GOOD MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS.
KENNEDY CAMPAIGN UNLOADS ON GLOBE ENDORSEMENT — Rep. Joe Kennedy III's campaign is brushing off the Boston Globe's endorsement of incumbent Sen. Ed Markey as "something we fully anticipated" and an example of the establishment protecting the status quo for the paper's "disproportionately white, well-off, well-educated readers." The campaign even knocked columnist Scot Lehigh by name as "out of touch" in a scathing email to campaign supporters.
The paper made an unusually early endorsement yesterday, just as mail-in ballot applications reach voters ahead of the Sept. 1 primary. Typically, the paper's editorial board announces endorsements closer to voting day.
"The Globe editorial board had their mind made up about Joe since before he even got in this race," wrote Kennedy campaign manager Nick Clemons on Tuesday, according to a copy of the email obtained by POLITICO. "We heard the final decision was a close call, but in the end, the establishment voices won out. Add it to the long list of forces in this state that circle the wagons when the status quo gets challenged."
The Markey endorsement appears to be the first time the Globe has endorsed an opponent to a Kennedy since the 1960s, MSNBC's Steve Kornacki pointed out on Twitter. Clemons said the campaign "worked the board tirelessly" to secure its endorsement, but came up short.
"If you are one of the Globe's disproportionately white , well-off, well-educated readers, the past few decades have been pretty good for you. The status quo has delivered. Ed Markey has done just fine," Clemons wrote in the email. "But if you are one of the hundreds of thousands of normal, working people in this Commonwealth, if you are Black or Brown, if you are an immigrant or a veteran, if you are sick or struggling or suffering -- you know that business as usual isn't working."
"Let's win big on September 1 and show Scot Lehigh just how out of touch he is…" Clemons added, perhaps a reference to several columns Lehigh has written criticizing Kennedy's Senate campaign. Lehigh didn't respond to a request for comment.
Markey campaign manager John Walsh said the members of the Globe's editorial board "clearly state the reasons why more and more voters are making the same choice and are sticking with an experienced and effective leader like Ed Markey.”
FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: FALL RIVER MAYOR BACKS AUCHINCLOSS — Fall River Mayor Paul Coogan is endorsing Newton City Councilor Jake Auchincloss in the congressional race to replace Rep. Joe Kennedy III.
Because all nine Democrats running in the primary hail from Newton or Brookline, the pressure is on to build support in the southern part of the district, and that task became particularly difficult when in-person campaigning was sidelined by the coronavirus pandemic. Fall River is split between two House lawmakers — Kennedy and Rep. Bill Keating each represent a portion of the city.
“In the Marines, in business, and in local government, Jake has led from the front," Coogan said in a statement. "I’m proud to support Jake for Congress, and am looking forward to partnering with him to deliver results for Fall River and the South Coast.” Coogan was elected last year, replacing twice-indicted and once-recalled former Mayor Jasiel Correia.
The mayor's endorsement comes after two of Auchincloss' opponents, attorney Ben Sigel and former Wall Street regulator Ihssane Leckey, called on him to drop out of the race this week. Auchincloss took heat during a debate hosted by the Students of MA-04 on Sunday over comments he made regarding the Confederate flag in 2016, and for being tossed from a pledge to refuse campaign donations from fossil fuel interests.
FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: PATRICK AND WELD JOIN ‘YES ON 2’ — The Yes on 2 ballot campaign, which supports ranked choice voting, is rolling out its honorary campaign co-chairs this morning. The list includes Republican Gov. Bill Weld and Democratic Gov. Deval Patrick, Harvard University’s Danielle Allen, former Lt. Gov. Kerry Murphy Healey, Boston Celtics co-owner and Bain Capital co-chair Steve Pagliuca, President of the NAACP Boston Branch Tanisha Sullivan, and former U.S. Treasury Secretary Lawrence Summers.
Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget for the Playbook? Get in touch: smurray@politico.com.
