GOOD MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. Happy Monday!
NEW: SANDERS STAKES OUT MASS. TURF —
A sizable collection of Massachusetts elected officials is endorsing Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders today. The 18 endorsements come on the heels of Sanders' victory in Nevada, and as his campaign tries to edge out fellow progressive Sen. Elizabeth Warren on her home turf on Super Tuesday.
The Sanders campaign is planning a four-day "canvassing festival" it has dubbed "BERNIEPALOOZA
" in Worcester from Feb. 28 to voting day on March 3. The Worcester focus is designed to boost Sanders among college students and minorities — Worcester contains nine colleges and universities, and while it is 69 percent white, 21 percent of the population is Latino and 13 percent of city residents are black, according to 2019 figures from the U.S. Census Bureau. Sanders won half the Latino vote in the Nevada caucuses on Saturday, according to entrance polls.
Sanders plans to visit Massachusetts in person. And Massachusetts is one of the handful of states where he is airing television ads, according to Advertising Analytics.
The endorsements being rolled out today
, as first reported in Massachusetts Playbook, include state Rep. Michael Moran, former state Sen. Kathleen O'Connor Ives, former Cambridge Mayor Kenneth Reeves, and former Cambridge City Councilor Nadeem Mazen. Additional Sanders endorsers include Somerville City Council President Matt McLaughlin, Chelsea City Councilor Damali Vidot, and with city councilors from Newton, Medford and Attleboro.
Sanders previously announced endorsements
from state Sens. Paul Feeney and Jamie Eldridge, and state Reps. Paul Mark, Mike Connolly, Nika Elugardo and Lindsay Sabadosa. His campaign says it has 24 endorsements in total in Massachusetts.
In a typical primary, Massachusetts does not get a lot of love from presidential candidates. The state is small, and there are a relatively low number of delegates up for grabs compared to other Super Tuesday states. But Democrats are sweating at the thought of a brokered convention, which means every single delegate will matter next week.
A Sanders win here would be a big black eye for Warren — and the Sanders campaign knows it. A UMass Lowell poll released Friday shows Warren and Sanders neck-and-neck in the Massachusetts primary. Sanders had 21 percent of support while Warren had 20 percent, according to the poll, but a wide margin of error makes it an imperfect indicator.
Sanders lost Massachusetts to Hillary Clinton in 2016, but only picked up one fewer delegate than she did. He made a play for the state and carried Western Mass, Cape Cod, and rural areas but lost Boston and many of its surrounding suburbs.
Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget for the Playbook? Get in touch: smurray@politico.com.
TODAY — Early voting for the presidential primary begins. Gov. Charlie Baker, Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito, Senate President Karen Spilka and House Speaker Robert DeLeo meet. Baker and
Polito speak at the UNCF Black History Month Breakfast. Boston Mayor Marty Walsh and Boston City Councilor Lydia Edwards announce reforms to the Zoning Board of Appeal. Walsh is a guest on WBUR's "Radio Boston" and hosts a downtown neighborhood open house in Chinatown.
Sen. Ed Markey holds an air cargo security oversight field hearing at Logan Airport. Former Gov. Bill Weld campaigns in Dorchester. State Reps. Paul Mark and Lindsay Sabadosa open Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders' campaign office in Holyoke. Rep. Ayanna Pressley campaigns with
Sen. Elizabeth Warren in South Carolina. Rep. Joe Kennedy III rallies for Warren in Cambridge, casts an early vote in Newton, and tours UTEC in Lowell. Former FBI Director James Comey speaks at a Harvard Kennedy School forum.
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A message from Transportation for Massachusetts:
Massachusetts is facing a transportation crisis. Roads, bridges, and transit statewide urgently need investment. The gas tax, which has increased by only 3 cents since 1991, is a proven, stable, and immediate solution to make our commutes better. Learn more. |
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DATELINE BEACON HILL |
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- "Early voting for the Mass. primary starts Monday. Here's what you need to know," by John Hilliard, Boston Globe:
"For the first time, Massachusetts voters this year will be able to cast ballots early for a presidential primary election, giving them five days starting Monday to vote ahead of Super Tuesday. On March 3, Massachusetts will be among 15 states and territories holding electoral contests that day. Due to the large number of candidates vying to challenge President Trump in November, voter turnout is expected to be high."
