Massachusetts residents like to think of the state as a "city upon a hill," as John F. Kennedy once put it. But the state also has a darker national reputation. The co-editors of the new book, "The Politics of Massachusetts Exceptionalism: Reputation Meets Reality," joined Talking Politics host Adam Reilly to explore those tensions and Massachusetts' real role on the national stage.

Plus, with the state Democratic Convention a few weeks away, attorney general candidate Quentin Palfrey joined Reilly to discuss his campaign and why he’s passionate about keeping outside money out of his race.

Tell us what else you'd like to see on future shows as we continue Talking Politics each Friday. Send us a message at TalkingPolitics@wgbh.org or fill out the form on the Talking Politics page.

Watch tonight’s episode of Talking Politics live at 7 p.m. below on our website and across all of GBH News' platforms, including GBH 2, the GBH News YouTube Channel and Facebook page. Subscribe to the GBH News’ YouTube channel to get alerted to future episodes.

Watch: What is Massachusetts' role on the national political stage?