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Presented by Transportation for Massachusetts
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GOOD MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS.
WILL WARREN LOSE HER HOME STATE? — Elizabeth Warren wouldn't go so far as to say she'll finish first in Massachusetts on Super Tuesday.
"Can you guarantee you will win your home state?" CBS News asked Warren in the spin room after the network's televised debate in Charleston.
"Look, I'm out here making my case to everybody all across the nation and I'm so deeply grateful to the people in my home state who helped me beat an incumbent Republican back in 2012," Warren said. And when she was pressed about winning Massachusetts again, she did not say yes.
Warren's careful language about her own backyard comes as Bernie Sanders tries to knock her out on her home turf. While she chose to attack billionaire Michael Bloomberg on the stage last night — rather than push Sanders, the primary front-runner — a battle is brewing with the Vermont senator in Massachusetts.
Polling shows the progressive senators virtually tied for first here on March 3. To widen that gap, Sanders has announced back-to-back rallies in Springfield on Friday and Boston on Saturday, in addition to his "Berniepalooza" event in Worcester. Sanders surrogates including author and activist Naomi Klein and ice cream moguls Ben Cohen and Jerry Greenfield have also been deployed to the Bay State.
But Warren has plenty of goodwill in the party here. After Sanders announced his rallies, the Warren campaign released a list of 147 Massachusetts endorsements, including dozens of state lawmakers. That's a big list — by comparison, the Sanders campaign says it has 24 Massachusetts endorsements, and former Vice President Joe Biden's campaign boasts 90.
Plus, Warren was endorsed by the Boston Globe Editorial Board after last night's debate. Failing to capture the paper's endorsement would have been awkward. Remember back in 2018, when a number of the paper's columnists urged her not to run?
Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget for the Playbook? Get in touch: smurray@politico.com.
TODAY — Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito speaks at a Quincy Chamber of Commerce breakfast. Polito celebrates the grand opening of the NBC Universal Boston Media Center, and chairs a meeting of the Governor's Council. Boston Mayor Marty Walsh speaks at a PLAN: Mattapan community meeting. Sen. Elizabeth Warren campaigns in South Carolina with John Legend. Warren's dog campaigns at Boston City Hall with members of the City Council. Former Gov. Bill Weld campaigns in Lowell. The House meets in formal session.
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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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- "Baker renews pitch for transportation money," by Christian M. Wade, Eagle-Tribune: "The Baker administration is making another major push to borrow billions of dollars to meet the state's transportation needs, tying the issue to efforts to increase the housing supply and reduce vehicle emissions. A proposal filed by Gov. Charlie Baker, which went before the House Committee on Bonding, Capital Expenditures and State Assets on Tuesday, authorizes the state to borrow up to $18 billion over the next five years to fix crumbling roads and bridges, and to make investments in public transit. The plan hinges on legislative approval."
- "Eyeing the 17th Middlesex race," by Elizabeth Dobbins, The Lowell Sun: "For years, state Rep. Dave Nangle has run uncontested. However, a federal indictment released Tuesday alleging the Lowell Democrat engaged in a pattern of fraud — ranging from bank-loan applications to tax filings to campaign finances — may very well make the election this fall for the 17th Middlesex District seat one to watch. With the allegations still fresh, local politicians were reluctant this week to announce intentions to run, though speculation has already begun. Nangle has not given up his seat, but did relinquish his House leadership position and committee roles on Wednesday ."
- "Spilka: Senate Mental Health Bill Lays Foundation For Parity In Care," by Zoe Mathews, WGBH News: "On Feb. 14, the Massachusetts Senate passed a mental health care reform bill that aims to ensure people have the same access to mental health care as they do physical care. Senate President Karen Spilka joined Boston Public Radio on Tuesday to outline the bill, which she says brings the state closer to a 20-year-old state law requiring parity. Spilka said she did not think Baker's plan for mental health — included in his broader health care plan — goes far enough or fast enough to bring the state to mental health parity."
- "Public safety secretary confirms MCI-Framingham to close," by Sarah Betancourt, CommonWealth Magazine: "GOV. CHARLIE BAKER'S public safety secretary confirmed on Tuesday that MCI-Framingham, the oldest women's penitentiary in the country, will be shuttered and prisoners eventually relocated to the Bay State Correctional Center in Norfolk. The disclosure by Thomas Turco, at a hearing of the House Committee on Bonding, Capital Expenditures and State Assets, comes after months of questions from advocates, attorneys, and prisoners about plans for the aging facility and where the state would relocate inmates if the prison were closed."
- "AG HEALEY'S OFFICE BLOCKS ACCOUNTS ON SOCIAL MEDIA, SHIELDS BAD ACTORS ACROSS STATE," by Maya Shaffer, DigBoston: "Last winter, Crit News was blocked by the Chicopee Police Department social media pages after we published articles critical of the department's affiliation with anti-LGBTQ brand Chick-fil-A and its likely unconstitutional social media policy. Prior court rulings strongly suggest that these blocks violate the First Amendment, so we filed a complaint with Mass Attorney General Maura Healey's civil rights division ."
