| | |  | BY STEPHANIE MURRAY | GOOD MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. Happy Monday! PROGRAMMING NOTE: It’s election week! Massachusetts Playbook will look a little different for the next several days. Consider this a peek inside my reporter’s notebook ahead of the Sept. 1 primary. Send your tips, links and birthdays to smurray@politico.com. KENNEDY SCRAMBLES TO CLOSE THE GAP — Just two years ago, Joe Kennedy’s star was so bright that he was asked to deliver the Democratic Party’s response to Donald Trump’s State of the Union speech. Now, if he can’t turn things around before Tuesday’s Massachusetts Senate primary, he’ll be out of politics. A handful of recent polls show the 39-year-old congressman trailing incumbent Sen. Ed Markey — the septuagenarian incumbent whose campaign is improbably powered by younger progressive voters. Among voters under the age of 35, one of those polls reports, Markey is leading Kennedy by an almost 2-to-1 margin. Recognizing his deficit, Kennedy is scrambling. He criss-crossed the state on a 27-hour campaign day last week and has sharpened his criticism of his rival. In addition to whacking Markey for the behavior of his "toxic" online supporters, Kennedy has accused the senator of misrepresenting his legislative record for political gain, criticized his work on racial justice and pointed out times he failed to get results for his constituents. Kennedy’s campaign believes Markey has an advantage among voters who have already cast ballots by mail — namely white, well-educated voters in the suburbs — but that high turnout on primary day would lend itself to Kennedy. That’s why Kennedy is hitting seven cities today before a big get-out-the-vote rally at IBEW 103 tonight. Kennedy has also called in the cavalry — House colleagues are pulling out all the stops for him. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi made an unexpected endorsement of Kennedy, and days later drew almost 600 of his supporters for a get-out-the-vote rally on Zoom. Reps. Al Green of Texas and Adriano Espaillat of New York traveled to Massachusetts to hit the campaign trail with Kennedy this week, hoping to spark turnout among voters of color. Link. Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget for the Playbook? Get in touch: smurray@politico.com. TODAY — Sen. Ed Markey campaigns in Brookline, Mattapan and West Roxbury. Rep. Joe Kennedy III campaigns in Springfield, Holyoke, Chicopee, Worcester, Lowell, Lawrence and Roxbury. |  | ON THE STUMP |
| CANDIDATES TO HOLD RALLIES ON EVE OF PRIMARY — Kennedy and Markey will hold dueling rallies in Boston tonight as the clock ticks closer to Sept. 1. The coronavirus pandemic sidelined both Democrats from hitting the campaign trail earlier in the race, and they've tried to make up for that with a flurry of in-person events. Markey will hold a drive-in rally at Millennium Park at 7 p.m. with supporters including Suffolk County District Attorney Rachael Rollins and Boston City Councilor Lydia Edwards. "This is a drive-in event, meaning we will all be in our cars or stay socially distant!" an invitation from the Markey campaign reads. Link . Kennedy's "Rally the Vote" event begins at 8:30 p.m. It will be hosted at IBEW 103, the union that backed him early in the race and represents his unionized campaign staff. "Masks are required. Social distancing will be enforced. Now is the time to get excited to cover even more turf, reach out to more friends, make more calls, and get out the VOTE!" the Kennedy campaign wrote in an invitation email. Link. | | THE SENATE SHOWDOWN |
| – “The Markey-Kennedy Senate primary battle is one Democrats wish wasn’t happening,” by Roxanne Roberts, The Washington Post: “There’s an old saying in Massachusetts: You’re born a Democrat and a Red Sox fan, and you’re baptized a Catholic seven days later. As if 2020 couldn’t get any worse, this year’s Red Sox team is historically bad — embarrassingly, soul-crushingly, missing-Mookie bad. And now Democrats are faced with a U.S. Senate primary that most voters in the state, if we’re going to be frank, really wish wasn’t happening.” – “How Markey and Kennedy Are Closing Out Their Brutal Primary,” by Gabriel Debenedetti, New York magazine: “Democratic party leaders would be excused for not wanting anything to do with the primary race between Massachusetts Senator Ed Markey and his challenger, Congressman