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The Mass. primary down-ballot races that matter most

DA races and Wu-backed Senate challenges are quietly deciding who holds real power in Massachusetts.

Politics

Deehan here with Spill of the Hill, my column unraveling Massachusetts politics.While political news in Massachusetts this cycle has centered on marquee races like the <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Democratic U.S. Senate primary" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/boston/2026/07/08/markey-moulton-debate-massachusetts" data-vars-content-id="6a679057-9069-4761-8ffd-e5dd82bd9cee" data-vars-headline="The Mass. primary down-ballot races that matter most" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/boston/2026/07/08/markey-moulton-debate-massachusetts" target="_self">Democratic U.S. Senate primary</a>, some of the contests getting the least attention will do the most to shape how power is wielded in Massachusetts.Why it matters: Three things are happening: DA races are testing prosecutorial power, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu is pushing for more clout in the state Senate and disputes over how the Legislature actually operates are dominating down-ballot races.

Lindsay Clancy trial ends in mistrial

Jurors must decide whether Clancy intentionally killed her children or was experiencing psychosis.

Public Safety

A jury failed to reach a verdict in the trial of <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Lindsay Clancy" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/boston/2026/07/27/lindsay-clancy-duxbury-killings-children" data-vars-content-id="bbfa315a-a9ad-47a7-a071-140908598862" data-vars-headline="Lindsay Clancy trial ends in mistrial" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/boston/2026/07/27/lindsay-clancy-duxbury-killings-children" target="_self">Lindsay Clancy</a> on Friday in Plymouth County Superior Court, prompting the judge to declare a mistrial.The big picture: The case has sparked fierce debate nationwide over whether Clancy was in control or in psychosis fueled by postpartum depression when she killed her three children and attempted suicide in 2023.

Where Trump's tariffs hit Massachusetts the hardest

States bear wildly different burdens from President Trump's $342 billion in tariffs.

Money

States bear wildly different estimated <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="tariff" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/economy/tariffs" data-vars-content-id="db19257b-07fb-4b99-a86c-b43ba5fd096d" data-vars-headline="Where Trump&#x27;s tariffs hit Massachusetts the hardest" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/economy/tariffs" target="_self">tariff</a> burdens from President <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Trump&#x27;s " data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/politics-policy/donald-trump" data-vars-content-id="db19257b-07fb-4b99-a86c-b43ba5fd096d" data-vars-headline="Where Trump&#x27;s tariffs hit Massachusetts the hardest" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/politics-policy/donald-trump" target="_self">Trump&#x27;s </a>trade actions since the start of 2025, from California&#x27;s<a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text=" $62.8 billion" data-vars-click-url="https://tariffs.org/" data-vars-content-id="db19257b-07fb-4b99-a86c-b43ba5fd096d" data-vars-headline="Where Trump&#x27;s tariffs hit Massachusetts the hardest" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://tariffs.org/" target="_blank"> $62.8 billion</a> share to Wyoming&#x27;s $107 million.Why it matters: Local industries dictate how and how hard communities have been hit — in this case, the impact on Massachusetts&#x27; health care industry.

Lynch survives Roath's primary challenge

The 71-year-old incumbent outlasted a heavily funded challenger who attacked his record on health care and immigration.

South Boston Rep. Stephen Lynch turned back a stiff primary challenge from attorney Patrick Roath on Tuesday, according to <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="the Associated Press" data-vars-click-url="https://apnews.com/projects/elections-2026/massachusetts-primary-results/" data-vars-content-id="04f127e7-4151-4ada-9c79-30a2ad3672a0" data-vars-headline="Lynch survives Roath&#x27;s primary challenge" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://apnews.com/projects/elections-2026/massachusetts-primary-results/" target="_blank">the Associated Press</a>.Why it matters: Lynch&#x27;s win, in the Boston and South Shore-based district he&#x27;s held since 2001, shows voters preferred experience and familiarity over new blood.

Was this Boston's "best summer ever"? It depends on who you ask

Many in Boston profited off of this summer's major events, but it wasn't a win for everyone.

Business

Seven miles south of City Hall, Mayor Michelle Wu convened 17 city officials, business leaders and entrepreneurs in a brewery for a victory lap.<ul><li>A blue sign hanging at the center of the U-shaped table summed it up: &quot;Celebrating Boston&#x27;s best summer ever.&quot;</li></ul>

How Boston is spotlighting LGBTQ+ history during America 250

A display, a screening and tours are highlighting Boston's queer history.

