'DEFINITELY NOT ME' - A dozen people who spoke to the Globe this week said they did not sign nomination papers for the GOP's Michael Walsh and Anne Manning Martin despite their signatures appearing on the papers. #mapoli www.bostonglobe.com/2026/07/02/m...

BALLOT Q'S: MA House plans to pass legislation targeting the ballot question process and the paid signature gatherers who help campaigns get their proposals before voters, acting on long-held frustrations with a system they view as ineffective. #mapoli www.bostonglobe.com/2026/06/30/m...

RENT CONTROL: A court ruling striking down a rent control ballot question has “diminished” the possibility of a deal emerging this year on Beacon Hill, lawmakers said, and prompted the real estate industry to declare further talks unnecessary. #mapoli www.bostonglobe.com/2026/06/24/m...

CAMPBELL ON INCOME TAX: AG Andrea Campbell acknowledged Tuesday her office got a series of ballot questions “wrong,” leading to two being struck down by the state’s highest court, but argued that “no one should expect us to get a perfect result.” #mapoli www.bostonglobe.com/2026/06/24/m...

GUN REFERENDUM: Gun rights advocates hope a referendum to repeal a sweeping firearms control law in Massachusetts will serve as a trial balloon of sorts for using the ballot box to peel back restrictive weapons laws. #mapoli www.bostonglobe.com/2026/06/24/m...

RENT CONTROL: The Supreme Judicial Court ruled this morning that a ballot question to impose rent control in Massachusetts cannot proceed to the November ballot because it relates to religion, religious practices, or religious institutions. #mapoli

ALL PARTY PRIMARIES: The Supreme Judicial Court allows a ballot question establishing a top-two primary system in Massachusetts to advance to the November ballot, ruling it does not violate the state constitution. #mapoli

HEALEY DEFENDS ENG: Governor Maura Healey said she supports her interim secretary of transportation, Phil Eng, Saturday after revelations that he pulled an employee’s hair two years ago. #mapoli www.bostonglobe.com/2026/06/20/m...

BALLOT QUESTION BREAKDOWN: A state attorney and a private lawyer went back and forth over wording for a summary describing a ballot question to lower the income tax. But what they ultimately settled would spell the end of the proposal. #mapoli www.bostonglobe.com/2026/06/19/m...

CANNABIS QUESTION: A ballot initiative that would repeal marijuana legalization for non-medical use will be decided by voters in November, the state’s highest court ruled Friday. Via the Globe's John R. Ellement #mapoli www.bostonglobe.com/2026/06/12/m...

CLOSE TO HOME: Identified as “Jeanni,” a woman featured in a TV ad Michael Minogue's campaign released touting his bipartisan appeal is also the candidate’s direct neighbor and married to the COO of the company Minogue ran for more than 18 years. #mapoli www.bostonglobe.com/2026/06/09/m...

HELPING HAND: Top Democratic incumbents in Massachusetts — including AG Campbell, Secretary Galvin, and Speaker Mariano — received help from their public employees to get on the ballot in this year’s statewide election. #mapoli www.bostonglobe.com/2026/06/08/m...

HEALEY’S CONVENTION SPEECH: Gov. Healey cast this year’s gubernatorial race as a battle against bringing President Trump’s policies to MA. But she offered few, if any, pledges of what she would seek to accomplish if given another term in office. #mapoli www.bostonglobe.com/2026/05/29/m...

LEGISLATIVE AUDIT: The Senate plans to vote Thursday to comply with Auditor Diana DiZoglio’s audit of their finances, offering one of the first signs that lawmakers are willing, to a degree, to acquiesce to her quest to probe the Legislature. #mapoli www.bostonglobe.com/2026/05/28/m...

Gov. Healey’s reelection pitch hinges on promises to corral the state’s high cost of living. Still, Healey is holding tight to one key societal debate: Abortion rights, she’s argued, remain a clear motivation for residents heading to the polls. #mapoli www.bostonglobe.com/2026/05/24/m...

ROBOT WEAPONS: From climate change to economic instability, Massachusetts residents face a range of potential threats. State lawmakers say a flamethrower-wielding android shouldn’t be one of them. #mapoli www.bostonglobe.com/2026/05/20/m...

