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Pols & Politics: Three Massachusetts House races that offer glimmers of competition

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Pols & Politics: Three Massachusetts House races that offer glimmers of competition


Massachusetts voters are closing in fast on this year’s primary and general elections and many residents have intense local races right in their backyard — from incumbent Democrats facing challengers with money to open seats drawing fierce competition.

Beacon Hill is well-known for lawmakers across the board gliding to re-election every two years. But in a state rife with non-competitive races, there are glimmers of hope this year that elections in Massachusetts can be more than just resigning oneself to voting for the only person on the ballot.

The state primaries are on Sept. 3 and the general election is on Nov. 5, the same day voters head to the polls to pick the next president of the United States.

With the days ticking down, here are a few House races across the state that caught our eye.

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1st Plymouth

Rep. Matt Muratore’s decision to pursue an open state Senate seat has set off a mad dash in this South Shore district that covers portions of Plymouth, a town that has consistently sent a Republican to the State House for the last two decades.

Four Democrats and two Republicans have decided to throw their hat into the ring this election cycle.

Plymouth School Committee Chair Michelle Badger, Beacon Hill regular Art Desloges, local businessman Scott Hokanson, and Stephen Palmer, a former member of the Braintree Town Meeting, make up the left.

Dee Wallace Spencer, a business professor at Northeastern University, and Marine Corps veteran Jesse Brown round out the Republican primary ticket.

Spencer has dominated the fundraising game so far, raising more than $68,000 since the start of the year, spending upwards of $34,000 during the same period, and holding onto $34,000-plus as of July 31, according to campaign finance records.

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Brown has raised $29,315 between the start of January and the end of July, state data shows.

Desloges has raised $24,224 since January and Badger has brought in $16,557 during the same time, according to state records. Both Palmer, who unsuccessfully ran for the seat in 2022 and 2020, and Hokanson have raised $8,000 or less this year.

27th Middlesex

Rep. Erika Uyterhoeven has not faced an opponent in her past two general elections and easily beat Democratic challengers in her previous primary contests.

But this year, a former Beacon Hill chief of staff is making a well-funded play at unseating the second-term Somerville Democrat.

Kathleen Hornby, who worked for Public Health Committee Chair Rep. Marjorie Decker for almost three years, has outraised Uyterhoeven since the start of the year, according to campaign finance filings last updated July 31.

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Hornby, who also worked for former Rep. Alice Wolf for nearly five years, points to affordability in Somerville, substance use, public transportation, workers’ rights, and climate change as some of her top issues, according to her website.

Uyterhoeven said she “acted swiftly” with other colleagues in the Legislature to ensure access to reproductive rights after the U.S. Supreme Court struck down Roe v. Wade. Uyterhoeven also touches on transportation, public education, and affordable housing on her campaign website.

And speaking of Decker, the six-term Democrat from Cambridge is also facing a Democratic primary opponent this year in Evan MacKay. Decker has raised more than $117,000 since January compared to MacKay’s $48,025, according to state data.

12th Middlesex

Nearly $200,000 has poured in since January into a race for a House seat that covers parts of Newton and Brookline after the incumbent Democrat, Rep. Ruth Balser, announced she was not seeking reelection.

That decision has since spurred three Democrats to jump into the fray — Newton City Councilors Bill Humphrey and Rick Lipof and Greg Schwartz, a former city councilor and doctor who has earned Balser’s endorsement.

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Lipof has ticked off public education investments, combating antisemitism, and affordability as priorities on his website. Humphrey also turned to the climate, housing, health care, and education as issues he wants to focus on while Schwartz pointed to health care, antisemitism, climate change, housing, and transportation as his priorities.

Each candidate has pulled in tens of thousands.

Lipof is leading the pack with more than $73,000 raised and $39,787 spent since January, according to state campaign finance filings. Schwartz has pulled in $66,274 this year and spent $51,488, state data shows.

Humphrey has raised $31,462 and spent $23,624 this year, according to the data.

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Massachusetts man awaits word from family in Iran after attacks

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Massachusetts man awaits word from family in Iran after attacks




Massachusetts man awaits word from family in Iran after attacks – CBS Boston

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Poya Sohrabi hasn’t heard from his family since they took shelter from attacks in Tehran. WBZ-TV’s Mike Sullivan reports.

