Massachusetts’ primary election results are in, and in the two most high-profile Congressional races, both incumbents held on to their seats. In the race for Senator Ed Markey’s seat, challenger Joe Kennedy III of the famed political dynasty, lost his bid in spite of winning the endorsement of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Senator Markey, who has been progressive on some issues such as co-sponsoring the Green New Deal resolution in the Senate, had the endorsement of progressive allies and prevailed. Representative Richard Neal, chair of the House Ways and Means committee also won his primary against progressive challenger Alex Morse who is the Mayor of Holyoke. Morse had been the target of state party leaders who apparently had orchestrated allegations of improper behavior by the mayor. 

In other news, Democratic Presidential nominee Joe Biden on Wednesday gave a speech aimed at President Donald Trump’s handling of the coronavirus pandemic, particularly focused on the reopening of schools. Meanwhile the Biden campaign has apparently adjusted its strategy in the Midwest, focusing on swing states where Trump has been pushing his message of so-called “law and order.” The Washington Post explained that Biden, “delivered a forceful anti-Trump speech in Pittsburgh, afterward bringing pizza to a firehouse. He began giving newfound attention to Minnesota, a state Democrats haven’t lost in nearly 50 years, and his campaign is eyeing potential trips to Wisconsin and Michigan.” Additionally, the Biden campaign has begun airing ads in Wisconsin, Michigan and Pennsylvania–all 3 important swing states where Trump narrowly won in 2016. Biden also released an ad condemning rioting as a form of protest, indicating that he was willing to respond to rightwing agenda-setting talking points. And, more than 80 Nobel Prize winners in the fields of Physics, Chemistry and Medicine, signed a letter endorsing Biden for President of the US, citing the “need for leaders to appreciate the value of science in formulating public policy.”

In other election related news, a new poll by USA Today and Suffolk University shows the Presidential race between Trump and Biden narrowing with the former Vice President only 7 points ahead of the incumbent. The same poll months earlier had Biden with a double-digit lead. A Grinnell College poll found similar results with Biden leading Trump 49% to 41%. Among women the gap is wider with Biden at 56 to 34%. And a poll commissioned by The Guardian newspaper shows deep fears among Democratic voters that Trump will not accept the outcome of the election if he loses. The