Joe Kennedy III, after it erupted into a back-and-forth — over online harassment, one candidate’s motivations for running, and the legacy of the most famous family name in politics — in the final days.” – “Kennedy, Markey campaign hard — and joyfully — in final push,” by Victoria McGrane and Danny McDonald, Boston Globe: ““Representative Joseph P. Kennedy III and Senator Edward J. Markey elbow-bumped their way around the state Sunday, making final pitches to voters in the contentious Democratic Senate primary race that wraps up Tuesday. With more than 700,000 ballots already cast, the vast majority of them by mail, Kennedy and Markey focused their efforts on turning out supporters who haven’t yet sent in their ballots or who plan to vote in person.” – “Father of Jason Davis accuses Markey, Warren of neglecting calls for justice,” by Lisa Kashinsky and Sean Philip Cotter, Boston Herald: “The father of a man who was beaten by employees at a state mental institution is accusing U.S. Sens. Edward Markey and Elizabeth Warren of neglecting his and his attorney’s calls for justice, saying the senators brushed them off after a 2018 meeting two decades into their quest for help.” – “Beto O'Rourke backs Joe Kennedy in Massachusetts Senate primary against Ed Markey,” by Paul LeBlanc, CNN: “Former Texas Rep. Beto O'Rourke on Sunday backed his friend and former colleague Massachusetts Rep. Joe Kennedy in his primary challenge against Sen. Ed Markey.” – “Where is Worchester, Massachusetts? Kennedy ad causes social media stir,” by Rick Sobey, Boston Herald: ““Massachusetts politicos on Sunday lit up social media — and had some fun — over a typo in a campaign ad for Joe Kennedy III two days before the primary. The ad from Local 103 IBEW in support of Kennedy included the wrong spelling of Worcester.” | | AS SEEN ON TV |
| – KENNEDY ON KELLER — Rep. Joe Kennedy III criticized Sen. Ed Markey as being on the "wrong side" of racial justice issues during an interview with WBZ's Jon Keller that aired on Sunday. "You hope to serve in times of consequence in this job. Sen. Markey served in times of consequence particularly when it comes to racial justice and he’s been on the wrong side over and over again," Kennedy said. "It’s not enough to legislate on racial justice. An economic recovery bill is a racial justice bill. A transportation bill is s a racial justice bill. A healthcare bill has to be a racial justice bill. What we’ve seen is a lack of awareness and commitment from the senator on those topics." Link. – GALVIN: TURNOUT HITS 700K — Voters have already cast 700,000 ballots for Tuesday's primary election, Secretary of State Bill Galvin told WCVB's "On the Record" on Sunday. The vast majority of those ballots — 600,000 — came via the state's new vote-by-mail program, Galvin said. Early in-person voting was also an option leading up to the primary, though no ballots will be counted until the polls close at 8 p.m. on Tuesday. Many voters in the suburbs have already turned out to vote via mail, so the focus now shifts onto the cities, where fewer people used that option, Galvin said. "Fewer people have voted by mail in the cities so if the turnout is fairly even, especially if there are local contests, there will probably a higher raw number of people going out in the cities," Galvin said. Link. – WALSH: IT’S NOT ALL NASTY — Primary campaigning is down to the wire, and it’s become downright ugly in the last several weeks. Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, who has endorsed Sen. Ed Markey for reelection, said the tone of the race is a shame during an appearance on cable TV on Sunday night. "It's unfortunate that it has gotten nasty. We're not used to that kind of campaigning, really, when it comes to Massachusetts politics,” Walsh said during an interview on MSNBC. That characterization may surprise some Bay State political watchers. A race that ends on a cordial note is, in some ways, more unusual than a nasty one. Asked if Markey can pull off a win, Walsh said the pandemic makes the race difficult to predict. "It's hard to say. The polls all say that," Walsh said. "In this year's election with mail-in ballots and the coronavirus it's very complicated to see exactly what will happen." | | MEDIA MATTERS |
