The Massachusetts primary is tomorrow, and all eyes are on the race for the state's 7th congressional district between the longtime incumbent, Congressman Mike Capuano, and his challenger, Boston city councilor Ayanna Pressley. WGBH Radio's Adam Reilly has been following the race. He spoke WGBH Radio's Judie Yuill. The following transcript has been edited for clarity.

Judie Yuill: So you were at the Greater Boston Labor Council's annual Labor Day breakfast, at Boston's Park Plaza Hotel earlier today. And both candidates were in attendance, as their campaigns wrap up. Tell us about the scene there.

Adam Reilly: Everyone who is anyone in the world of Democratic politics in Massachusetts was at the Park Plaza today, talking up the labor movement, looking ahead to November, and Democrats hopefully — as they see it — retaking the House and pushing back against President Trump. And, in some cases, trying to make the case for support on primary day tomorrow. Mike Capuano was at the front of the room on the great big stage and spoke to the room from that spot. My understanding is that he was there because he is a sitting congressperson and has a great deal of labor support. His opponent, Ayanna Pressley, was not on the stage. She had to kind of walk around the room saying hello to people and talk to the media in a backroom afterwards. Another person on the stage was Boston mayor Marty Walsh, who is backing Capuano. And my eyebrows kind of went up when Walsh made a reference to Democrats possibly getting the House in the midterms, and he made it sound like Capuano’s re-election was a done deal.

Sound from Boston Mayor Marty Walsh:

When that happens, the Massachusetts delegation will be positioned to lead. Richard Neal will likely be the chairman of Ways and Means. Jim McGovern will be the chair of Rules. Mike Capuano will head the subcommittees in transportation and finance.

Reilly: And Congressman Neal will likely be the chairman of Ways and Means. Neal also has a primary opponent. So it's almost like there was a little jab at Pressley, saying that maybe Neal is going to lose — probably not — but certainly not Mike Capuano. Afterward, when Pressley came and addressed the media, I asked her for her take on the way Walsh had described or not described her race.

Sound from Ayanna Pressley:

It’s not up to the mayor. It’s up to the residents and the voters of the Massachusetts 7th congressional district. He's endorsed my opponent, and that's what that was about.

Yuill: A controversy that's popped up in recent weeks is Congressman Capuano's support for a "blue lives matter" bill that would increase penalties for those who attack police officers. He has sought to clarify, or as some see it, alter his stance in the bill in an interview with The New York Times. Tell us more about that.

Reilly: In a debate here at WGBH, Capauno said the 'blue lives matter' bill was basically a symbolic bill that didn't really change the law, but was important because he opposes violence against police officers. In an interview with the Times, he said he wished that bill had gone further. And it's my sense from social media that a lot of Pressley supporters have seen that as evidence that Capuano would have liked tougher penalties for people who are accused of perpetrating violence against police officers. I actually asked him what he meant by going further right after the breakfast today, and he gave me an answer I was not expecting.

Sound from Congressman Michael Capuano:

I wish we had talked about some of the issues brought up by Black Lives Matter. I do think that we do have a concern issue that relates to the relationship with the police and some police departments with some communities. I do think that we should be discussing it, and I think it's an important issue.

Yuill: Now what is the closing argument that each candidate, Capuano and Pressley, is offering to voters?

Reilly: Capuano has gone with I would say a very standard issue case for his candidacy — 'I've been here a long time, I'm going to be poised to do big things if Democrats retake the House, you should send me back to Washington because I've been there for 10 terms and I know how to do the job.' Pressley is making a very different case. She's saying that we are in a highly unusual political moment, that this moment calls for rethinking what it means to be a congressperson, for bold, activist leadership. I think those are a couple of the adjectives that she's used a lot on the campaign trail. And she says that Capuano has been too timid, and that you need someone who's going to fight harder and be more creative at this moment in American political history.

Yuill: OK. Thanks for joining us, Adam.

Reilly: Thanks, Judie.

Yuill: That's WGBH Radio's Adam Reilly, speaking with us about the race in Massachusetts 7th Congressional District between the incumbent, Congressman Mike Capuano, and his challenger, Boston City Councilor Ayanna Pressley. The two Democrats face off in tomorrow's primary. This is WGBH’s All Things Considered.