Edward Markey

The race for Massachusetts governor is shifting focus to the south coast of the state, particularly New Bedford, as all three candidates made stops at the 110th Feast of the Blessed Sacrament this weekend — the largest annual cultural festival in the area and as the region could prove to be crucial in the election.

By days end on Saturday, all three candidates vying for the corner office had made official visits to the festival, colloquially known as the ‘Portuguese Feast,’ as incumbent Gov. Maura Healey and Republican candidate Mike Minogue arriving on Saturday, with fellow GOP candidate Brian Shortsleeve attended on Thursday with running-mate and Lt. Gov. candidate Shawn Oliver stopping by Thursday and Saturday.

“Lucky me! I’m in New Bedford for the feast,” Healey said when approached by reporters as she arrived at the festival. “I was here as a gubernatorial candidate, I was here as attorney general and I’m happy to be here as governor. It’s a wonderful celebration of not just New Bedford, but our Portuguese community, which has been so important to Massachusetts for the better part of 400 years. So, I love to be here, I love supporting the festival, and I love Madeira (wine).”

Healey made the campaign pit-stop after skipping out on the annual festival since arriving during her campaign for governor in 2022, where she handed out malasadas to the crowd with Mayor Jon Mitchell.

The appearance of all three gubernatorial candidates supports the theory that the south coast may prove to be pivotal this election cycle, with the region showing the most support for President Donald Trump out of anywhere else in the state during the 2024 election, according to the Associated Press. Trump saw victories over Kamala Harris in 10 of the 16 cities and towns making up the south coast, with notable wins in Acushnet (61%), Dighton (58.6%), Rehoboth (55.6%), Rochester (56%), and Lakeville (55.6%), while also squeezing out a key win in the City of Fall River with 49.9% of the vote to Harris’ 48.2%.

“The South Coast reflects many of the issues that define this election — government accountability, affordability, innovation that creates opportunity, and keeping communities safe. Today we had hundreds of supporters come together to send a powerful message that South Coast voters are energized and ready to be heard,” Minogue said in a statement to the Herald.

“I’m especially grateful to Sheriff Tom Hodgson for his leadership, his support, and the work he’s done on behalf of the people of Bristol County. It was an honor to stand with him and with the hundreds of voters who are helping build momentum for this campaign,” he said.

Trump did lose, however, in New Bedford — the region’s largest city — taking in just 44.9% of the vote to Harris’ 53%. But Republicans have made in-roads on the local level in the Whaling City, with two city councilors recently changing their enrollment to the Republican Party.

One of them was Shawn Oliver — who changed from Independent to Republican in August 2025, and who is now the sole GOP candidate for lieutenant governor, running alongside Shortsleeve.

“The Portuguese community and the south coast in general are such a big part of our economy here, our culture, and we’ve been overlooked here for years. I’ve heard politicians come and go before me who have said the same thing, but I’m also living it and breathing it, and it’s true,” Oliver said. “So, to start to see some politicians paying attention down here is a good thing. It’s absolutely key for Brian and I to make sure, not only for my community on the south coast, but across all of Massachusetts, that we hold our elected leaders accountable.”

Mingoue and Shortsleeve will face off in the September 1 Republican Primary Election, the winner of which will challenge Gov. Healey in the General Election in November.

Trump expected to highlight Markey, Moulton’s second primary debate of 2026 election

Expect to hear intense criticism of President Trump early and often during Monday’s Democratic primary debate between incumbent U.S. Senator Ed Markey and Congressman Seth Moulton.

Airing at 7 p.m. Monday on Boston 25 News and co-hosted by GBH, the second primary debate between the two Democrats this election cycle is expected to follow the same pattern as their first debate, which aired on WWLP-TV, in the beginning of July.

When Markey and Moulton weren’t clashing with each other, both Democrat candidates quickly pivoted to criticizing Trump, congressional Republicans, and the MAGA movement in general, along with highlighting their efforts to fight against them, during the July debate.

The two Democrats took less than five-seconds each to mention Trump during the July debate. They also honed in on Trump’s foreign policy — particularly the war in Iran — and also hit on his domestic agenda related to the nationwide immigration crackdown and actions of ICE, the economy, and more.

Moulton has been on the attack on Markey’s increasing age and over 50 years on Capitol Hill, while Markey has gone after Moulton’s personal wealth and stock portfolio since being elected in 2015. Both have called on each other to release their latest tax returns.

The debate will be moderated by Boston 25 News Anchor Kerry Kavanaugh and GBH News Reporter Adam Reilly. It will air on both Boston 25 and GBH at 7 p.m. with a livestream available on the news outlets’ respective YouTube channels.