| NEWSPAPER SCORECARD — Most campaigns and political operatives will tell you that on the whole, endorsements don't mean that much. But in close primary races with everyone stuck at home due to the pandemic, endorsements have become lightning rods this cycle. The Boston Globe's endorsements of Sen. Ed Markey over Rep. Joe Kennedy III and Jake Auchincloss in the crowded House race to replace Kennedy garnered significant attention earlier this summer. Markey's also been endorsed by the Daily Hampshire Gazette, the Dorchester Reporter, the Everett Herald Leader, the Lynn Journal, the Rainbow Times and the North of Boston Media Group, which publishes the Eagle-Tribune, The Salem News, The Daily News of Newburyport, and the Gloucester Daily Times. For his part, Kennedy has won endorsements from the African American Point of View, the media group which publishes Irish Central, Irish Voice and Irish America, the Springfield Republican, the Berkshire Eagle and The Lowell Sun. While not quite an endorsement, the Boston Herald voiced its support for Kennedy as well. On the Republican side, Kevin O’Connor has been endorsed by The Lowell Sun and the Boston Herald. In the western part of the state, papers are split in the fiery primary between House Ways and Means chair Richard Neal and Holyoke Mayor Alex Morse. Neal was endorsed by the Springfield Republican and the Berkshire Eagle, while Morse has the backing of the Daily Hampshire Gazette. A primary challenger to Rep. Seth Moulton, Angus McQuilken, has won endorsements from WickedLocal Group and North of Boston Media Group, which collectively represent more than a dozen newspapers. Moulton has been endorsed by the Lynn Item. Newspaper endorsements are scarce in the race to replace Kennedy in the House. Only the Boston Globe opted to choose a favorite among the seven Democrats in the race, or the two Republicans. | | PRIMARY SOURCES |
| – “In 4th Congressional District, echo of another race for a Kennedy seat,” by Michael Jonas, CommonWealth Magazine: “It’s a crowded Democratic primary field for a rare open congressional seat in Massachusetts, one being vacated by a son of the state’s most storied political family. While that fairly describes the scramble that is on for the House seat Joe Kennedy is giving up to run for US Senate, it was also the template for a Democratic primary race 22 years ago when his father, Joseph Kennedy II, gave up the Boston-based House seat he had held for six terms.” FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: KHAZEI'S LAST AD — Alan Khazei, a Democrat running in the crowded House race to replace Kennedy, is releasing his final digital ad today. Link. – Auchincloss and Mermell are neck and neck in new Massachusetts 4th poll,” by Melissa Weiss, Jewish Insider: “Newton City Councilor Jake Auchincloss and former Brookline select board member Jesse Mermell are in a statistical dead heat in the race to succeed Rep. Joe Kennedy III (D-MA) in Massachusetts’s 4th congressional district, according to a new Jewish Insider poll released on Sunday. Twenty-three percent of voters polled support Auchincloss, while 22% back Mermell.” – “In race for Fourth District seat, uncertainty has reigned. Seven Democrats say they’re the one to overcome it,” by Matt Stout, Boston Globe: “Such is the tumult that’s enveloped the Fourth District, where the country’s last unsettled open-seat primary has shed candidates but not uncertainty with just days left before the Sept. 1 election.” – “As Massachusetts Democrats march left, Republicans see opportunity,” by Lisa Kashinsky and Sean Philip Cotter, Boston Herald: “Running red is often an uphill battle in ever-blue Massachusetts — but this fall, as Democratic candidates work to either out-progressive each other or wage insurgent-left campaigns against their party’s moderate incumbents, their Republican challengers see opportunity.” | | THE DOWN-BALLOT RACES |
