2026 Massachusetts primary: Close races will shape November general election ballot

Today is primary day in Massachusetts. Voters already casting their ballots. People showed up early in West Roxbury to vote. Voting ends at eight o'clock tonight. Now, there are several races across the state being closely watched today. That includes the Democratic primary for Senate and the Republican contest for governor. Boston 25 News reporter, Kelly Sullivan, live in Brighton. And you just heard from the Secretary of State about voter turnout, Kelly. Yeah, so we just talked to Secretary Bill Galvin. He came here first to this polling location in Brighton to cast his ballot. And then he came out and talked to us about this year's primary election. He says certainly this rain does not help with the voter turnout. But he says that they are seeing a lot of mail-in ballots this year. And there is potentially another reason as to why he thinks people might make the extra effort to come out and vote today. I do think it illustrates the interest, the concern, and to some extent, the frustration that people have with the government, especially at the federal level. And I think we've seen that. We've heard it voiced from both parties. And I think we're seeing the results today. Now, there are two big races we are watching closely here in Massachusetts. In the governor's race, there are two Republicans looking to take over Beacon Hill. Mike Minogue and Brian Shortsleeve are squaring off to try and oppose Governor Maura Healey in the general election. And Minogue is a former chief executive of Medical Device Company. Shortsleeve is a former Marine and venture capitalist and served as the chief administrator of the MBTA under then Governor Charlie Baker. One of them will try to unseat Governor Healey in November, who is seeking her second term. Moving on to the Senate race, incumbent Ed Markey faces off against Congressman Seth Moulton. Markey is seeking his third six-year term. Moulton, a former Marine, is trying to win the Senate seat after serving the state's sixth district for more than a decade. The winner will take on GOP candidate John Deaton in November. So whether Moulton wins or loses his race against Markey today, he will have to give up that seat. So there are five Democrats and one Republican who are vying for that sixth district seat. Reporting live in Brighton, Kelly Sullivan for your local station, Boston 25 News. Kelly, thank you. People in several communities will be heading to the polls to cast ballots for district attorney. Among those, Norfolk County, where the current DA opted not to run for reelection after backlash over the handling of the Karen Reid case. All seven candidates vying for the job are Democrats, though an independent candidate will appear on the November ballot. Their ages range from 38 years old to 80. All are attorneys, most as experienced prosecutors, at least one as a defense attorney. Michael Morrissey has served as DA since 2010, but decided not to seek reelection this year. He faced criticism during the trials of Karen Reid. Morrissey saying earlier this year that he's extremely proud of the work he accomplished and believed it was the right time to start a new chapter. In Boston, incumbent Suffolk District Attorney, Kevin Hayden, faces two primary challengers. That includes Linda Champion and former Suffolk DA, Rachel Rollins. Rollins served as Massachusetts U.S. Attorney before resigning after ethics investigations by two federal watchdog agencies found she sought to use her position to influence a local election and lied to investigators. The Secretary of the Commonwealth says more than 550,000 early votes were cast so far in the state primaries. That includes more than 460,000 votes from registered Democrats and more than 90,000 from registered Republicans.