9/18/19-- Fresh off the Massachusetts Democratic Convention, Steve and Stephanie have much to discuss. Stephanie covered the convention in Springfield for Politico, and there were a few things in particular that stood out to her. Namely, as pundits in Massachusetts and nationwide speculate on the implications of the potential Markey-Kennedy Senate matchup, there's someone already calling out the sitting Senator. Shannon Liss-Riordan, a Brookline labor attorney and official candidate running for Markey's seat is "doing the work for" Kennedy, Stephanie says. On stage at the convention, she called to get corporate money out of Washington, a not-so-subtle jab at Markey.

Back on Beacon Hill, there's news coming from the Secretary of State's office, after Bill Galvin came out in support of an initiative petition that would effectively overhaul our primary elections system. Chris Lisinski of the State House News Service drops by to explain the situation, pointing out that while the proposed ballot question fell short of the Attorney General's constitutional review, that doesn't necessarily signal the end. If the lead sponsor successfully challenges the AG's decision, Massachusetts voters will be choosing whether to get rid of partisan primaries as we know them and instead install a system wherein the top two candidates in a race advance regardless of party.

Finally, reporting from The Horse Race Western Mass bureau is Rich Parr, who's witnessed concerted effort from disparate communities throughout the region who've joined forces to advocate for better, more expansive transit. Sen. Eric Lesser spoke at a forum last week where he emphasized the connection between a lack of transportation and a lack of economic opportunity. Meanwhile, pilot programs spell potential for Western Mass's transit future. This is all while Boston-area transit has remained relatively untouched by state lawmakers after a summer of chaos.