Good Monday Morning, Everyone.
Politicians, they’re just like us … right … ummmmm … right? Well, apart from the pretty much ironclad job security, pretty sweet health benefits and taxpayer-funded pensions.
Yeah, they’re just like us. Let’s go with that. And just like the rest of us, the Bay State’s political and chattering classes make New Year’s resolutions.
And just like the rest of us, they may or may not last past Jan. 31.
But, in the spirit of optimism and goodwill that the turn of the calendar year brings with it, we asked some of the commonwealth’s elected officials, pundits, political candidates and others for their resolutions and pearls of wisdom as we close out a challenging and eventful year and begin a new one.
Here’s what they had to say:
Gov. Maura Healey: “My advice for us is to find and celebrate the small wins. Life is hard and the times are challenging so we have to find joy and hope in everyday and look to give that to others.”
Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll: “Like a lot of people, I’m heading into 2026 with a few resolutions. At the top of the list is staying focused on affordability and showing up for Massachusetts families and small businesses who are feeling the squeeze. I’m also excited to really lean into MA250—celebrating our history and the people who’ve shaped it. On a more personal note, I’m committing to more reading for pleasure, being more disciplined with my workouts, and—this may be the hardest one-actually improving my pickleball game. Progress, not perfection.”
U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass.: “I always say it’s better to be in the fight than to stay on the sidelines. We all need to stay in the fight in 2026.”
U.S. Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass.: Through a spokesperson, the Malden pol, who’s up for reelection next year, said he’s sticking with a “tried and true message: ‘Don’t agonize, organize.’”
Attorney General Andrea J. Campbell: “Attorney General Campbell’s resolution is to take after Muhammad Ali — leading her office to punch above their weight … and also getting fit like him, too,” a spokesperson told MassLive.
Massachusetts Auditor Diana DiZoglio: “[To] continue making friends on Beacon Hill by passing my next ballot question to subject the Legislature and Governor’s Office to the public records law.”
U.S. Rep. Jake Auchincloss, D-4th District: “Bulldozing the social media corporations that are helping [President Donald] Trump and hurting kids.”
U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton, D-6th District: “Seeing the Pats raise banner #7 at Gillette Stadium next season.”
U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley, D-7th District: “Everyone is carrying so much — including you. In 2026, build community where you are, show up for one another and take care of yourself. When the load feels too heavy, allow yourself to share it and when others are in need, help shoulder the weight.
“In moments like these, it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. But how we show up for our families and neighbors can change the course of history. So be kind. Extend grace to yourself and others. Kindness, community, courage and hope will sustain us all.”
Republican U.S. Senate candidate John Deaton: “On a personal level, my New Year’s resolution is to stay grounded, to protect time with my family and to listen more than I talk. Politically, it’s to reject the politics of division and focus on commonsense solutions instead of engaging in finger-pointing and rhetoric and [to] keep asking whether the status quo in Washington is working for Massachusetts families.”
Republican gubernatorial candidate Mike Kennealy: “My resolution is to keep getting out on the road and meeting people in Massachusetts. I’ve already hit more than 90 cities and towns since April and I visited 151 [as Gov. Charlie Baker’s economic development secretary]. So I’m hoping to beat my own record in 2026. The best part of this job is hearing directly from the people and I plan to keep doing a whole lot more of that.”
Republican gubernatorial candidate Brian Shortsleeve: “As the only candidate who has cut spending and stopped fraud at the most troubled state agencies, my advice for the state next year is that there should be an unrelenting focus on cost control. After three years of skyrocketing state spending, revenues have leveled off and the state needs to tighten its belt, like so many businesses and families have done. Companies and people are leaving, so tax and fee hikes must be reduced.”
Massachusetts Senate President Karen E. Spilka, D-Middlesex/Norfolk: “To support our K-12 students’ learning and wellbeing by making schools cell phone-free.”
Massachusetts House Speaker Ronald J. Mariano, D-3rd Norfolk: “The Speaker’s New Year’s resolution is to read his prepared remarks more often,” a spokesperson told MassLive.
State Rep. James Arena-DeRosa, D-8th Middlesex: “In addition to fighting the egregious behavior of the Trump regime, Democrats must do a better job listening [to] and rebuilding trust with the American people and embody genuine American values to build a democracy for everybody.”
