We are proud to celebrate the recognition of Brigham and Women's Hospital and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, and Massachusetts General Hospital as #1 and #2 in Cancer in New England by U.S. New and World Report. Thank you to our entire Mass General Brigham team for their daily dedication to serving our patients — Learn more.
Four years ago, Robert Galibois was elected as the first Democrat to serve as Cape and Islands district attorney since the office was created in the 1970s.
There’s no suspense this year over whether the seat he flipped will stay blue. The only candidates in the mix are Galibois and Michael Giardino, a prosecutor who’s worked in the Cape and Island DA’s office and in Plymouth County.
Some of the tension in the race instead comes down to whether that blue is in permanent marker or a more erasable ink on the candidates’ own voter registration cards.
In a debate Thursday on WCAI, Giardino touted his endorsements from local police unions that he said “want to see change in the DA's office.” Galibois called it “a play right out of a traditional Republican playbook.”
Giardino said that while he's always "identified as part of the Democratic Party," he switched up his affiliation in 2016, becoming an unenrolled voter because he "felt it was important to have choices” in local races. He pulled a Republican ballot in the 2016 state primary, he said, but voted in other Democratic primaries before rejoining the party this year when he decided to run for office. In the 2022 race Galibois won, Giardino said he backed the Republican candidate, casting it as a “personal decision to support a longtime coworker and friend.”
Galibois described himself as a lifelong Democrat. The two agreed that party affiliation shouldn't matter in the courtroom, but that it does come into play when out in the community.
Besides blue or red, there’s another shade that can color elections: green. Galibois boasts a much bigger war chest ($126,601 on hand to Giardino's $33,729), while Giardino has a fundraising edge, outraising the incumbent this year by about $5,000.
How much does party loyalty and identity matter in a state where 65% of voters — but almost no elected officials — are unenrolled? The Boston Globe reported earlier this year that multiple Republican candidates for statewide office, including Mike Minogue, the MassGOP’s endorsed candidate for governor, had left their party at various points.
The WCAI debate showed there’s more than one voter perspective on the issue. The question about party affiliation history was submitted by one listener.
But later in the broadcast, another called in to say “annoyed the heck out of” her to hear the candidates asked about that instead of their policies.
What piece of the primary puzzle annoys the heck out of you? Share your primary pet peeves at [email protected].
Battery storage is essential for Massachusetts affordable energy - Learn more.
HAPPENING TODAY
10:00 | The state hosts an investor conference call to "walk through" the fiscal year 2027 budget and "reflect" on the state's Aug. 5 information statement | Presentation Live View for Investors
10:00 | Massachusetts Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission holds a pre-conference hearing concerning Marie Sylvain | More Info and Zoom
12:00 | Mayor Wu makes remarks at the City of Boston’s Dominican Republic flag raising ceremony | City Hall Plaza, 1 City Hall Square, Boston
JOB BOARD
Payroll and Benefits Manager — NEW, City of Fitchburg
MLRI Senior Economic Justice Attorney — NEW, Massachusetts Law Reform Institute
MLRI Economic Justice Attorney Safety Net Programs — NEW, Massachusetts Law Reform Institute
Project Manager — NEW, Elephant Energy
Public Service Coordinator, University of Massachusetts Boston
Vice President for Ocean Conservation, Conservation Law Foundation
Lead Organizer / VISTA and Civic Engagement Project Coordinator, Mass Alliance of HUD Tenants
Senior Government Relations Specialist, Boston Children’s Hospital
Job board continues below the fold — post a job
Helping a Boston restaurant owner support his team: Running a restaurant means financial pressure and moving parts. At Shy Bird, owner Eli Feldman uses Claude to help solve problems from kitchen organization to manager coaching, so he can give more to the people who make the restaurant run — Learn more.