- "Charlie Baker Popular — But Not Tom Brady Popular — With Dem Voters, Poll Finds," by Chris Lisinski, State House News Service: "Republican Gov. Charlie Baker, once touted as the most popular governor in America, remains a well-liked figure with voters outside his own party. But he's no Tom Brady. A majority of Democrats and independents rate Baker's time in the corner office positively, according to a new poll from UMass Lowell's Center for Public Opinion. Among 450 likely Democratic primary voters surveyed, 52 percent said they view
Baker favorably compared to 23 percent unfavorably, while 22 percent offered no opinion."
- "Nangle Arrest Highlights A Common Problem In Massachusetts — Compulsive Gambling," by Craig LeMoult, WGBH News:
"The arrest this week of State Rep. David Nangle raised the issue of compulsive gambling in Massachusetts. Nangle allegedly spent more than $70 thousand of campaign funds in part to bankroll an extensive gambling habit. As a result, he's facing more than two dozen charges of fraud and tax evasion. Gambling addiction is surprisingly common in the state and can take a serious toll on families. For one Massachusetts man, the irresistible pull was toward scratch lottery cards."
- "Investment firms win changes to new rule governing Mass. broker-dealers," by Greg Ryan, Boston Business Journal: "Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth William Galvin on Friday finalized his proposal to hold broker-dealers to a higher legal standard when interacting with investors — but not before making some changes to make it more friendly to financial services firms. Effective March 6, broker-dealers in Massachusetts will be held to the so-called fiduciary standard, as opposed to the "best interest" standard put forward
by the Trump administration last year that has come under fire from consumer advocates."
- "A bill to allow red light cameras is heading to the Mass. Senate floor. Here's how the system would work." by Christopher Gavin, Boston.com:
"Massachusetts drivers may want to practice pumping the brakes. A bill to allow communities to install traffic enforcement cameras — ones that would snag shots of a driver running a red light, for instance — is heading to the state Senate floor for a debate next week. If passed, "An Act Relative to Automated Enforcement" would pave the way for cameras to automatically fine drivers snapped speeding, blocking the box, making illegal right turns, breezing past school bus stop signs, or failing to stop on red."
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FROM THE HUB |
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- "The 'sacred cow' of Boston's education landscape," by Bianca Vázquez Toness, Meghan E. Irons and Sarah Carr, Boston Globe:
"Former Boston school superintendent Tommy Chang learned the hard way. Alarmed by the low number of Black and Latino students at the city's celebrated exam schools, Chang appointed an advisory committee to figure out how to increase diversity after he took the helm in 2015. The panel met about a half dozen times in 2016. But when Mayor Martin J. Walsh learned of its existence through a Boston Globe article in July 2016, he immediately ended it, saying the district should focus instead on giving students of color access to more rigorous coursework."
- "A fraught decision: Older drivers agonize over when to give up the keys," by Robert Weisman, Boston Globe: "They vividly recall their teenage years, when a set of wheels brought freedom and adventure. But now they're more cautious on the road, wary in the rush of traffic. They endure the admonitions of concerned children, half-wondering if the kids are right. As the ranks of older drivers swell ― folks in their 70s, 80s, and beyond who've spent half a century cruising country lanes and crawling through city traffic ― many face one of
the most agonizing decisions that come with aging: when, or whether, to turn in the car keys."
- "Massive project could replace the Hynes if it is sold," by Jon Chesto, Boston Globe:
"The plan to sell off the Hynes Convention Center raises a natural question: What would go in its place? We now have a glimpse of what could go up on the nearly six-acre site — or at least what officials at the Massachusetts Convention Center Authority envision for the Back Bay location. At a board meeting on Friday, the convention center authority discussed a new report showing the potential for a 2.3 million-square-foot project — largely consisting of office space, but also including shops and restaurants along with 650 housing units."
- "Immigrant groups discuss controversial new green card rule," Associated Press: "Immigrant rights groups in Massachusetts are turning their attention to the Trump administration's controversial new rule allowing it to deny green cards to immigrants that use certain public benefits. Monday's "teach-in" at Boston City Hall is meant to educate community leaders about the implications of the new requirement and to address any challenges and questions that might arise locally
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- "Blue Lives Matter activists, counterprotesters trade insults outside Boston Police headquarters," by Stefan Geller, Boston Herald:
"Curses and chants brimming with contempt filled the air outside Boston Police headquarters Saturday as a flock of counterprotesters gathered to oppose a Blue Lives Matter rally, organized by the same group behind the controversial Straight Pride Parade. Around a hundred people congregated at the station for several hours to stand on either side of a police barrier — the majority of whom opposed the Blue Lives Matter activists — and pronounce their disapproval of each other's stances and beliefs."