State Sen. Julian Cyr (courtesy photo)courtesy photoState Sen. Julian Cyr, D-Cape and Islands: “No one gets anything done on their own. And in our politics, especially in this rather chaotic and cruel and imperial politics at the national level, what I think is success for us in Massachusetts, and the issues I care most about, is a spirit of collaboration. You have a lot of us in the same party, and I have found it to be a real truism that collaboration is more fun. Checking your ego at the door is helpful. That kind of collaborative approach really is something that a lot of us adhere to and it helps us get more things done, and to address the big challenges in the Commonwealth.”
State Rep. Steven Xiarhos, R-5th Barnstable: “As I begin my sixth year as a state representative and 17th as a Gold Star father who lost a son in war, my resolution is to continue serving with purpose, humility and honesty. I am blessed to do this work and I believe God put me in this position to help as many people as I can, especially the less fortunate. I am a forever proud American and I look forward to another year of fighting for what is right and putting service above self.”
Rabbi Marc Baker, CEO and president of the Combined Jewish Philanthropies, speaks during the 40th annual Menorah Lighting Ceremony on Boston Common on Thursday, Dec. 7, 2023.John L. MicekRabbi Marc Baker, CEO of Combined Jewish Philanthropies: “At a time of disinformation, rising extremism, toxic polarization and demonization of those with whom we disagree, my wish is that 2026 will be a year of healing, rebuilding and collective responsibility for our shared future. May 2026 be a time when the leaders and neighbors here in the Commonwealth continue to find new ways to build bridges, seek common ground and reweave the ties that bind us.”
U.S. Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., takes a walking tour of Boston’s Black history with Dr. Imari Paris Jeffries, the president and CEO of Embrace Boston, on Monday, Aug. 18, 2025.John L. Micek/MassLiveDr. Imari Paris Jeffries, president and CEO of Embrace Boston: “As we enter 2026, the country stands at a turning point, grappling with deep divisions, unresolved history and urgent questions about whose stories are valued and whose futures are protected.”
“My hope for the year ahead is that we choose honesty over avoidance and collective responsibility over complacency, knowing that how we confront the past shapes the future we build together. We must invest in communities and leaders who drive progress and innovation, making sure their voices guide the path forward, not remain on the margins. Real change requires action, accountability and systems rooted in fairness, care and shared humanity. If we rise to that challenge, 2026 can be the year we fight for what is right, demand equity across the country and reclaim a future built on possibility and shared power.”
Vanessa Calderón-Rosado, CEO of Inquilinos Boricuas en Acción (IBA): “My wish for 2026 is for Massachusetts to continue working towards being a place where every resident, regardless of background, has a high-quality and affordable home. In 2025, the concept and stability of home was called into question for many members of our communities in the Commonwealth and beyond. At IBA, we know a home is more than four walls. It is a space where we belong, where we are safe and where we can celebrate our heritage.”
“As we look to the opening of La CASA, which will be New England’s largest cultural hub, my personal resolution is to find more bridges to build and partners to welcome in, while continuing IBA’s tradition of championing our state’s Puerto Rican heritage and celebrating Latinos from all corners of our community.”
Anthony Cignoli, political consultant, Springfield: “In the New Year, the challenge to incorporate AI into the messaging of political campaigns will be even more intense, especially in the battles to take control of the U.S. House and Senate.
“For my team, in all our efforts, for political, corporate and government clients, we will even more energetically emphasize ethical standards to not misuse this technology. The public’s right to know the truth cannot be threatened by artificial creations of facts. If our clients’ competitors stoop to misuse, we won’t respond with the same. We will find other ways to ensure fair play.”
Bradford Wyatt, Republican National committeeman, Boylston: “‘Data over drama;’ focusing on targeting the right voters with the right message at the right time, through the appropriate media channel, and don’t fuel any intraparty conflicts.”
Sen. William Brownsberger, D-Suffolk/Middlesex, chairs a hearing of the Senate Committee on the Census on Sept. 22, 2025.State House News ServiceBrownsberger gets a challenger
It appears that veteran state Sen. Will Brownsberger, D-Suffolk/Middlesex, will face a primary challenger in 2026.
David L. Lander, a top adviser to Boston Mayor Michelle Wu and the chair of the city’s 21st Ward Committee, has filed the paperwork to challenge the No. 2 Democrat in the upper chamber, according to a published report.
