Early Voting Opens in Cambridge Ahead of Sept. 1 State Primary

In-person early voting for the Massachusetts state primary began in Cambridge Saturday morning, just over a week before Election Day.

The city is offering early voting through Friday at three locations — the Cambridge Public Library, the Valente Library, and the Cambridge Water Department building.

A total of 508 ballots were cast at Cambridge’s early voting sites over the weekend — with a majority cast on the opening day, according to data from the Cambridge Election Commission.

Cambridge voters taking a Democratic ballot will select nominees for 13 offices, including governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, state auditor, and members of Congress. Across Cambridge, voters fall into six House districts and three state Senate districts.

Of the nine, five have contested Democratic primaries. For the House races, Cambridge holds one of the most-watched races in Massachusetts, with State Representative Marjorie C. Decker facing a substantial challenge from Evan C. MacKay ’19. In 2024, Decker edged out MacKay by just 41 votes, and MacKay has mounted another serious bid this cycle.

The 25th Middlesex District, which Decker represents, is the only district that falls entirely in Cambridge.

Madeline E. Nohrnberg, who cast her ballot for Decker, set out to vote on the first day of early voting in the city because she plans to spend Election Day connecting with fellow residents and mobilizing them to vote.

“I want to spend September 1 in my community working to reelect somebody who I feel has a very strong record of passing legislation that makes Cambridge a safer and just generally a more livable place for all people,” Nohrnberg said.

The 19-year-old was raised in Cambridge and attended Cambridge public schools, which she said helped shape her support for Decker, who has served as an elected official in Cambridge since 1999, when she won a seat on the Cambridge City Council.

“I grew up hearing Marjorie’s name, and I feel like she is somebody who represents this community very well,” Nohrnberg said.

For Filomena G. “Nella” Larosa-Waters, who is in her 70s, voting early meant avoiding the risk that travel plans could keep her from the polls on Election Day. Larosa-Waters backed MacKay for the second straight election cycle and said she has “never been a supporter” of Decker.

“It was great to see someone who was intelligent, bright, fun, kind, could answer anything, had great credentials,” Larosa-Waters said.

She added that MacKay’s union organizing experience — including previously serving as the president of Harvard’s graduate student union — and continued involvement in Cambridge have helped sustain her support for MacKay.

In two other contested House primaries, State Representative Mike L. Connolly is seeking reelection in the 26th Middlesex District against first-time challenger Neil S. Miller. In the 24th Middlesex District, which includes part of North Cambridge, State Representative David M. Rogers is being challenged by Nomita Ganguly.

Two contested Senate primaries also include parts of Cambridge.

In the 2nd Middlesex District, which includes Somerville and Medford and parts of Cambridge and Winchester, longtime incumbent State Senator Patricia D. Jehlen announced in December that she would not seek reelection, opening the seat for the first time in more than two decades.

Four active candidates are vying to replace Jehlen — State Representatives Christine P. Barber and Erika Uyterhoeven, Cambridge Vice Mayor Burhan Azeem, and Somerville City Councilor Matthew C. McLaughlin. Tom Hopcroft ended his campaign in late July but will remain on the Democratic primary ballot.

Another state Senate contest, in the Suffolk and Middlesex District, pits first-time challenger Daniel A. Lander ’14 against incumbent State Senator William N. Brownsberger ’78, who had not faced an opponent in a state Senate race since 2012.

Lander, a former senior aide to Boston Mayor Michelle Wu ’07, has picked up endorsements from Wu and U.S. Senator Elizabeth A. Warren (D-Mass.), along with a slate of state progressive organizations and labor unions, including the Massachusetts Teachers Association and Progressive Massachusetts.

Cambridge voters will also help decide a contested Democratic primary for Middlesex district attorney, where incumbent Marian T. Ryan faces David M. Solet, a former prosecutor in her office and former head of its cold case homicide unit. Solet is Ryan’s first primary challenger since 2018.

—Staff writer Shawn A. Boehmer can be reached at [email protected] and on Signal at shawnb.18. Follow him on X @ShawnBoehmer.