Five weeks before the Tuesday, September 1 Democratic primary, congressional challenger Jason Poulos sat for a solo video interview at Brookline Interactive Group's studio after incumbent Rep. Jake Auchincloss declined to debate.

Brookline.News editor Sam Mintz conducted the Wednesday, July 29 interview, which was originally planned as a head-to-head debate. Auchincloss's campaign and congressional office did not respond to the invitation, according to Brookline.News. The outlet said it is working to schedule a separate interview with Auchincloss in the same format.

Poulos, a first-time candidate from Sherborn with a Ph.D. from UC Berkeley in political science and computational science, is the sole Democratic challenger in the 4th District race. Two other potential challengers, Bristol County Sheriff Paul Heroux and former candidate Jesse Mermell, passed on the race.

Brookline's rent stabilization petition

Poulos explicitly backs Brookline's home rule petition for rent stabilization, which Town Meeting approved in November 2023 and the state Senate cleared in April 2026. The petition is awaiting action in the state House.

"I'm in support of Brookline's home rule for imposing rent control to curb the skyrocketing increase in rental prices," Poulos said during the interview. "I think the federal government has a few other levers to pull, being we can have direct federal investment in housing stock, in the form of public affordable housing."

He also called for banning private equity from buying single-family homes and banning algorithmic rental price-setting tools like RealPage. He contrasted his stance with Auchincloss's, saying the incumbent focuses on housing supply but neglects rental prices.

If authorized by the Legislature, Brookline's petition would cap annual rent increases at 7% or CPI plus 3%, whichever is lower. Newly constructed units would be exempt for 15 years, and owner-occupied buildings with four or fewer units would also be exempt.

AI, Medicare for All, and the money gap

Poulos's professional background is in artificial intelligence. He completed a postdoc at Harvard Medical School studying AI and health policy, then worked for Scale AI and with a Stanford group evaluating frontier AI systems. His platform calls for a federal AI regulatory agency independent of the executive branch and a moratorium on new data center construction.

His top legislative priority: the Medicare for All Act, which he argues would save $450 billion per year and cover 27 million uninsured Americans.

The financial gulf between the candidates is vast. Auchincloss reported $7.4 million in cash on hand as of June 30 and raised over $600,000 in the second quarter, according to WPRI. He holds the ninth-largest campaign war chest in the U.S. House. Poulos had $700 in his account as of March 31, though he says his average donation is $36 with no corporate PAC money.

An internal poll commissioned by the Auchincloss campaign found the incumbent leading 64% to 17% among 400 likely primary voters. No independent polling exists for the race.

Auchincloss's Israel vote shift

The race's dynamics shifted in mid-July when Auchincloss joined more than 100 House Democrats in voting for an amendment to cut $3.3 billion in U.S. military aid to Israel.

The amendment failed 104-314-10.

AIPAC subsequently halted fundraising for Auchincloss and other Democrats who supported it.

Auchincloss spokesperson Georgina Burros told WPRI on July 14 that the congressman has held more than 40 town halls in the last two years and will continue to communicate with his constituents. That statement was made in response to general debate-ducking accusations, not specifically about the Brookline.News invitation.

What's next

Poulos and Republican candidate Thomas Stalcup of Brookline have both agreed to a Monday, August 3 debate organized by the League of Women Voters in Newton. Auchincloss had not agreed to participate as of July 14. The 4th District stretches from Fall River north through the Attleboros and Taunton up to Brookline and Newton. The primary is Tuesday, September 1.