Massachusetts holds its primary on Tuesday (the day after Labor Day), and we have a few big races on tap. We have a closely-watched Democratic primary in the Boston area between Rep. Mike Capuano and Boston City Councilor Ayanna Pressley, as well as a crowded and expensive Democratic House primary to the north in the Merrimack Valley.
The polls close at 8 PM ET. Our guide to the key races to watch Tuesday is below, and join us at Daily Kos Elections that night at 8 ET for our liveblog of all of the races on the docket. You can also follow us on Twitter, where we'll be live-tweeting the results.
● MA-07 (D) (84-12 Clinton, 82-16 Obama): Ten-term Rep. Mike Capuano faces a credible primary challenge from Boston City Councilor Ayanna Pressley in a safely blue seat that includes much of the city of Boston as well as some nearby suburbs.
Pressley, who would be the first woman of color to represent Massachusetts in Congress, has argued that this district, which is by far the most racially diverse in the state, would bring a much-needed new perspective to Congress, saying that the seat needs an activist instead of just a "reliable vote." Capuano in turn has argued that his experience and seniority are vital. The two agree on most issues, though Pressley has called for abolishing ICE while the incumbent says he supports reforming the agency.
Most of the state and local establishment are in Capuano's corner, including Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, former Gov. Deval Patrick, and a number of prominent unions. Pressley has some smaller unions on her side, as well as Attorney General Maura Healey. Capuano has enjoyed a huge financial edge, and he outspent her $927,000 to $382,000 from July 1 to Aug. 15 (the time the FEC defines as the pre-primary period). An early August poll from MassInc gave Capuano a 48-35 lead.
● MA-01 (D) (57-37 Clinton, 64-34 Obama): Longtime Democratic Rep. Richard Neal faces a primary challenge from attorney Tahirah Amatul-Wadud in this safely blue western Massachusetts seat. Amatul-Wadud, who has been emphasizing her support for single-payer health care and debt-free education, hasn't attracted nearly as much attention and money as Ayanna Pressley in the 7th District, but the incumbent seems to be taking her seriously. Neal, who would be in line to chair the powerful Ways and Means Committee if Team Blue flips the House, outspent Amatul-Wadud $518,000 to $57,000 during the pre-primary period.
● MA-03 (D) (58-35 Clinton, 57-41 Obama): Rep. Niki Tsongas' retirement annoucement last year set off a very crowded and expensive Democratic primary for this blue Merrimack Valley seat, which includes the cities of Lowell and Lawrence.
The only poll we've seen in months was a late August UMass Lowell survey that gave Dan Koh, a former chief of staff to Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, the lead, albeit with just 19 percent of the vote. The same poll found former U.S. Ambassador to Denmark Rufus Gifford and state Sen. Barbara L'Italien not too far behind with 13 each, while business consultant Lori Trahan, a former chief of staff to former Rep. Marty Meehan, took 8 percent.
The various candidates' ties to the district have been a big theme in this race. Koh grew up in the seat but only moved back to his hometown of Andover just before he launched his bid, while Gifford doesn't have strong connections to the area. L'Italien, meanwhile, represents much of the seat in the legislature, though she lives just outside the district.
Koh has been a very strong fundraiser, while Gifford is both wealthy and well-connected. Koh outspent Gifford $916,000 to $679,000 during the pre-primary period, while Trahan and L'Italien deployed $397,000 and $247,000, respectively.
Several other candidates are also running, including state Rep. Juana Matias, who is also trying to become the first woman of color to represent the state in the House; hotel executive Beej Das; and former Navy intelligence officer Alexandra Chandler, who would be the first transgender member of Congress. Matias spent $146,000 during the pre-primary period, while none of her other rivals spent more than $50,000 during this time. No one in this group took more than 6 percent of the vote in the UMass Lowell poll, but it's always possible one of them could surprise in this very packed race.