“The communities of this district are under attack from the Trump Administration. We need a State Senate that stands up for our knowledge economy, brings down costs and isn’t stuck defending a broken status quo,” Lander said, according to The Belmontian, a local news site. “I look forward to hearing the concerns and dreams of residents and sharing my vision for an affordable, livable Massachusetts over the months to come.”
Brownsberger has spent 15 years representing the district, which includes most of Boston’s Fenway, Brighton and Allston neighborhoods, as well as Watertown, Belmont and West Cambridge, the local news site noted.
Children perform at the Mona Shores’ Singing Christmas Tree opening night on Wednesday, December 3, 2025 in Muskegon, Mich. Chloe Trofatter | MLive.comMonday numbers
If you were stressed about the holidays this year, take heart. You weren’t the only one.
A Marist College poll released just before St. Nick came tumbling down your chimney, risking a massive personal injury lawsuit, put some numbers to the angst.
50%: The percentage of respondents who said the holiday is more stressful than it is fun.
50%: The percentage of respondents who said the holidays are more fun than they are stressful. Drink with those people.
But …
37%: The percentage of respondents said in 2022 that the holiday was more stressful than it was fun.
61%: The percentage of respondents who said in 2022 that the holiday was more fun than it was stressful. So, no, it’s not just you.
60%: The percentage of Americans who earn less than $50,000 a year who find the holiday more stressful than fun. That’s up from the 47% who answered the same way in 2022.
55%: The percentage of higher-income earners who think it’s more fun than stressful. And that’s down from the 67% who answered the same way in 2022, according to the poll.
55%: The percentage of men who say the holiday season is more fun than stressful. That’s down from 69% in 2022.
55%: The percentage of women respondents who said the holiday is more stressful than fun. And that’s up moderately from the 53% of women who said the same thing in 2022.
The Marist poll sampled the opinion of 1,140 adults between Dec. 8 and Dec. 11. The poll had a margin of error of 3.2%.
Brownstone in Boston’s South End has closed after 15 years of service.Google Maps Street ViewThey said it
“The restaurant business is fickle. It’s difficult every day. Brownstone was fortunate enough to defy the typical lifestyle of a very good restaurant, many times over. Decades on Dartmouth, dishing it up.”
— The owners of Brownstone, a popular pub in Boston’s South End, bid adieu after 15 years in business.
The Massachusetts State House as pictured on Wednesday, December 17, 2025 in Boston, Mass.Sebastian RestrepoRead more MassLive politics coverage
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Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., speaks as Secretary of Health and Human Services Robert F. Kennedy Jr., appears before the Senate Finance Committee, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, Sept. 4, 2025. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein)APWhat goes on
Mark your calendars: Veteran Boston journalist Jon Keller, late of WBZ-TV and now a columnist for the political newsletter MASSterList, sits down with U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., on Jan. 26 for a wide-ranging conversation.
The event, put on, appropriately enough, by MASSterList, gets rolling at 8 a.m. with coffee and kvetching at the MCLE Conference Center in Boston’s Downtown Crossing neighborhood. The actual event runs from 9 a.m. to 10 a.m. You can register here.
Here’s John’s pick for his favorite record of 2025. Getty Images/imageBROKER RFTurned up to 11
Craig Finn, frontman of the veteran rockers The Hold Steady, put out a new solo LP in 2025. And it gets my vote for record of the year in a very crowded year of some pretty excellent releases. On “Always Been‚” Finn refines his novelistic eye for detail, pairing it with sharp melodies, as he tells the story of an itinerant pastor named Nathan and his run-ins with people along the way. From that LP, here’s “Bethany.”
The Beatles perform onstage at the Washington Coliseum on February 11, 1964 in Washington, D.C. (L-R) Paul McCartney, George Harrison, Ringo Starr, John Lennon. (Photo by Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images)Getty ImagesYour Monday long read
Here’s one guaranteed to start a long, most likely … ahh … spirited, discussion at your next family gathering. From Paste Magazine, it’s a list of the 50 greatest Beatles songs.
Everyone has an opinion on The Beatles. And everyone who has an opinion on The Beatles has an opinion on their best work.
Which reminds me, the only correct answer is anything from “Rubber Soul.” And “Sgt. Pepper” is hopelessly overrated.
Discuss.
That’s it for today. As always, send comments, tips and questions my way at jmicek@masslive.com. Have a good week, friends and the happiest of new years.