What you need to know about the Massachusetts primary elections

On Sept. 6, Massachusetts voters will vote in the primary elections, weighing in on the races for attorney general, secretary of the commonwealth, Suffolk County district attorney and more. In an installation of Pint of Politics, GBH News politics reporters sat down with host Adam Reilly to discuss the latest in each race as they heat up. Here's what you should know about the key races.

Suffolk County district attorney

What are the top races to watch? GBH News' Saraya Wintersmith told Reilly that the district attorney race between Interim DA Kevin Hayden and Boston City Councilor Ricardo Arroyo, a progressive Boston city councilor and former public defender, will be an interesting one.

Wintersmith said that both candidates are Democrats with deep ties to Boston. Hayden has never run for office before and was appointed by Gov. Charlie Baker to step in as DA after previous District Attorney Rachael Rollins started a job as U.S. attorney for Massachusetts.

The two candidates are engaged in a bitter competition. Since last week, Arroyo has been trying to address questions surrounding two sexual assault investigations reported by the Boston Globe. The newspaper reported that Arroyo was investigated for sexual assault in 2005 and again in 2007, but he was not charged with a crime. Arroyo has denied wrongdoing and denied that he knew about the investigations, but is losing endorsements.

Watch: Massachusetts primary elections: What you need to know before election day

Second Suffolk Senate

Wintersmith also noted the race for the second Suffolk Senate seat, a new district created for a diverse portion of Boston, as important to keep an eye on.

"It's heavily Black, and they're deciding what kind of Black, what flavor of Black, they want to send to Beacon Hill to represent them," Wintersmith said.

State Rep. Nika Elugardo, 15th Suffolk Rep. Liz Miranda, former State Sen. Dianne Wilkerson and former regional administrator for HUD Miniard Culpepper are running for the seat.

Attorney General

The race for attorney general took a new turn on Tuesday after candidate Quentin Palfrey dropped out and endorsed former Boston City Councilor Andrea Campbell, who will now square off against labor lawyer Shannon Liss-Riordan. Campbell has been endorsed by Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley and Attorney General Maura Healey, the leading candidate for governor. Senator Elizabeth Warren and Boston Mayor Michelle Wu have shown support for Liss-Riordan.

GBH News' Katie Lannan said Campbell has topped polls, but Liss-Riordan is gaining ground due in part to her self-funded campaign, which has produced several television ads that have hit the airwaves harder than ever in recent weeks.

Republican primary for governor

Although Massachusetts is a blue state, don't forget about the Republican race for governor between former state representative Geoff Diehl and businessman Chris Doughty, said GBH News Senior Editor Peter Kadzis.

With Republican Gov. Charlie Baker on his way out, Kadzis said Massachusetts could see the end of a certain type of Republicanism represented by Baker. Kadzis said Diehl is well-aligned with Donald Trump while Doughty could serve as a stand-in for Baker Republicans.

Secretary of the commonwealth

Lastly, the race for secretary of the commonwealth between seven-term incumbent Bill Galvin, who Kadzis described as a "dinosaur," and lawyer Tanisha Sullivan, president of the NAACP Boston, will be a "classic culture clash."

Galvin is ahead in the polls, but Sullivan is a very energetic and compelling candidate, Kadzis said. They have clashed ideologically, including on issues like abortion, and stylistically.

How to vote in the 2022 elections for Massachusetts governor, attorney general and more