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GOOD MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS.
PROGRAMMING NOTE: Stephanie Murray is in New Hampshire this week to help with POLITICO's 2020 primary coverage, so I'm jumping back across the New York border to report on all things Massachusetts. Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget for the Playbook? Get in touch with me at syoung@politico.com. Reach Stephanie at smurray@politico.com.
THE MONEY RACE — Campaign finance figures released by the Federal Election Commission over the weekend offer new insights into Massachusetts candidates' 2020 fundraising efforts and sparked tensions between the Democrats running in the state's First Congressional District.
Rep. Richard Neal ended 2019 with nearly $4.5 million in cash for his 2020 re-election bid, according to FEC filings published late Friday. The longtime congressman, who now chairs the House Ways and Means Committee, pulled in more than $518,000 between October and the end of December, including $348,300 from other political committees, such as PACs. Holyoke Mayor Alex Morse, in turn, raised just over $123,000 during the three-month period, including $1,000 from the Justice Democrats PAC. The Democrat, who is running to unseat Neal, ended the final quarter of 2019 with a campaign cash balance of more than $120,000 after spending $125,575.
Morse took aim at the figures reported by his Democratic primary opponent. "While more than half of Neal's campaign funds come from out-of-state corporate PACs and special interests ... I'm proud to say that I'm refusing to take a single dollar of corporate PAC money," he said in a statement. Neal campaign spokeswoman Kate Norton hit back, arguing Morse "has made very lofty promises about fundraising and has come up significantly short at every turn, which mirrors the promises he has made to the people who elected him to serve."
John Cain, a Republican running in the First District, meanwhile, reported raising just $1,520 during the quarter, bringing his campaign's cash balance to more than $3,000.
In the Fourth Congressional District, Jake Auchincloss leads the cash race in the crowded Democratic field to succeed Rep. Joseph Kennedy. Auchincloss reported a campaign war chest of more than $554,000 at the end of 2019.
In Massachusetts' U.S. Senate contest, Kennedy outraised Sen. Ed Markey in the final quarter of 2019, reporting nearly $1 million more in contributions than the incumbent between October and the end of December.
Kennedy, who had raised just over $680,000 in the previous three-month period , brought in more than $2.4 million at the end of 2019, according to campaign finance reports filed with the FEC. Markey, meanwhile, raised $1.5 million between October and the end of December — up from the $1.1 million he brought in during the previous quarter of 2019, his campaign reported.
Despite the boost in his own quarterly fundraising , Markey now trails Kennedy in campaign cash. He ended 2019 with $4.5 million after spending $1.3 million in the final quarter. Kennedy spent nearly $1.2 million during the period to end the year with a cash balance of $5.5 million, according to FEC filings.
FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS PLAN — Jesse Mermell is announcing a six-point plan that seeks to protect and expand access to reproductive health as the the first policy proposal of her congressional campaign. The Democrat, who served as vice president of external affairs of Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts, said she will immediately take six legislative actions if elected to represent the Fourth Congressional District. They include codifying Roe v. Wade in federal law; repealing the Hyde Amendment to remove barriers to accessing care; funding comprehensive sex education programs; and supporting the Global Health, Empowerment and Rights Act. She further pledged to "rescue Title X from the Trump administration and fully fund the program" and to "keep federal money out of crisis pregnancy centers."
Mermell says that "at a time when an extremist anti-choice movement is determined to decimate Roe v. Wade and upend our reproductive health system ... it is essential that we send candidates to Washington who will champion reproductive freedom."
POLL: NH PRIMARY 'TOO CLOSE TO CALL' — With just over a week to go before the New Hampshire primary, Sen. Bernie Sanders holds a slight lead over other Democratic candidates with support from 23 percent of likely voters, compared to former Vice President Joe Biden's 22 percent and Sen. Elizabeth Warren's 19 percent, according to a University of Massachusetts Lowell poll released today. Former Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick, meanwhile, trails with just 1 percent of the vote.
TODAY — Gov. Charlie Baker and Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito attend a meeting with legislative leaders at the State House. Polito also speaks at the Go Red for Women event at the State House's Grand Staircase. Rep. Richard Neal visits The Care Center in Holyoke. Boston Mayor Marty Walsh speaks at a 2020 Annual Black History Month Celebration at City Hall.
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 | DATELINE BEACON HILL |
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— "Inmates at Mass. prison denied full access to attorneys, face abuse from correctional officers, lawsuit says," by Gal Tziperman Lotan and John Hilliard, The Boston Globe: "State lawmakers who led an unannounced inspection of a Massachusetts maximum-security prison Sunday said they were shaken by the conditions they found at the Souza-Baranowski Correctional Center, where they met with inmates who have alleged abuse at the hands of correctional officers following an attack on guards last month. The visit came two days after several inmates at the prison alleged in a lawsuit that correctional officers have violated their right to counsel by limiting or blocking access to their attorneys and confiscating critical court paperwork, all in retribution for the attack, according to the court complaint. ... Five state lawmakers, including Senator Jamie Eldridge, an Acton Democrat, collectively spoke to about 15 prisoners Sunday over the course of a six-hour visit."
