Boston city councilor Ayanna Pressley unseats Democratic Rep. Michael Capuano in primary upset


Ayanna Pressley, a 44-year-old Boston city councilor and former Capitol Hill staffer, unseated 10-term Rep. Michael Capuano (D) in Tuesday's Massachusetts Democratic primary. Pressley's upset win, 59 percent to 41 percent, all but ensures that she will become the first black woman to represent Massachusetts, or any part of New England, in Congress; Republicans did not field a candidate in the solidly blue 7th Congressional District.
Pressley ran to Capuano's left on some issues, like abolishing Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) and restoring voting rights to felons, but Capuano has one of the most liberal voting records in the House, especially on war and defense spending. "Clearly, the district wanted a lot of change," Capuano told supporters Tuesday night. "Ayanna Pressley is going to be a good congresswoman." Pressley told supporters that "change is coming and the future belongs to all of us."
Capuano, 66, is the second Democrat and fourth incumbent House member unseated in a primary this election cycle, and his defeat is being compared to longtime Rep. Joseph Crowley (D-N.Y.)'s loss to Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, who backed Pressley in the race. The 7th District is the only majority-minority district in Massachusetts. Two other Massachusetts Democratic congressmen, Stephen Lynch and Richard Neal, handily fended off challenges Tuesday from female candidates running to their left.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Peter has worked as a news and culture writer and editor at The Week since the site's launch in 2008. He covers politics, world affairs, religion and cultural currents. His journalism career began as a copy editor at a financial newswire and has included editorial positions at The New York Times Magazine, Facts on File, and Oregon State University.
-
Obama, Bush and Bono eulogize USAID on final day
Speed Read The US Agency for International Development, a humanitarian organization, has been gutted by the Trump administration
-
July 1 editorial cartoons
Cartoons Tuesday’s political cartoons include woke fireworks, a new slogan for the Statue of Liberty, and birthright citizenship hanging by a thread.
-
Backbench rebellions and broken promises: is it getting harder to govern?
Today's Big Question Backbench rebellions and broken promises: is it getting harder to govern?
-
Obama, Bush and Bono eulogize USAID on final day
Speed Read The US Agency for International Development, a humanitarian organization, has been gutted by the Trump administration
-
The last words and final moments of 40 presidents
The Explainer Some are eloquent quotes worthy of the holders of the highest office in the nation, and others... aren't
-
Senate advances GOP bill that costs more, cuts more
Speed Read The bill would make giant cuts to Medicaid and food stamps, leaving 11.8 million fewer people with health coverage
-
Canadian man dies in ICE custody
Speed Read A Canadian citizen with permanent US residency died at a federal detention center in Miami
-
GOP races to revise megabill after Senate rulings
Speed Read A Senate parliamentarian ruled that several changes to Medicaid included in Trump's "One Big Beautiful Bill" were not permissible
-
Supreme Court lets states ax Planned Parenthood funds
Speed Read The court ruled that Planned Parenthood cannot sue South Carolina over the state's effort to deny it funding
-
Trump plans Iran talks, insists nuke threat gone
Speed Read 'The war is done' and 'we destroyed the nuclear,' said President Trump
-
Trump embraces NATO after budget vow, charm offensive
Speed Read The president reversed course on his longstanding skepticism of the trans-Atlantic military alliance