AUDIT FIGHT: State Auditor Diana DiZoglio’s effort to audit the state Legislature is a long, winding political tale that can be hard to keep track of — even for those plugged into Beacon Hill. Here's a rundown on the state of play in the audit. #mapoli www.bostonglobe.com/2026/05/19/m...

The Trump administration threatened to sue Massachusetts, charging that the Healey administration has refused to issue confidential license plates through the Registry of Motor Vehicles to Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers. #mapoli www.bostonglobe.com/2026/05/15/m...

Massachusetts voters could decide a record number of new laws this November. That is, if the state’s highest court lets them. The SJC is acting as a gatekeeper of sorts for what ends up on the ballot, having already helped knock off one measure. #mapoli www.bostonglobe.com/2026/05/14/m...

ALL PARTY PRIMARIES: A ballot question this year that would scrap partisan primaries in Massachusetts is sowing fractures among Democrats, pitting progressives and members of the party's governing body against some of their own. #mapoli www.bostonglobe.com/2026/05/11/m...

MASSGOP: Good morning from Worcester. Mass. Republicans are filing into the DCU Center for their election year convention. The stakes? Three GOP gubernatorial candidates are battling for their party's endorsement and at least 15% of delegates' votes to qualify for the primary ballot. #mapoli

MIKE KENNEALY: Mike Kennealy, a former state cabinet secretary under Gov. Charlie Baker, is looking to distance himself from the popular former governor in Republican primary race for governor. #mapoli www.wbur.org/news/2026/04...

📰📰 I'm very excited to say that next month I'll be starting at @bostonglobe.com as a political reporter covering state and local politics. I'm looking forward to continuing to cover the crazy world of Massachusetts politics, including Beacon Hill and the 2026 elections. #mapoli

UNPAID TAXES: Anne Brensley, a Republican candidate for lieutenant governor, and her husband owed tens of thousands of dollars in unpaid taxes to the federal government as of last month, according to public records. #mapoli www.wbur.org/news/2026/04...

A good listen here on Mike Minogue, one of the Republicans looking to take on @massgovernor.bsky.social - he served in the military, made a fortune in biotech and calls himself a "born again" Catholic @wbur.org @bychrisvan.bsky.social www.wbur.org/news/2026/04...

Mike Minogue, a wealthy former biotech CEO, identifies as a "born again" Catholic who would bring CEO-style management to the state as a “new kind of governor.” He also says he’s “pro life.” More in my profile of the GOP candidate for governor. #mapoli www.wbur.org/news/2026/04...

HIGH-END HOUSING: For the three Republicans running for Massachusetts governor this year, owning multiple homes in Boston’s tony suburbs, on beachfronts or near ski slopes, is almost a prerequisite for candidacy. #mapoli www.wbur.org/news/2026/04...

Mass. lawmakers look to add $1 mil. to a state fund to provide immigration lawyers for people facing deportation @wbur.org @bychrisvan.bsky.social www.wbur.org/news/2026/04...

DEPORTATION DEFENSE: A $5 million program in Mass. to provide legal services to immigrants facing deportation has quickly scaled since it launched in the fall. More than 20 attorneys have been hired and hundreds of case fielded. #mapoli www.wbur.org/news/2026/03...

A hearing over a proposed public records ballot question at the State House laid bare the acrimony between former legislator and State Auditor Diana DiZoglio and her one-time colleagues. #mapoli www.wbur.org/news/2026/03...

MINOGUE POLL: Michael Minogue, a wealthy former biotechnology executive, holds a lead over his two Republican opponents in the race for governor among primary voters and GOP convention goers, according to a poll paid for by his campaign. #mapoli www.wbur.org/news/2026/03...

SHERIFF SPENDING: The budget process for the state’s 14 sheriff departments is “opaque, chaotic and deeply flawed,” Inspector General Jeffrey Shapiro said in a report released Friday, laying blame on both state lawmakers and sheriffs themselves. #mapoli www.wbur.org/news/2026/02...

HEALEY BANS SOME TRAVEL: Gov. Maura Healey signed an executive order today immediately banning “non-essential motor vehicle travel” in Bristol, Plymouth, and Barnstable counties because of the blizzard. Speed on Mass Pike also reduced to 40 MPH. #mapoli

NOT SO FAST: AG Andrea Campbell asked the state's highest court to toss out a lawsuit Auditor Diana DiZoglio filed last week that seeks to force the Massachusetts House and Senate to hand over documents as part of an audit of their inner workings. #mapoli www.wbur.org/news/2026/02...

