U.S. Representative Richard Neal (D-Springfield) fended off a primary challenger from his left in Massachusetts's First Congressional District on September 1 — with more than a little financial support from some big companies.
Neal, who won the primary with 58.6 percent of the vote to his opponent's 41.2 percent, benefited from a scandal involving his challenger. Holyoke Mayor Alex Morse was accused by College Democrats of Massachusetts of initiating sexual hookups with male students as young as 18 years old at area colleges, including UMass Amherst, where he also worked at the time.