TODAY — Rep. Katherine Clark speaks at a press conference on two child care bills with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
HAPPENING TODAY @ 12 p.m. EDT – A DEEP DIVE INTO 2020 CAMPAIGN POLLING : With less than 100 days remaining until Election Day, it’s time for a deep dive into campaign polling with POLITICO senior campaign and elections editor Steven Shepard and national political reporter Laura Barrón-López. Hear from expert pollsters Margie Omero and Jon McHenry on how the polls look today and what they portend for the future, how the industry corrected mistakes made in 2016, and the impact of Covid-19 on their work. REGISTER HERE.
 | THE LATEST NUMBERS |
– “Massachusetts reports 14 new coronavirus deaths, 178 cases as state eyes positive test rate closely,” by Tanner Stening, MassLive.com: “Massachusetts health officials reported another 14 coronavirus deaths on Tuesday, bringing the statewide death count to 8,331. Officials also confirmed another 178 cases of the virus, b ringing the total number of statewide cases to at least 108,740.”
| DATELINE BEACON HILL |
– “Legislative leaders punt on budget, pass interim measure funding state until Oct. 31,” by Matt Stout, Boston Globe: “The Massachusetts Legislature on Tuesday quickly passed an interim $16.5 billion budget that will keep state government funded through the end of October, likely pushing any painful decisions on a full-year spending bill into the fall. Lawmakers sent the spending proposal to Governor Charlie Baker just hours after legislative leaders first announced it, adding to the crush of bills lawmakers are juggling before the scheduled end of the legislative session on Friday.”
– “Returned ballot applications piling up,” by Christian M. Wade, The Salem News: “Thousands of applications for vote-by-mail ballots have been returned to Secretary of State Bill Galvin’s office because they were sent to voters who no longer live at those addresses. The state’s 4.5 million voters are getting applications they may use to request ballots for the Sept. 1 primary and Nov. 3 general elections. The mass mailing of applications is required under a new state law that expanded vote-by-mail options amid lingering concerns about the coronavirus.”
– “Costly connections,” by Sarah Betancourt, CommonWealth Magazine: “The biggest barrier to making a prison phone call is the cost, with the price of a five-minute call, including various fees and per-minute charges, ranging from a low of 50 cents at state Department of Correction facilities to as much as $6 at the Franklin and Berkshire County jails. The two private phone companies that provide the service pay the jails hefty commissions and make annual minimum payments, which totaled $11 million in 2019, according to documents obtained through a year of public records requests.”
– “Massachusetts senators form panel to suggest new state seal, which would replace version Native Americans call racist,” by Chris Lisinski, State House News Service: “Massachusetts senators unanimously agreed Tuesday that a panel should suggest a new state seal to replace the 122-year-old version that Native Americans largely view as symbolizing white supremacist violence.”
– “Cindy Chesna, widow of Weymouth police Sgt. Michael Chesna, blasts reform bill, Hingham’s removal of thin blue line flags as ‘personal attacks,'” by Benjamin Kail, MassLive.com: “Cindy Chesna, the widow of Weymouth Police Officer Michael Chesna, sharply critiqued recent police reform legislation and the town of Hingham’s push to remove ‘thin blue line’ flags from fire trucks in an emotional Facebook post, saying she viewed both as ‘a personal attack on everything Mike stood for as a police officer and a decorated Army veteran .’”
– “Majority of Massachusetts residents approve of Gov. Charlie Baker’s coronavirus response, new poll finds,” by Douglas Hook, MassLive.com: “An overwhelming majority of Massachusetts residents approve of how Gov. Charlie Baker is responding to the coronavirus outbreak, a new poll finds. Of the registered voters polled by MassINC, 81% approved of Baker’s response to the pandemic locally, including 47% who strongly approve.”
| FROM THE HUB |
– “Walsh Chastises Operators Of Cruise Ship Seen In Boston Harbor, Addresses Fall School Year,” by Isaiah Thompson, WGBH News: “Boston Mayor Marty Walsh chastised the operators of a cruise ship that was seen in Boston Harbor this weekend, seemingly packed with revelers. During a press briefing Tuesday, Walsh said Boston and Massachusetts have come too far in bringing down the rate of COVID-19 infections and deaths to jeopardize that progress now.”