SHORTSLEEVE: Brian Shortsleeve took the helm of the MBTA a decade ago at Gov. Charlie Baker’s request, a popular moderate Republican. But as Shortsleeve runs for governor in 2026, he is waging an aggressive campaign that has tacked right of Baker. #mapoli www.wbur.org/news/2026/02...

The Trump administration is fighting an effort by a Venezuelan aide to Gov. Maura Healey to quickly obtain a temporary work authorization, court documents filed Monday show. #mapoli www.wbur.org/news/2026/02...

IMMIGRATION: MA U.S. Attorney Leah Foley has overseen a more than six-fold increase in the number of federal criminal immigration cases prosecuted in the state in the year since she was appointed, according to data she provided Thursday morning. #mapoli www.wbur.org/news/2026/02...

NO AUTHORITY? Attorney General Andrea Campbell says Auditor Diana DiZoglio “does not have the authority to file this lawsuit.” “This is another ploy to sidestep the required approval of my office and will bring her no closer to auditing the Legislature,” Campbell says. #mapoli

HEALEY CABINET: Education Sec. Patrick Tutwiler will step down from his post Friday. Healey appointed Salem Public Schools Superintendent Stephen Zrike to the role. This is the latest turnover in Healey's cabinet as she finishes her first term. #mapoli www.wbur.org/news/2025/10...

DIZOGLIO AUDIT: Massachusetts Auditor Diana DiZoglio filed a lawsuit Tuesday with the state’s high court to force the Legislature to hand over financial documents as part of an audit into lawmakers' businesses. #mapoli www.wbur.org/news/2026/02...

HEALEY AIDE: A Venezuelan staffer working for Gov. Maura Healey could lose her job because her H-1B visa is about to expire and the Trump administration has not granted her permanent residency, according to court documents. #mapoli www.wbur.org/news/2026/02...

WHITE STADIUM COST: The city of Boston’s plan to rebuild White Stadium in Franklin Park will cost taxpayers $135 million, nearly three times as much as the city estimated for the project two years ago. Via @evezuckoff.bsky.social #mapoli www.wbur.org/news/2026/02...

IS IT LEGAL? Gov. Healey’s executive order restricting federal immigration agents from using state buildings is likely legally sound, experts say, but legislation she filed restricting them from entering daycares or schools could face challenges. #mapoli www.wbur.org/news/2026/02...

NINTH TERM? Secretary of State William Galvin says he’s seeking a ninth term in office. He says President Trump is threatening people’s right to vote, he’s worried about interference with the 2028 election, and wants to ensure an accurate census count in 2030. #mapoli

DENMARK: Gov. Healey and Danish officials signed a “collaboration agreement” as tensions between the Nordic country and the U.S. remain over Trump’s repeated calls to takeover Greenland. But neither side appeared willing to talk about Trump. #mapoli www.wbur.org/news/2026/02...

MAKING LAWS: Can't get a law passed on Beacon Hill? Float a ballot question. It’s increasingly how the business of lawmaking is getting done in a state where people on both sides of the political spectrum argue the Legislature gets little done. #mapoli www.wbur.org/news/2026/02...

INCOME TAX BALLOT QUESTION: A group of union members and a director of a local nonprofit filed a lawsuit Thursday with the state’s highest court to block a potential ballot question that would lower income tax from appearing before voters. #mapoli www.wbur.org/news/2026/01...

HEALEY'S ICE ACTION: Gov. Maura Healey says she plans to file a bill to bar federal immigration agents from entering spaces like schools and day cares, and would sign an executive order prohibiting them from using most state resources. #mapoli www.wbur.org/news/2026/01...

HOUSE IMMIGRATION: Democratic leadership in the Massachusetts House plans three closed-door meetings next week to discuss "what the Commonwealth can do on immigration policy." Reps. Dan Cahill of Lynn and Carlos Gonzalez of Springfield plan to lead "candid" discussions. #mapoli

HEALEY’S BUDGET: Gov. Maura Healey plans to file a $63 billion fiscal 2027 budget Wednesday — a 3.8% increase that outpaces inflation and aims to rein in rising health care costs, while responding to federal funding cuts from the Trump administration. #mapoli www.wbur.org/news/2026/01...