State Primary Deep Dive

Contested primaries for the state legislature, Governor’s Council, Congress, and Senate

Author

Brent Benson

Published

August 26, 2024

This overview covers contested primaries for State Representative, State Senate, Governor’s Council, U.S. Congress, and U.S. Senate on September 3, 2024.

State Representative

There are a fifteen races where a sitting incumbent State Representative is being challenged by someone from their own party and eleven races where the current State Representative is not running and their is at least one party primary. These are pretty big numbers is both categories from a historical perspective.

Incumbent Primaries

There are thirteen Democratic incumbent challenges and two Republican incumbent challenges—fifteen in all.

Open Seat Primaries

State Senate


Incumbent State Senators Mark Montigny (D-New Bedford), Adam Gomez (D-Springfield), and Nick Collins (D-Boston) all face primary challengers. State Representative Bill Driscoll (D-Milton) is running for the Norfolk, Plymouth and Bristol seat held by retiring Senator Walter Timilty (D-Milton).

Incumbent Primaries

Open Seat Primaries

Governor’s Council


There are two incumbent primary challenges and an open seat for the Governor’s Council. Mara Dolan stands a very good chance of unseating Devaney who has held the seat for 25 years.

U.S. Congress

Unlike the State Representative, State Senate, and Governor’s Council races, the primary race for the Eighth Congressional seat represented by Stephen Lynch is not an incumbent challenge or for an open seat, but rather to determine the Republican to face Lynch in the general election. None of the GOP challengers seem to be taking this race seriously and only Govatsos has raised any money—less than $5,000.

U.S. Senate

There are also three Republicans vying for the GOP nomination to face Senator Elizabeth Warren in the November 5 general election. John Deaton (R-Swansea) has raised close to a half a million dollars, but has less-than-stellar chance against Elizabeth Warren if he is the Republican who makes it to the general.