- "A mile-wide toxic waste site sits on the ocean floor near Stellwagen Bank," by David Abel, Boston Globe: "About 19 miles east of Boston Harbor, beside a national marine sanctuary that's home to one of the world's richest fishing grounds, lies one of the nation's largest offshore dumping sites of radioactive waste. In less than 300 feet of water, thousands of barrels litter the seafloor, a mile-wide toxic junkyard that fishermen call "The Foul Area." It's called that because many have tangled — or fouled —
their gear in the barrel field, at times even pulling up containers filled with toxic chemicals."
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PRIMARY SOURCES |
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- "Michael Douglas on the campaign trail for Mike Bloomberg in Massachusetts," by Rick Sobey, Boston Herald:
"Mike Bloomberg dialed up the star power Sunday in the Bay State, bringing in award-winning actor Michael Douglas to campaign for the Democratic presidential hopeful in his hometown of Medford and other communities. Douglas, who in Hollywood played the commander-in-chief in "The American President," spoke to about 200 people at Bloomberg's Medford office — touting the former New York City mayor's accomplishments and saying the billionaire businessman "gets it done."
- "Bloomberg Campaign Reassures Boston Business Leaders That Next Debate Will Be Better," by Mike Deehan, WGBH News: "Michael Bloomberg's presidential campaign hosted dozens of Massachusetts' business leaders Friday at a closed-door meeting to pitch the former New York Mayor as a rival to President Trump and to reassure potential supporters that he won't repeat his disappointing debut debate performance. "We clearly had a little bit of a rough night on the debate stage. We're going to be better next week down in South Carolina," Jim Anderson, a senior adviser to Bloomberg,
told reporters after the private meeting at the offices of law firm Foley Hoag in Boston."
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THE OPINION PAGES |
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DAY IN COURT |
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- "Mass. High Court: An Open Container In The Car Is A Civil Offense, Not A Crime," by Jonathan Cain and Laney Ruckstuhl, WBUR:
"The state's highest court has ruled that possession of an open container of alcohol in a car is a civil infraction, not a criminal offense. Supreme Judicial Court Justice Scott Kafker delivered the ruling Friday in a case in which the defendant was earlier found guilty by a jury of possessing an open container while driving. The defendant argued in his appeal to the SJC that the charge did not constitute a crime."
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WARREN REPORT |
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- "How Elizabeth Warren would legalize marijuana and fight 'Big Tobacco,'" by Natalie Fertig, POLITICO:
"Sen. Elizabeth Warren said she would reduce federal funding to states that refuse to legalize marijuana and prevent "Big Tobacco" from dominating the burgeoning industry in her wide-ranging plan to overhaul the country's drug laws, which she announced Sunday in Denver. Warren's plan is not as detailed and aggressive as the blueprint outlined by Sen. Bernie Sanders, the frontrunner for the Democratic presidential nomination, who eviscerated the field in Saturday's Nevada caucuses."
- "As Warren's campaign ramps up on home turf, supporters remember a personal touch," by Lucas Phillips, Boston Globe: "When Patrick Downes hears Elizabeth Warren speak, he recalls the day when she visited him in the hospital, three days after he lost a leg in the Boston Marathon bombing nearly seven years ago. And as Downes spoke at an event kicking off canvasing in Warren's hometown of Cambridge Sunday afternoon, he recounted how even her sloganeering reminds him of how the senator has looked out for him. A day after Warren placed fourth in the Nevada caucuses, Downes joined Cambridge city councilor
and former Mayor Marc McGovern to kick off a canvassing event in Cambridge."
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TRUMPACHUSETTS |
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- "Pro-Trump West Roxbury group looks to have louder voice in blue Boston," by Sean Philip Cotter, Boston Herald:
"A pro-Trump group is looking to take control of the Republican committee in West Roxbury in a push to have a louder voice in one of the few parts of Boston where conservatives have a foothold. People grabbing the Republican ballot on primary day on March 3 in Ward 20 will be able to cast votes for the Republican Ward Committee. Two slates of candidates are running: Group 1, 16 people including the moderates who currently control the ward committee, and Group 2, with 29 people more closely aligned with President Trump."