- "Coronavirus vaccine ships from Mass. to National Institute," by Michael P. Norton State House News Service: "A Cambridge-based company has shipped vials of its novel coronavirus vaccine, which were manufactured at a plant in Norwood, to the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Disease (NIAID) for further research. Moderna Inc. announced the news late Monday, saying its first batch of mRNA-1273 vaccine was funded by the Coalition for Epidemic Preparedness Innovations (CEPI) and will be used by government researchers in what's known as a Phase 1 Study at the National Institutes of Health."
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| FROM THE HUB |
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- "Can We Ever Really Fix Bad Driving in Boston?" by Lisa Weidenfeld, Boston Magazine: "If you're skimming this article online while sitting through the third round of red lights on Boston's infamously clogged streets, you'd better stop right now. Thanks to the state's newly enacted hands-free driving law, you could get tagged with a fine. The legislation, which went into effect on February 23, aims to reduce distracted driving caused by cellphone use, though you can get off with a warning until the end of March. On the other hand, the legislation won't stop you from honking for 35 seconds straight the next time someone cuts you off in traffic."
- "In controversial police shooting, Rollins demonstrates transparency," by Adrian Walker, Boston Globe: "Is this what transparency looks like? Nearly three weeks after police shot and killed Juston Root in a confrontation that started at Brigham and Women's Hospital, Suffolk District Attorney Rachael Rollins held a press conference Tuesday to announce what many had already begun to suspect. Namely, that Root, a 41-year-old man with a history of mental illness, had been shot while brandishing not a real weapon, but a fake one."
- "Boston moved up violence planning sessions after shootings: Walsh," by Sean Philip Cotter, Boston Herald: "A recent spate of killings has prompted Mayor Martin Walsh to move up the annual anti-violence meetings. "We moved up our summer strategy meetings, we're working with our office of public safety, and our police department had a meeting earlier in the week to talk about the little bit of an uptick that we're witnessing here," Walsh told reporters on Tuesday. This comes after a fatal shooting Monday in Mattapan makes three killed in the past week and a half."
- "How 2020 Democrats' Health Care Plans Would Rock Hospital Budgets In Mass." by Martha Bebinger, WBUR: "In this election season, when tackling health care costs is a top voter concern, the Democratic primary candidates are offering different visions for reform, and have spent debates arguing over the costs of those plans. What has gotten less attention, and what is at the heart of any reform, is the biggest factor in health care spending: hospital payments. Proposed changes to hospital payments are buried in plans to overhaul health care by moving to "Medicare for All" or the more moderate public option, sometimes called "Medicare for All Who Want It." Both would rock the books of every hospital in Massachusetts."
- "Boston Latin Student Racial Representation Is 'Out Of Whack,' Says Paul Reville," by Hannah Uebele, WGBH News: "Paul Reville, the former Massachusetts education secretary, joined Boston Public Radio on Tuesday to discuss the disproportionate racial representation at Boston Latin school. The enrollment of Black students at the school is currently at 8%, contrasted with a 30% Black enrollment in Boston's public schools. Critics argue that the admission process into Boston Latin, which includes a test, is discriminatory towards minority and poorer students."
- "City On A Hill Charter School Network Placed On Probation," by Carrie Jung, WBUR: "The City on a Hill Charter School network is about to undergo yet another round of changes. On Tuesday, the Massachusetts Board of Elementary and Secondary Education unanimously voted to place the organization's charter on probation. The board also approved a request to consolidate the charters of the City on a Hill Circuit Street and Dudley Square locations. The charter consolidation essentially shrinks the charter school network, which currently operates three schools, to become just one high school."
- "Acting Boston ICE Director On Tactical Deployments, Collateral Arrests And His Problem With The Trust Act," by Shannon Dooling, WBUR: "For nearly two weeks, WBUR has been reporting on a number of specially trained officers and agents from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agency working in Boston with local U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officials. The deployment is part of a nationwide effort by the Trump administration to crack down on so-called sanctuary cities — where local law enforcement are limited in their cooperation with federal immigration officials. News of the specially-trained federal immigration agents working in Boston quickly spread and visions of armed immigration raids increased ."
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| PRIMARY SOURCES |
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- "Raimondo Stumps for Bloomberg in Boston," by Matt Murphy, State House News Service: "At lunchtime down the street from the State House, a few dozen politicians, lobbyists and activists crowded into a function room in the front room of Carrie Nation, a popular local bar and restaurant. With early voting underway in Massachusetts and a week until Super Tuesday, Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo was in town to make a pitch for Michael Bloomberg, the former New York City mayor and billionaire businessman from Medford who just last week had been eviscerated on the debate stage in Nevada by Bay State Sen. Elizabeth Warren."