— "Did Mass. miss the boat on gambling economy? House Speaker Robert DeLeo says it's 'still a bit early' to judge," by Steph Solis, MassLive.com: "While the Massachusetts casinos are trying to find their footing in a crowded Northeast market, residents [did] not join neighboring states in placing bets for the Super Bowl. Sports betting has proven lucrative in Rhode Island, while legislation on legalizing the industry sits in the Legislature. But Massachusetts House Speaker Robert DeLeo says not so fast on making judgments about casinos failing to meet projections as they ramp up and adjust to the developing region's evolving gaming industry."
— "Mass. House Speaker DeLeo ends 2019 with $848,000 in campaign account," The Associated Press: "Massachusetts House Speaker Robert DeLeo reported having more than $848,000 in his campaign account as of the end of 2019, giving him a larger political war chest than many statewide candidates. The total cash on hand the powerful Winthrop Democrat reported in a year-end campaign finance report puts him ahead of Democratic Attorney General Maura Healey, who reported having about $518,000 in cash in her account as of the end of the year. Healey is considered a possible candidate for governor in the 2022 election. Democratic Senate President Karen Spilka ended the year with nearly $468,000 in her account. ... Republican Gov. Charlie Baker ended 2019 with slightly more than DeLeo and Spilka, about $954,000."
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| FROM THE HUB |
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— "Coronavirus fallout: China to Boston direct flights are shut down," by Rick Sobey and Erin Tiernan: "New coronavirus warnings from the federal Department of Homeland Security — including 14 days of 'self-quarantine' for travelers from China, even without symptoms — are now in effect for U.S. citizens, but Massachusetts officials remain close-lipped on what steps they are taking after the first case emerged here. A UMass Boston student from China — one of 25,000 Chinese nationals studying in the greater Boston area — was identified as the state's first case Saturday. The Massachusetts Department of Public Health did not respond to questions Sunday on whether efforts will be made to identify and screen other recent arrivals from China. Gov. Charlie Baker said in a statement, 'Protecting public health is a top priority for our administration and while the risk remains low for Massachusetts, state public health officials are working hand-in-hand with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, local boards of health and other local partners. People should take the same precautions they do to prevent the spread of the cold and flu, and the Department of Public Health will continue to work with medical professionals across the Commonwealth.'"
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| PRIMARY SOURCES |
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— "How 2019 lap of the 1st District's money race concluded..." by Matt Szafranski, Western Mass Politics & Insight: "With hours only spare, campaign finance reports for the Democratic primary for the 1st Massachusetts district were filed with the Federal Election Commission. The fundraising and spending numbers for both incumbent Rep Richard Neal and challenger Alex Morse, the mayor of Holyoke, debuted Friday night. The long delay of the figures suggests both were waiting for the other to file, but ultimately Morse broke the seal first, shortly before Neal."
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| WARREN REPORT |
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— "Lagging among Latino voters, Warren ramps up outreach," by Fred Thys, WBUR: "Elizabeth Warren is heading into the Iowa caucuses and the New Hampshire primary lagging behind Bernie Sanders and, depending on the poll, Joe Biden and Pete Buttigieg. As the race revs up, Warren is trying to gain support from a group that's key to cinching the Democratic presidential nomination this year: Latino voters. Warren got a late start in winning over Latinos. She didn't hire a national Latinx outreach director until September, months after some other candidates, leaving her behind Bernie Sanders and Joe Biden in support among Latinos."
— "Black voters love Ayanna Pressley. But persuading them to back Elizabeth Warren isn't easy," by Laura Barrón-López, POLITICO: "Debora Lloyd, 64, was sitting with other black women in the basement of The Joint jazz bar listening to Ayanna Pressley make the case for Elizabeth Warren. But Lloyd wasn't sold. Are Warren's 'pie in the sky' proposals, as Lloyd deemed them, remotely plausible? Pressley, a dynamic first-term congresswoman and Warren's national co-chair, began with a lesson on bill scoring and budgets, adding this 'vision for the country is actually attainable.' 'I want to believe,' Lloyd, who works for the county Democratic Party, interjected, but she was having a hard time. Pressley distilled it to this: 'We could end homelessness for $13 billion or you can buy another military aircraft.' In other words, it's all about choices. Now she was getting somewhere with Lloyd. The exchange last weekend summed up the reticence black voters in South Carolina have about Warren."
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| FROM THE DELEGATION |
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— "Rep. Neal highlights east west-rail among Dems' transportation priorities," by Dusty Christensen, The Daily Hampshire Gazette: "As Democrats in the nation's capital unveiled a $760 billion infrastructure plan last week, U.S. Rep. Richard Neal was front and center — and so too was a pet project for many in western Massachusetts. The legislative outline, known as the 'Moving Forward Framework,' is a plan to rebuild transportation infrastructure, expand broadband access and preserve clean drinking water, among other priorities. Though unlikely to be enacted after bipartisan infrastructure talks flamed out in May, the plan was unveiled Wednesday by top Democrats including Neal, D-Springfield, who highlighted rail expansion in Massachusetts as a personal goal."