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How will the Iran war impact gas prices in Massachusetts?

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How will the Iran war impact gas prices in Massachusetts?


With a widening conflict in the Middle East after the American and Israeli attack on Iran Saturday, global markets are bracing for a shakeup in the energy supply chain.

So, here at home, what can consumers expect at the gas pump?

An increase in oil prices is almost always followed by an increase in gas prices. And the oil market has already reacted to the war. NBC News reported on Sunday that U.S. crude oil initially spiked more than 10%, while Brent, the international oil benchmark, rose as much as 13%.

Early Monday morning, reports were coming in of black smoke rising from the U.S. embassy in Kuwait City.

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While Iran’s oil reserves supply less than an estimated 5% of global production, the main concern is the Strait of Hormuz. This maritime passageway borders Iran at the bottleneck of the Persian Gulf, and more than 20% of the world’s oil passes through. If Iran closes or restricts Hormuz, the oil market could face severe disruptions.

Gas prices rise about 2.5 cents for every dollar increase in crude oil prices. As of Sunday, U.S. crude oil prices had already increased by nearly $5 a barrel.

“I fully expect that by Monday night, you could credibly say that gas prices are being impacted by oil prices having gone up,” GasBuddy analyst Patrick De Haan told NBC News.

GasBuddy characterizes their expectations for price increases as “incremental” rather than “explosive”. The group said to anticipate a potential 10-15 cent increase over the next couple of weeks.

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Body camera video shows Massachusetts police officer save 78-year-old man from burning truck – East Idaho News

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Body camera video shows Massachusetts police officer save 78-year-old man from burning truck – East Idaho News


EASTON, Mass. (WBZ) — Police body camera video shows an Easton, Massachusetts, officer rescuing a 78-year-old Raynham man from a burning car on Friday morning.

A Mack dump truck was experiencing problems on the side of Turnpike Street just after 2 a.m. when a Ford pickup truck struck the back of it, according to police.

The pickup truck then became stuck under the dump truck, trapping the driver, Francis Leverone, inside. A Toyota Camry then hit the back of the pickup truck and caught fire, police said.

Easton police officer Dean Soucie arrived at the crash and saw that the two vehicles were on fire. Video shows Soucie rushing over before breaking the driver’s side window and then, with the help of the two witnesses, freeing Leverone from the pickup truck. Soucie said he was confused but conscious.

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“As I reached inside the vehicle, one of the passersby — he actually jumped into the cab of the truck, and he helped me free the individual,” Soucie said.

They then carried the driver to safety.

Leverone was taken to a nearby hospital before being transferred to a Boston hospital. He received serious but non-life-threatening injuries.

No one else was injured in the crash.

Dee Leverone told WBZ her husband is doing OK. “I’m just thankful for the people that got him out,” she said. “Very thankful.”

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After watching the police body-cam video on the news she said, “I was shocked, I was like ‘Oh my God!’ I just couldn’t believe it. His truck is like melted.”

She says she realized that something was wrong last night when her husband never made it home from work.

“I kept trying to call him and call him, and I finally got a hold of him at like 4:30 a.m., and he was at (Good Samaritan Hospital) and he told me he’s gotten in an accident,” Dee said.

She says he’s recovering at the Boston Medical Center and being treated for a dislocated hip.

“He’s a trooper,” Dee said. “He’s a strong man — and you know he’s 78, but you know he’s a toughie. He definitely is a toughie.”

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Soucie commended the help of the two witnesses and said that before he arrived at the crash, they had attempted to put out the flames with a fire extinguisher and removed a gasoline tank from the pickup truck before it could ignite.

“They jumped into action like it was nothing,” Soucie said. “Those two individuals were absolutely awesome.”

Easton Police Chief Keith Boone said that he is “extremely proud” of Soucie and the witnesses.

“He saved a life last night,” Chief Boone said. “He is an exemplary police officer and this is just one example. I think he’s a hero.”

Turnpike Street was closed for several hours following the crash. Easton Police are investigating.

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