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ALL'S WELD THAT ENDS WELD |
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- "Weld's primary goal: 'Bring new people in,' kick Trump out of office," by Tony Dobrowolski, The Berkshire Eagle:
"While the Democratic candidates for president gathered in Las Vegas on Wednesday for their latest debate, a Republican candidate was in Pittsfield, touting his credentials as a viable alternative to the current occupant of the White House. "I disapprove of Mr. Trump," former Massachusetts Gov. Bill Weld said in a meeting with The Eagle's editorial board. "I think he's an authentic threat to our democratic institutions and has already cost us our primary place in the world due to his antics abroad."
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ABOVE THE FOLD |
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— Herald: "STAR POWER," "JONESING FOR WEED,," — Globe
: "For some firms, 'Made in China' a fraught tag," "As Sanders emerges, so, too, does angst." |
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FROM THE 413 |
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- "Roderick L. Ireland Courthouse in Springfield neglected as sleepier courthouses got multimillion-dollar rebuilds, newly released statistics show," by Stephanie Barry, Springfield Republican:
"Newly released statistics show that, despite being among the busiest courthouses in the state, the Roderick L. Ireland Courthouse on State Street has been financially neglected in comparison with its sleepier counterparts. In fact, since 1999, Hampden County ranks near the bottom of $1.4 billion in expenditures on maintenance, repairs and new construction for courthouses across 13 of the state's 14 counties."
- "Six months after launching Massachusetts' first in-house methadone clinic, Franklin County Jail is changing the way jails look at addiction," by Douglas Hook, MassLive.com: "Sara Lazarz sits in a room in the Franklin County House of Corrections to take part in the re-entry program. She suffered from panic as a result of trauma in her past. Now she's in the process of overcoming an addiction to heroin as a result. The Medication Assisted Treatment program, also known as MAT, which is the use of medications in combination with counseling and behavioral therapies, is effective
in the treatment of opioid use disorders and can help some people to sustain their recovery."
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THE LOCAL ANGLE |
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- "Notices going out to convicted drunk drivers," by Julie Manganis, Eagle Tribune: "More than 27,000 people convicted of drunken driving between June, 2011 and last April will soon be receiving notices that they may be entitled to have those convictions vacated as a result of improperly calibrated breath test machines —
and efforts by now-former state officials to hide the true scope of the problem."
- "Local man shares personal story of sexual abuse in Boy Scouts," by Elaine Thompson, Telegram & Gazette:
"Robert thinks that at 55, he should be married with kids in college and living in a beautiful home. And with his master carpentry skills, he should have a successful business and probably even be wealthy. Robert is among 2,000 men and counting who are being represented by Abused in Scouting, a consortium of four law firms across the country in their claims of sexual abuse against the Boy Scouts of America. The youngest alleged victim is an 8-year-old California boy. The oldest is a 92-year-old man from Florida."
ENGAGED - Michael Greenwald, a former U.S. Treasury diplomat who is now director at Tiedemann Advisors, this weekend proposed to Nolan Wein, a member of the legal department at Rokt, a marketing technology company. Greenwald popped the question on the beach at the Four Seasons Surfside in Miami on their one-year anniversary. The couple was introduced by Wein's mother last year in Palm Beach. Pic
... Another pic.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY - to former acting Gov. Jane Swift, and Sarah Groh, chief of staff to Rep. Ayanna Pressley.
DID THE HOME TEAM WIN? No!
The Lakers beat the Celtics 114-112.
FOR YOUR COMMUTE: DEBATE NIGHT AND THE FEELING'S RIGHT - On this week's Horse Race podcast, hosts Jennifer Smith and Stephanie Murray break down the debate between Sen. Ed Markey and Rep. Joe Kennedy III. Host Steve Koczela talks with state
Sens. Cindy Friedman and Julian Cyr about the Senate's mental health legislation. Subscribe and listen on iTunes and Sound Cloud.
DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS - Friday's Playbook mentioned Sen. Ed Markey would appear at a rally at Logan Airport, but the event had already happened the previous week.
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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A message from Transportation for Massachusetts:
In every corner of the Commonwealth, people are frustrated with our transportation system. From potholed and congested roads, to delayed trains, to regional transit buses that don't run on the weekends, transportation is holding back our economy, hurting our quality of life, and polluting our air. The gas tax must be part of the solution. Each one-penny increase in the gas tax raises $30 million per year for transportation improvements statewide, including an increase to Chapter 90 local road repairs, dedicated funding for Regional Transit Authorities, and upgrades to the MBTA.
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