Dean of the Massachusetts congressional delegation Rep. Richard Neal (MA-01) will be facing a primary challenger in the upcoming 2026 election.

Public school teacher Jeromie Whalen will soon pull papers to begin his campaign to unseat the longtime Democratic incumbent. Whalen is running on a platform dethroning the “old-school political establishment” he says is rife with “corporate greed.”

“I’m coming from outside the traditional political world, and I think that’s exactly what we need right now. Old-school establishment thinking and the corporate greed that has seeped into our campaign finance system have pushed this country in the wrong direction,” Jeromie said. “The way forward is electing real people from our communities who are not tied to those entrenched systems and who will actually fight for the policies we need to create change.”

Whalen was born and raised in Belchertown before earning three degrees from the University of Massachusetts Amherst, most recently his Ph.D. in Mathematics, Science, and Learning Technologies in 2025, according to a press release. He moved to South Hadley with his wife, where he has worked as a public school teacher in the Pioneer Valley.

Prior to serving in Congress, Neal too was a public school teacher and a member of the Springfield City Council before going on to become the city’s mayor from 1984-1988. He has served on the House Ways and Means Committee since 1993, being elected Chairman of the committee in 2019. Neal was first elected to Congress in 1988.

Massachusetts’ First Congressional District covers 83 cities and towns across Western and Central Massachusetts, including in Hampden, Hampshire, Franklin, Worcester, and Berkshire counties.

McGovern files bill to end longstanding trade embargo on Cuba

Democratic Congressman Jim McGovern (MA-02) has filed legislation that would put an end to the over 60-year U.S. embargo on Cuba.

The bill, called the United States-Cuba Trade Act of 2026 (H.R. 7521), would repeal the statutory basis for the embargo as well as several laws restricting trade, exchange, telecommunications, and travel with Cuba.

“For over six decades, the U.S. has embraced failed, obsolete, Cold-War thinking towards Cuba. Our 60+ year embargo has been ineffective and counterproductive — it hurts the Cuban people, it strengthens hardliners, it gives rise to more refugees, and it undercuts our standing in the world. We have tried the same thing for over 60 years—and it has failed for over 60 years. Let’s try something different—let’s open things up!” McGovern said in a Thursday post on X.

“Let’s lift the embargo, giving US businesses, entrepreneurs, tourists, and universities more access. Let’s push for freedom and democracy through diplomacy and engagement. Let’s let Cubans who live on the island decide their own future — not Marco Rubio or Donald Trump,” he said.

The bill would remove the president’s authority to maintain a total trade embargo on Cuba, would effectively end the regulatory basis for the Cuban Assets Control Regulations by terminating authorities under the Trading With the Enemy Act, and would end restrictions on trade and limits on the entry of vessels into U.S. ports that have traded with Cuba, among several other measures, according to a summary of the legislation.

A similar bill (S. 136), has been introduced in the U.S. Senate by Senators Ron Wyden (D-OR) and Jeff Merkley (D-OR).

The U.S. first initiated a trade embargo against Cuba in 1960 following the Communist takeover of the country by dictator Fidel Castro. It is currently the longest-lasting trade embargo in modern history. Only Congress has the legal authority to lift the embargo.