— "Massachusetts U.S. senator discusses response to new virus," The Associated Press: "A Democratic U.S. senator from Massachusetts discussed steps he thinks the federal government should take to address the threat of a new virus Sunday, the day after confirmation of the first case in the state. Sen. Edward Markey visited the Cambridge Health Alliance in Everett, Massachusetts on Sunday, according to his office. Markey, the ranking member of a Senate subcommittee on East Asia, said he wants President Donald Trump to reestablish and immediately appoint a permanent global health chief to address the growing threat of the coronavirus."
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| KENNEDY COMPOUND |
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— "Kennedy lauds T union fight against privatization," by Bruce Mohl, Commonwealth Magazine: "U.S. Rep. Joe Kennedy III joined MBTA union workers on Sunday at a bus repair garage in Quincy to protest the transit authority's consideration of a plan to outsource the operation and maintenance of 60 new buses to a private vendor. Union officials cast the privatization fight as an us-versus-them battle with Gov. Charlie Baker and MBTA management, but Kennedy portrayed the situation in much broader terms."
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| ABOVE THE FOLD |
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— Herald: "FRANKLIN PIERCE UNIVERSITY POLL: BERNIE KEEPS SURGING," "CHIEFS CLINCH TITLE," CORONA FEARS," — Globe: "Virus may be on verge of pandemic, experts say", "Final push and pitches," "A battle to win back hearts of blue-collar voters from Trump" |
| EYE ON 2020 |
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— "John Kerry strongly denies he's considering a late 2020 run following NBC report," by Jim Puzzanghera and Liz Goodwin, The Boston Globe: "NBC News reported Sunday that one of its analysts overheard John Kerry on a phone call discussing what he'd have to do to enter the 2020 Democratic presidential race to avoid 'the possibility of Bernie Sanders taking down the Democratic Party — down whole.' Kerry, who is in Iowa campaigning for Joe Biden, told NBC he was 'absolutely not' considering a late bid, and later said the report was a misinterpretation of a discussion he had with a friend who 'watches too much cable.' Kerry also fired back on Twitter in a statement that initially included an expletive."
— "Democratic candidates make their final pitches in Iowa as caucuses loom," by Jess Bidgood, The Boston Globe: "A frenetic year of campaigning in Iowa came to a close on Sunday as the Democrats running for president made their final pitches to an electorate desperate to take down President Trump. And responding to the anxiety of Democrats in the state holding the first-in-the-nation caucuses Monday night, the candidates each lingered on the same simple point: I can win. 'Our number one job is to beat President Trump,' said Senator Elizabeth Warren, directly referencing concerns about gender and electability in her final town hall event. 'Women win,' she told the crowd of 500 in a wood-paneled hall at Iowa State University in Ames, 'let's get this done.'"
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| THE LOCAL ANGLE |
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— "As municipal workers retire across state, drive to fill jobs steps up," by Elaine Thompson, The Worcester Telegram & Gazette: "As an estimated 10,000 baby boomers retire daily in the U.S., cities and towns in Massachusetts are counting on millennials such as Michael J. Nicholson and Nicholas George to help fill those jobs. Nicholson, 25, became town administrator in Rutland last year and now plans to run for the mayor's seat in Gardner, intent on making a difference in his hometown. George, a December 2019 Worcester State University graduate, will start as the assistant treasurer/collector in Leicester in a couple of weeks. 'There's an acute need to fill important municipal positions as a result, primarily, of all the retirements of aging workers,' said Geoff Beckwith, executive director and CEO of the Massachusetts Municipal Association. ... To help address the problem, the MMA at its annual meeting on Jan. 24 launched the MassTown Careers campaign, aimed at raising awareness about the appeal of municipal jobs."
HAPPY BIRTHDAY — to Rep. Ayanna Pressley, Matt Rhoades, co-CEO of CGCN Group; Justine Turner, director of delegate operations for Elizabeth Warren's campaign; Fred Hochberg, former Ex-Im Bank chairman and Billy Shore.
WHO WON SUPER BOWL LIV? The Kansas City Chiefs beat the San Francisco 49ers 31-20.
FOR YOUR COMMUTE: DO MORE WITH LESSER — On this week's Horse Race podcast, hosts Steve Koczela and Stephanie Murray talk with state Sen. Eric Lesser about his push for East-West rail. Boston Marathon Bombing survivors Patrick Downes and Jessica Kenskey talk about why they've endorsed Sen. Elizabeth Warren for president. Subscribe and listen on iTunes and Sound Cloud.
Want to make an impact? POLITICO Massachusetts has a variety of solutions available for partners looking to reach and activate the most influential people in the Bay State. Have a petition you want signed? A cause you're promoting? Seeking to increase brand awareness among this key audience? Share your message with our influential readers to foster engagement and drive action. Contact Jesse Shapiro to find out how: jshapiro@politico.com.
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