– “‘I didn’t come to Boston because I thought it would be easy’: Boston superintendent ends tumultuous year,” by Meghan E. Irons and Malcolm Gay, Boston Globe: “It was not where Brenda Cassellius wanted to be, a year into her tenure as Boston’s schools chief. But earlier this month, she spent two broiling summer days talking to principals, under pressure from the mayor to mend broken relationships and rebuild trust. Cassellius had been an energetic presence as she led Boston schools through the pandemic and the shutdown of city schools, but a pair of stunning rebukes from the district’s principals leaked to the Globe offered a harsh critique of her leadership.”
– “The sign outside Moderna in Cambridge is covered up. Company officials offered more than one explanation,” by Jonathan Saltzman, Boston Globe: “Moderna has long advertised its Kendall Square presence in distinctive lower-case red letters above the front entrance to the biotech’s headquarters. But the familiar sign recently went undercover, shrouded in what looks like white shrink wrap. It’s a curious move by 10-year-old Moderna, which has assiduously sought news coverage as it tries to develop the first potential vaccine for COVID-19 .”
| PRIMARY SOURCES |
– “The Democratic Party’s Most Confounding Primary,” by Rachel M. Cohen, Akela Lacy, The Intercept: “When news broke late last summer that Massachusetts Rep. Joe Kennedy was considering a primary challenge to Sen. Ed Markey, many political operatives reasonably asked … why? Elected to the House of Representatives in 2012, the most high-profile aspect of Kennedy’s political career had been giving the Democratic response to the State of the Union in 2018 — and, of course, being a Kennedy.”
– “This year’s Massachusetts state primary falls on a holiday: Allston Christmas. Here’s what that means for voters.” by Nik DeCosta-Klipa, Boston.com: “Massachusetts has long held its state primary in September. But this year’s election date is particularly novel. For the first time in recent memory, the primary will be held on Sept. 1. And as much as advocates have long sought to make the Election Day a national holiday, that means the Bay State’s primary will instead coincide this year with a colloquial holiday of sorts: Allston Christmas, the traditional move-in day for tens of thousands of renters in the Boston area and beyond.”
– “Kennedy missteps coming at crucial time in U.S. Senate primary battle, strategists say,” by Lisa Kashinsky, Boston Herald: “U.S. Rep. Joseph Kennedy III’s belly flop into the Quabbin Reservoir is just the latest in a string of campaign missteps strategists say are coming at precisely the wrong time in his bid to unseat U.S. Sen. Edward Markey. Kennedy’s jab at Markey over not visiting towns the reservoir washed off the map decades ago comes as his recent attack on the incumbent’s immigration record continues to get lost in a voting record squabble.”
– “Markey Releases His Travel Records, Defends His Time Away From Massachusetts,” by Anthony Brooks, WBUR: “After releasing his travel records, Sen. Ed Markey is defending the amount of time he spends in his Chevy Chase, Maryland home. It's a response to an attack from his primary challenger, U.S. Rep. Joe Kennedy, who accuses the veteran lawmaker of ‘absentee leadership.’”
| DAY IN COURT |
– “Immigrant groups in Mass. sue feds over congressional districts order,” by Philip Marcelo, The Associated Press: “Civil rights and immigrant groups in Massachusetts have filed a federal lawsuit challenging President Donald Trump’s efforts to exclude immigrants living in the country illegally from being counted in the redrawing of congressional districts .”
| WARREN REPORT |
– “Warren calls on agency chiefs to commit to not deploying federal forces on Americans should Trump not leave office,” by Caroline Kelly, CNN: ”Sen. Elizabeth Warren is calling on the heads of the Justice, Defense, Homeland Security and the Interior departments to commit to not using federal agents against protesters in American cities before and after the November election -- specifically in the event that President Donald Trump loses and refuses to leave office.”
| DATELINE D.C. |
–”Former Holyoke Soldiers’ Home superintendent Paul Barabani to speak before Congress Wednesday,” by Stephanie Barry, Springfield Republican: “Former Holyoke Soldiers’ Home Superintendent Paul Barabani will be among witnesses called by a U.S. House of Representatives Committee on Veterans’ Affairs on Wednesday to discuss the state of veterans’ homes during the COVID-19 pandemic. Barabani, who has been sharply critical of state and federal oversight of the Holyoke Soldiers’ Home, will be introduced by U.S. Rep. Richard E. Neal, D-Springfield, who is chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee.”