History

As the nation turns 250, some historians and tour guides are going beyond household names like Paul Revere and Martin Luther King Jr.<ul><li>They&#x27;re highlighting figures like Deborah Sampson, a cross-dressing private in the Continental Army, and Elaine Noble, the nation&#x27;s first LGBTQ+ candidate elected to a state legislature.</li></ul>Why it matters: Boston&#x27;s queer history is as old as the American Revolution, but it has eluded the pages of the average U.S. textbook.

Taking a Queer History Boston tour on the Boston Common

A tour runs through the state's long queer history, from anti-sodomy laws to Bayard Rustin.

Steph here. I made the last of Queer History Boston&#x27;s summer tours downtown a couple of weeks ago.Why it matters: I learned more about the history I take for granted as I go downtown every week.How it works: Roughly a dozen people, myself included, met with a tour guide outside Park Street Station on a Tuesday evening.<ul><li>He took us through various spots throughout the Boston Common and Public Garden — some with clear connections to queer culture, and others with tangential links.</li></ul>A few highlights:👨🏻‍⚖️ Queer people existed long before the nation&#x27;s founding, and Puritan Massachusetts imposed some of the earliest laws outlawing sodomy and &quot;lewd&quot; behavior.<ul><li>Two Plymouth men, Edward Preston and Edward Mitchell, <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="were charged" data-vars-click-url="https://research.colonialwilliamsburg.org/Foundation/journal/spring03/branks.cfm" data-vars-content-id="1163071d-ead3-4dde-a495-340c3f99d66c" data-vars-headline="Taking a Queer History Boston tour on the Boston Common" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://research.colonialwilliamsburg.org/Foundation/journal/spring03/branks.cfm" target="_blank">were charged</a> with &quot;lewd and sodomical&quot; practices in 1642.</li></ul>🪧 I had heard of Bayard Rustin, but I didn&#x27;t know that he was gay or that he advised Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.<ul><li>And I certainly didn&#x27;t know that King had distanced himself from Rustin after a Black congressman threatened to spread a rumor that the two were having a love affair.</li><li>It ultimately killed their plans to <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="for a demonstration" data-vars-click-url="https://www.history.com/articles/bayard-rustin-march-on-washington-openly-gay-mlk" data-vars-content-id="1163071d-ead3-4dde-a495-340c3f99d66c" data-vars-headline="Taking a Queer History Boston tour on the Boston Common" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.history.com/articles/bayard-rustin-march-on-washington-openly-gay-mlk" target="_blank">for a demonstration</a> in Los Angeles.</li></ul>🐫 Boston Pride has outlived wars, recessions and the Big Dig, but the annual march often raises questions about whether it is a protest or an apolitical celebration.<ul><li>Pride in 1984 leaned toward the latter, sparking criticism over the focus on entertainment — including a hot air balloon and camels — and the $1 donation request.</li><li>The hot air balloon never took off. Neither did the entry fee after the first year, Astuto said during the tour.</li></ul>

Boston author resurrects the race Detroit tried to erase

The book argues that Massachusetts had a chance to become America's auto capital.

Boston-based journalist Eric Moskowitz spent years digging into a forgotten 1909 cross-country car race.<ul><li>He found a hometown company that won the race, only to get written out of history.</li></ul>Why it matters: Moskowitz&#x27;s new book, <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="&quot;The Hardest, Longest Race,&quot;" data-vars-click-url="https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250282675/thehardestlongestrace/" data-vars-content-id="5a7669c7-f63e-45b0-a9cc-aec2a859382c" data-vars-headline="Boston author resurrects the race Detroit tried to erase" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://us.macmillan.com/books/9781250282675/thehardestlongestrace/" target="_blank">&quot;The Hardest, Longest Race,&quot;</a> argues that Massachusetts had a chance to become America&#x27;s auto capital before a factory fire, political sabotage and Henry Ford&#x27;s relentless Detroit PR machine buried the truth.

The Boston legacies you won't see on the freedom trail

Several new and upcoming markers highlight the city's diverse history.

An Islamic cultural center, a temple, a zen garden — these are some of the sites being recognized as Boston celebrates the nation&#x27;s <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="semiquincentennial" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2026/07/03/america-250-christianity-founders" data-vars-content-id="cc23f7a0-3196-42e2-ad24-d0e846e5a06c" data-vars-headline="The Boston legacies you won&#x27;t see on the freedom trail" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2026/07/03/america-250-christianity-founders" target="_self">semiquincentennial</a>.Why it matters: These institutions haven&#x27;t drawn massive crowds of patriotic tourists, but their legacies paint a picture of the communities that shaped one of the nation&#x27;s oldest cities.

Charles River Museum's Tesla exhibit asks: Who owns an idea?

A Waltham museum explores Nikola Tesla's work with the Waltham Watch Company.