FROM BEACON HILL
KRATOM CRACKDOWN: Massachusetts becomes the latest state to restrict the sale of kratom, with a Healey administration emergency order targeting products like powders and gummies that are widely sold but largely unregulated. Meanwhile, House language in the economic development bill under negotiation would regulate the sale of kratom products. | State House News Service (gift link)
ABORTION LAW REACTION: The state's new law lifting restrictions on abortions after 24 weeks of pregnancy meets pushback from the Archdiocese of Boston. Catholic leaders across the state had urged lawmakers not to advance the bill. | Boston Herald
HEAT HONCHO: Massachusetts is now the second state in the country with its own heat chief. Heat resilience officer Katie Schlick, a Biden administration alum, will help create a plan to address the consequences of extreme heat across the state. | Boston Globe
FUNDING THE GAP: A new Trump administration rule set to take effect this fall will block Medicaid spending on transgender care for patients under 18, and state officials plan to step in with an $8.5 million trust fund to help cover the cost of treatments. | GBH News
NEWS NEXT DOOR
DISMISSED: A Trump administration lawsuit alleging an inadequate response to antisemitism at Harvard was dismissed by a federal judge who found the cited incidents "too isolated and episodic" to prove an ongoing violation of civil rights law. | Harvard Crimson
FLOOD FUNDS: The EPA in 2024 awarded a grant for a stormwater management effort to help alleviate some of Fitchburg's worst flooding, then terminated it six months later. There's a growing gap between the city's infrastructure needs and its ability to finance them. | Telegram & Gazette
FREE SPEECH VS. F-BOMBS: A split Plymouth Select Board narrowly approved a new conduct policy requiring town officials to treat each other with respect. The move comes after a Town Meeting outburst earlier this year and recent scrutiny over the board's behavior and profanity use. Opponents raised concerns the rule would chill free speech. | Plymouth Independent
AI UNKNOWNS: The Greenfield School Committee voted down policy updates that would set some boundaries on students' AI use, with some members saying they don't know enough about the technology to regulate it. | Greenfield Recorder
The work of the nonprofit sector impacts every resident of Massachusetts. The state’s 42,000+ nonprofits are a critical economic engine, generating more than 550,000 jobs and employing over 17% of the state’s workforce. With federal actions putting increased strain on these organizations, the Massachusetts Council of Nonprofits encourages you to support policies that champion the sector — Learn more.
MORE HEADLINES
THE SUNDAY SHOWS
KELLER AT LARGE: 8:30 a.m., WBZ-TV. Political analyst Jon Keller sits down with Jason Galui, director of the Endicott College Center for Civic Participation, and student Alexandra Pintone to discuss the program's efforts to boost voting and other forms of civic activism in a time of apathy and division.
@ ISSUE: 9:30 a.m., NBC 10. Reporter Matt Prichard’s guest is Congressman Seth Moulton.
ON THE RECORD: 11 a.m., WCVB. Anchor Ed Harding and political reporter Sharman Sacchetti interview Boston Mayor Michelle Wu.
JOB BOARD
Grants and Development Specialist II, Metropolitan Area Planning Council
Senior Manager of External Affairs, Massachusetts Office of the Child Advocate
Transportation Planner, City of Malden
Senior Director, City Talent and Student Career Pathways, Harvard Kennedy School
Director of Public Affairs and Communications, Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization
Vice President, Strategic Communications, United Way of Mass Bay
Community Engagement Manager – Fairmount Indigo CDC Collaborative, Fairmount Indigo CDC Collaborative
Federal Policy & Municipal Affairs Director, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Director of Policy and Planning, Boston Region Metropolitan Planning Organization
Deputy Chief Fiscal Officer for Procurement and Contracts, Massachusetts Office of the Inspector General
Field Director, Massachusetts Association of School Committees
Human Resources Business Partner, Recruitment & Retention, City of Newton
Mid-Career Fellowship, Massachusetts Taxpayers Foundation
Program Analyst, Massachusetts Housing Partnership
Senior Investigator, AOI, Massachusetts Office of the Inspector General
Associate, Shepherd Strategies
Project Accountant, Metropolitan Area Planning Council (MAPC)
Public Affairs Manager, Bentley University
Director, Toxics Use Reduction Institute, UMass Lowell
