District: Suffolk & Middlesex District

District: Suffolk & Middlesex District

From July 20 through July 23, American Future conducted research to assess opinions on issues of importance from likely voters in the Suffolk & Middlesex Senate District Democratic Primary election on September 1, 2026. Below is a summary of the most important findings of that research.

Research Findings – Positive Messages

Research shows that voters in the Suffolk & Middlesex Senate District respond favorably to the following messages or candidate descriptions.

  1. A candidate who is committed to protecting residents from the chaos, cruelty and disruption coming out of Washington, who will fight back against the Trump Administration. A candidate who helped to write and pass new state laws to protect the civil rights of immigrants, protect privacy and provide additional funding for healthcare, food assistance and affordable housing to reduce the impact of cuts made by MAGA Republicans in Washington.
  2. A candidate focused on bringing down prices and making life more affordable. One who has helped to pass a $5 billion housing affordability package to build new homes, speed up home construction and bring down rents.  A candidate who led the fight to reduce energy costs and make clean energy more affordable, maintain access to affordable public transportation services and helped to make community college free for Massachusetts students.
  3. A candidate who has been a leading voice for taking action to address climate change and sustainability; sponsored legislation that puts our state on a path to decarbonization, protects communities from flooding and rising sea levels and invests in resilient infrastructure and renewable clean energy.
  4. A candidate that has been a leading voice for reforming the state’s criminal justice system.  One who spearheaded legislation reducing mandatory minimum sentences for nonviolent and low-level drug offenses, while increasing penalties for trafficking fentanyl. A candidate that helped write the law to stop police from using chokeholds, limit the use of facial recognition technology and no-knock warrants.

Research Findings – Vulnerabilities:

Research shows that voters in the Suffolk & Middlesex Senate District respond unfavorably to the following messages or candidate descriptions.

  1. A candidate who is largely supported by money from outside of our district, with the vast majority of donors not living in our community. A candidate bankrolled by billionaire CEOs and corporate executives who run artificial intelligence and high-tech companies.
  2. A candidate who wants to raise property taxes. One who supports imposing a real-estate transfer tax, which will make housing less affordable and push rents higher.
  3. A candidate who benefits from a family trust that profits from the pharmaceutical industry, tech and artificial intelligence companies, Wall Street banks and other corporate special interests that force the rest of us to pay higher prices for medicine, housing and energy.
  4. A candidate whose views on crime are too extreme and would threaten public safety.  One who would support eliminating life sentences for murderers and their accomplices and other violent criminals.  One who wants to reduce drug-related penalties—making it easier for the traffickers and other criminals who have destroyed lives with fentanyl to walk free.

Research Findings – Citations:

 

CITE: Some candidates are supported by money from outside of the district, with a majority of donors, including those with AI connections, living outside the District. (Massachusetts Office of Campaign and Political Finance, accessed 07/06/26)

CITE: Some candidates want to raise property taxes. (Boston Globe, 06/23/26) 

CITE: Some candidates support real estate transfer taxes (Boston Globe, 06/10/26; YouTube, 06/10/26), which “are also associated with higher rents” and “in substantial decreases in housing affordability.” (The Community Coalition for Jobs and Housing, 2022)

CITE: Some candidates substantially financially benefit from profits from the pharmaceutical industry, tech and artificial intelligence companies, Wall Street banks and other corporate special interests. (Massachusetts State Ethics Commission, 2025 Lander Statement of Financial Interest, 05/07/26)

CITE: Some candidates support eliminating mandatory minimums for drug offenses and eliminating the sentence of life without parole. Eliminating life sentences without parole would reduce sentences for the most violent criminals. (Progressive Mass 2026 Legislative Endorsement Questionnaire, 2026)