– “House OKs bill protecting Wampanoag Tribe’s reservation on Cape Cod,” The Associated Press: “The U.S. House of Representatives has approved legislation that would prevent the Trump administration from rescinding a Native American tribe’s contested reservation in Massachusetts. The amendment, included in a broader spending package passed by the Democratic-controlled chamber Friday, bars the Interior Department from revoking its 2015 decision to place some 300 acres of land into trust for the Mashpee Wampanoag tribe.”
– “‘Magic wands and glitter dust’: Massachusetts lawmakers roast $1 trillion Republican coronavirus stimulus package,” by Benjamin Kail, MassLive.com: “Massachusetts lawmakers painted the coronavirus stimulus package unveiled by Senate Republicans on Monday as inadequate and irresponsible in light of severe and widespread economic fallout sparked by the pandemic.”
| ABOVE THE FOLD |
— Herald: “HELP WANTED," "METER MADE,” — Globe : “Barr defends crackdown on protesters," "With sharks ranging into Maine, ordinary swim became rare fatality.”
| FROM THE 413 |
– “Holyoke Soldiers’ Home suspends visitation after veteran tests positive for coronavirus,” by Lisa Kashinsky, Boston Herald: “The Holyoke Soldiers’ Home is temporarily suspending visitation after a resident who was clinically recovered from COVID-19 again tested positive for the virus, the state said. The resident began experiencing symptoms on Monday and was transferred to a hospital for treatment.”
– “Citing campaign pledge, Berkshire DA moves to prevent flawed convictions,” by Larry Parnass, The Berkshire Eagle: “When she ran to become Berkshire County's top prosecutor, Andrea Harrington cast herself as a reformer seeking to build trust in the justice system. A policy outlined Tuesday aims to advance that pledge. Harrington is moving to strengthen compliance with a 1963 Supreme Court case that said prosecutors must share information that could aid defendants.”
– “Baystate Health adds break space, imposes employee travel restrictions and discipline programs following coronavirus outbreak,” by Jim Kinney, Springfield Republican: “Baystate Health will put up a tent Wednesday on the lawn at its Springfield campus so employees can take socially distanced meal breaks. Baystate is also reconfiguring its indoor break rooms and repurposing classrooms and other spaces as additional break areas a week after discovering an in-house coronavirus outbreak.”
| THE LOCAL ANGLE |
– “Lang, councilors and union all rebuke Mitchell on proposed police and fire cuts,” by Kiernan Dunlop, South Coast Today: “A former mayor, several city councilors and union leadership have all charged that Mayor Jon Mitchell’s proposed cuts to the police and fire departments jeopardize public safety.”
– “Underage drinking party in Spencer raises COVID-19 concerns,” by Kim Ring, Telegram & Gazette: “Police are investigating an underage drinking party in town Friday night that may have been set up to expose a large group of young people to the novel coronavirus.”
– “COVID-19 cases climb on Martha’s Vineyard, Nantucket and Cuttyhunk,” by Ethan Genter, Cape Cod Times: “But officials have seen positive cases start to rise as summer chugs along and hordes of people travel to the islands. As of Sunday, Nantucket had 38 confirmed positive cases and Martha’s Vineyard had 50. On the Vineyard, 21 of the cases were confirmed since the start of June, with eight cases the week after July 4 — the highest number of cases in a single week.”
NEW BOOK: Boston Democratic strategist Wilnelia Rivera, adviser to Rep. Ayanna Pressley's campaign in 2018, contributed to the new book "TURNOUT! Mobilizing Voters in an Emergency" released earlier this week. Link.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY – to Brendan Roche, Shelby Ashline, Hayley Fleming and Hirak Shah.
NEW EPISODE: From Boom Time to Zoom Time – On this week’s Horse Race podcast, hosts Jennifer Smith and Steve Koczela discuss the toll the coronavirus pandemic has taken on small businesses, according to new polling. Subscribe and listen on iTunes and Sound Cloud.
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