- "Michael Bloomberg: From Medford kid to potential presidential contender," by Deanna Pan and James Pindell, Boston Globe: "When Dorothy Rubin Schepps thinks of Michael Bloomberg, the billionaire media mogul and former New York City mayor, her mind always goes back to her honors literature class with Ms. Kathleen Sharkey, senior year at Medford High School. The class was assigned a research paper and her classmate, a young Bloomberg, wrote about a discredited conspiracy theory that President Franklin D. Roosevelt knew the Japanese planned to attack Pearl Harbor and allowed it to happen to galvanize support for war with Nazi Germany. As Schepps recalled, Bloomberg's assignment rattled Sharkey, a notoriously tough teacher who adored Roosevelt and suffered no fools."
- "Would-be Kennedy successors introduce themselves at 1st debate," by Ted Nesi, WPRI: "Seven of the candidates seeking to replace Democratic Congressman Joe Kennedy III met Tuesday night for their first debate of the campaign, offering them a chance to differentiate themselves in a crowded but geographically limited pack. The seven Democrats — Brookline residents Alan Khazei, Jesse Mermell, Dave Cavell, Ihssane Leckey and Ben Sigel, and Newton residents Jake Auchincloss and Becky Grossman — met at an event hosted at Boston College Law School by The Gavel, a progressive student publication at BC."
- "Rodrigues announces primary challenge for Brockton senate seat," by Marc Larocque, The Enterprise: "After stepping in as mayor of Brockton last year, and then returning to the City Council, he's got his sights set on the Statehouse. Councilor-at-large Moises Rodrigues, who was the first minority mayor of Brockton, said Saturday that he plans to run for state senator for the Second Plymouth and Bristol district. Rodrigues, a Democrat, is running a primary challenge against incumbent state Sen. Michael Brady."
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| WARREN REPORT |
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- "Warren rips Trump for 'bungling' coronavirus outbreak," by Caitlin Oprysko and Alice Miranda Ollstein, POLITICO: "Sen. Elizabeth Warren on Tuesday pounded the Trump administration for its handling of the coronavirus outbreak, accusing the White House of "absolutely bungling" its response to the disease as officials warned a major increase of cases in the U.S. is inevitable and as some in the administration fear the crisis could threaten the reelection of President Trump. In a slew of tweets posted just a few hours before the Massachusetts Democrat faced off again with her rivals in the latest presidential primary debate, Warren accused President Trump of "putting our public health and our economy at risk," arguing the crisis is proving "why we need a real plan and an adult in charge."
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| ALL'S WELD THAT ENDS WELD |
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- "Weld brings presidential run to Worcester," by Susan Spencer, Telegram & Gazette: "Former governor and Republican presidential candidate Bill Weld was in town Tuesday, taking his message of bringing integrity and sound policies to Washington and basically, as he described it, "planting a flag" in opposition to the destructive actions he said President Donald Trump has wrought. In a meeting with the Telegram & Gazette at Mercantile Center, wearing the work boots in which he had just toured Polar Park at Kelley Square, Weld, 74, said his ties to Central Massachusetts are strong."
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| IT'S NOT EASY BEING GREEN |
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- "Lawmakers seek more info about capping 'Foul Area' in Massachusetts Bay," by Danny McDonald and David Abel, Boston Globe: "Three Massachusetts lawmakers are asking federal authorities for more information about the covering of a toxic waste site about 19 miles east of Boston Harbor known as "The Foul Area." In a letter to Environmental Protection Agency officials, Representative Joseph P. Kennedy III suggested there may be up to 80,000 barrels of toxic waste on the ocean floor in the area. The politician Kennedy is running to replace had similar concerns."
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| ABOVE THE FOLD |
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— Herald: "LIVE FIRE," "NOT IF ... BUT WHEN," — Globe : "US is very likely to face outbreak of virus, CDC warns," "Front-runner Sanders takes brunt of attacks at debate." |
| FROM THE 413 |
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- "Voters, campaigns gear up for Super Tuesday," by Michael Connors and Todd Pengelly, Daily Hampshire Gazette: "As some Massachusetts Democrats begin to vote early before the presidential primary on Super Tuesday, campaigns and their supporters are making final pushes in an effort to win the state. This week, Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders announced a Springfield rally scheduled for Friday at the MassMutual Center, to be followed by a noon rally Saturday on Boston Common — mere days before final votes in Massachusetts, 13 other states and American Samoa are counted on March 3."
TRANSITIONS - Stephan Roundtree, Jr. joins Vote Solar as Northeast director.
WELCOME TO THE WORLD - Lauren Goldman Moran, Deputy Chief for Fair Labor in the Office of Attorney General and Matthew Moran, Asst. Secretary and Chief Engagement Officer, Executive Office of Technology Services and Security, welcomed a daughter, Molly Eliza, born on Feb. 25.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY - to Cathey Park and Laura Oggeri.
DID THE HOME TEAM WIN? Yes and no! The Celtics beat the Trail Blazers 118-106. The Flames beat the Bruins 5-2.
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.
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. Learn more. |
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