A new exhibition at the Charles River Museum of Industry &amp; Innovation explores the historic — and at times strained — partnership between inventor Nikola Tesla and the Waltham Watch Company.Why it matters: <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="&quot;Nikola Tesla: The Speed of Innovation&quot;" data-vars-click-url="https://www.charlesrivermuseum.org/nikola-tesla-the-speed-of-innovation" data-vars-content-id="b14bf47f-1c7c-4483-ba67-af551038e8c6" data-vars-headline="Charles River Museum&#x27;s Tesla exhibit asks: Who owns an idea?" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.charlesrivermuseum.org/nikola-tesla-the-speed-of-innovation" target="_blank">&quot;Nikola Tesla: The Speed of Innovation&quot;</a> revisits a question that still shapes innovation today: Who owns and profits from an idea?

Sail250 begins: Your Parade of Sail and tall ships cheat sheet

Dozens of ships, including 50-plus military vessels from 21 countries, are coming to Boston.

Things to Do

Boston welcomes more than 50 military ships from 21 countries starting Saturday for Sail250, the culmination of the multicity tall ships celebration.The intrigue: You don&#x27;t have to know the difference between a bow and a flying jib to appreciate the spectacle.

Boston Harbor braces for Tall Ships' 4 million expected visitors

Crowds will gather to watch 60 ships from Argentina, Colombia, India and other nations.

Sixty ships from around the world will dock along Boston Harbor next month for <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Tall Ships" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/boston/2026/02/02/boston-biggest-events-2026-guide" data-vars-content-id="605f19d8-061f-4e0e-b7ef-f9df91c21056" data-vars-headline="Boston Harbor braces for Tall Ships&#x27; 4 million expected visitors" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/boston/2026/02/02/boston-biggest-events-2026-guide" target="_self">Tall Ships</a>.The intrigue: The international gathering of military ships could bring an estimated 4 million people to Boston&#x27;s waterfront as the U.S. <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="celebrates 250 years" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/2026/06/12/america-250-birthday-polling" data-vars-content-id="605f19d8-061f-4e0e-b7ef-f9df91c21056" data-vars-headline="Boston Harbor braces for Tall Ships&#x27; 4 million expected visitors" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/2026/06/12/america-250-birthday-polling" target="_self">celebrates 250 years</a> — all while the city hosts <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="the World Cup" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/boston/2026/06/22/scotland-tartan-army-leaves-boston-world-cup" data-vars-content-id="605f19d8-061f-4e0e-b7ef-f9df91c21056" data-vars-headline="Boston Harbor braces for Tall Ships&#x27; 4 million expected visitors" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/boston/2026/06/22/scotland-tartan-army-leaves-boston-world-cup" target="_self">the World Cup</a>.

"The work of belonging": Bronze plaques will highlight Boston's diverse history

Embrace Boston will unveil 20 markers to highlight communities that shaped the city.

Boston&#x27;s last remaining immigrant-founded synagogue blends in with the rows of brownstones on <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="Beacon Hill" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/boston/2026/06/05/boston-travel-guide-best-things-to-do" data-vars-content-id="1104e6e1-c5a9-48f5-a714-05da085b176c" data-vars-headline="&quot;The work of belonging&quot;: Bronze plaques will highlight Boston&#x27;s diverse history" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/boston/2026/06/05/boston-travel-guide-best-things-to-do" target="_self">Beacon Hill</a>, but a bronze plaque will soon highlight the Vilna Shul&#x27;s place in city history for all to see.Why it matters: The <a class="gtmContentClick" data-vars-link-text="nation&#x27;s 250th birthday" data-vars-click-url="https://www.axios.com/local/washington-dc/2026/06/03/america-250-freedom-250-national-mall-white-house-drama" data-vars-content-id="1104e6e1-c5a9-48f5-a714-05da085b176c" data-vars-headline="&quot;The work of belonging&quot;: Bronze plaques will highlight Boston&#x27;s diverse history" data-vars-event-category="story" data-vars-sub-category="story" data-vars-item="in_content_link" href="https://www.axios.com/local/washington-dc/2026/06/03/america-250-freedom-250-national-mall-white-house-drama" target="_self">nation&#x27;s 250th birthday</a> isn&#x27;t just a time to celebrate its white, male founders, but also a chance to highlight the diverse communities that have shaped it along the way, Boston cultural leaders say.

What Ireland's 1926 census release means for Irish Bostonians

The new records are connecting Bostonians to their ancestors.

A century after Ireland&#x27;s first census as a free state, Boston College provost David Quigley got his hands on copies of census forms his relatives filled out.<ul><li>They were among the 2.9 million people who participated in 1926 and whose records were recently made public.</li></ul>