Balser, a Democrat from the city who holds a legislative leadership post and announced earlier this year that she was retiring after 25 years.
Tens of thousands have poured into the contest, which is likely to be decided through the primary pending any write-in candidates because no Republican is running in the race.
Another trio of Democrats are running to replace Sen. Walter Timilty, a Milton Democrat who decided to run for the Norfolk County clerk of courts. Among the contenders for the seat is Rep. Bill Driscoll, another Milton Democrat who has so far outraised his opponents this year.
Driscoll’s decision to run for Senate created a three-way primary between Democrats for his House seat. An unenrolled candidate is also in the mix, according to state campaign finance filings.
Rep. Dylan Fernandes’ move to run for an open Senate seat has sparked a race between two Democrats to backfill a House district that covers Falmouth, Martha’s Vineyard, and Nantucket.
Cape and Island Assistant District Attorney Thomas Moakley and small business owner Arielle Faria will face off in the Democratic primary, a contest that is also likely to decide the overall winner because a Republican is not running for the seat.
Rep. Matthew Muratore is running for the same South Shore and Cape Cod Senate seat as Fernandes. Muratore’s Senate push has sparked a lively election, with four Democrats and two Republicans vying for the Plymouth-based House seat.
The Best of the Rest
Muratore is locked in his own Republican primary battle against Bourne School Committee member Kari MacRae. The winner will face off against Fernandes for the Senate seat held by outgoing Sen. Susan Moran, who is running for Bastable County Superior Court clerk.
MacRae was fired from her teaching job over controversial TikTok videos. She later sued the school district but has since lost a federal appeals case.
Muratore has raised more than $76,000 this year while MacRae has pulled in $24,648, according to state campaign finance data.
Two Democrats are running to replace Sen. Marc Pacheco, the longest-serving member of the Massachusetts Senate. Lifelong Raynham resident Joseph Pacheco — who is not related to Marc Pacheco — is running against former social worker and Taunton City Councilor Barry Sanders.
The winner of the bout will face off against Republican Taunton City Councilor Kelly Dooner and independent candidate James Dupont.
And in the often unwatched corner of Massachusetts state government — the Governor’s Council — attorney Mara Dolan, a Democrat, is taking another shot at unseating longtime Democratic incumbent Marilyn Devaney, who has served in the Third District seat since 1998.
Dolan nearly beat Devaney in the 2022 Democratic Primary, losing by just over 1% or 1,658 votes, according to election results from Galvin’s office.
Dolan has secured endorsements from four sitting Governor’s Councilors and four members of Massachusetts’ Congressional delegation — U.S. Reps. Ayanna Pressley, Lori Trahan, Seth Moulton, and U.S. Sen. Ed Markey.
Devaney had only $627 in campaign cash on hand as of the end of July, according to campaign finance records.
The incumbent Democrat has not spent any money since May, when she shelled out $2,750 for services from the Massachusetts Democratic Party. Devaney also has not raised any cash since March, when she loaned herself $2,750 and earned $250 from the Boston Carmen’s Union.
Dolan had nearly $60,000 on hand as of the end of July and has consistently raised thousands each month since the start of the year, according to state campaign finance filings.