| 5 LEGISLATIVE RACES TO WATCH — Races for the State House are important for two reasons: Much of the decision-making that impacts our daily lives is made on the state level, plus a competitive race can drive up turnout in key areas and impact races at the top of the ballot. Here are five contests I'm keeping an eye on — I'll break down five more tomorrow. Meehan vs. Honan — Attorney and activist Jordan Meehan is challenging longtime Rep. Kevin Honan for his seat representing Allston-Brighton. This race has hinged on housing, since the district is made up of so many landlords, renters and college students. Link. Vidot vs. Ryan — Chelsea City Councilor Damali Vidot is challenging incumbent Rep. Dan Ryan, who represents Chelsea and Charlestown. Vidot entered the race after Covid-19 became rampant in her city, which was one of the hardest-hit places in Massachusetts. Link. Rodrigues vs. Brady — State Sen. Mike Brady is facing a primary from former mayor and current Brockton City Councilor Moises Rodrigues. Brady has goodwill in the district, but he took a hit when he was stripped of his committee chairmanship after a drunken driving incident in 2018. Rodrigues was appointed as the city's first Cape Verdean mayor after the death of former Mayor Bill Carpenter. Link. Bartley vs. Duffy vs. Beaudry — Three Democrats are running to replace outgoing Holyoke state Rep. Aaron Vega — David Bartley, Patricia Duffy and Patrick Beaudry. The next lawmaker from the district will play a role in the aftermath of a tragic coronavirus outbreak at the Holyoke Soldiers’ Home. The local race could also drive up turnout in the primary between Alex Morse and Richard Neal. Link. Flowers vs. Philips — The race between State House staffer Ted Philips and economist Andrew Flowers is shaping up to be an expensive one. The candidates have raised a combined $100,000 in the contest to replace retiring Stoughton state Rep. Lou Kafka. Link. | | DATELINE BEACON HILL |
| – “Primary challengers, newcomers looking for ticket to Beacon Hill on Tuesday,” by Stephanie Ebbert, Boston Globe: “A host of progressive challengers — including numerous women of color — are taking aim at seats on Beacon Hill in Tuesday’s Democratic primary election. Frustrated by the disparities laid bare by COVID-19 and encouraged by the protests for racial justice in the streets, they are trying to capitalize on the moment to break into the corridors of power.” | | THE WILD WEST |
| – “This Massachusetts House Primary Is Progressives’ Biggest Test Yet,” by Daniel Marans, HuffPost: “One of the last Democratic congressional primaries of this election cycle is also one of its most consequential. Holyoke, Massachusetts, Mayor Alex Morse, 31, is taking on Rep. Richard Neal, chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee, on Tuesday in the Democratic primary for Massachusetts’ 1st Congressional District.” – “Top Democrat Richard Neal Disavows Super PAC Ad Blasting His Opponent,” by Daniel Marans, HuffPost: “The campaign of Rep. Richard Neal, a Massachusetts Democrat fighting a spirited progressive challenge from Holyoke, Massachusetts, Mayor Alex Morse, called for a pro-Neal group to take down an advertisement using a politically motivated smear to attack Morse. | | ABOVE THE FOLD |
| — Herald: “C'S OPEN STRONG," "PLAYING THE TRUMP CARD,” — Globe: “A move-in day like no other," "Ore. violence spurs barbs from Trump.” | | NEWS YOU NEED TO KNOW |
| – “In Massachusetts, the Democratic Party shifts toward supporting voting rights for all,” by Daniel Nichanian, The Appeal : “The call for universal suffrage has gained steam among Democratic officials in the state, fueled by years of activism by Massachusetts organizers working from both inside and outside prisons, and by the renewed national reckoning around racial injustice in the criminal legal system. Heading into Tuesday’s primaries, The Appeal: Political Report has determined that a clear majority of the state’s all-Democratic congressional delegation—seven out of 11—has gone on the record in favor of abolishing disenfranchisement altogether. “ – “College moving day is almost here, but many Boston-area apartments sit empty,” by Tim Logan, Boston Globe: “These are unusual times in Boston’s rental market. You might even call them unprecedented.The coronavirus pandemic, a rapid shift to working from home, and mass confusion at the colleges and universities that drive so much of the city’s housing demand have combined to give tenants a rare upper hand over landlords.” – “‘Another world is possible.’ Ayanna Pressley calls for political change at March on Washington,” by Christina Prignano, Boston Globe: “Representative Ayanna Pressley expressed confidence in the ability of the recent racial justice movements to translate into lasting political change as she addressed the 2020 March on Washington on Friday.” – “Baker activates National Guard, but gives no reason,” by Laura Crimaldi, Boston Globe: “Governor Charlie Baker on Friday activated up to 1,000 members of the Massachusetts National Guard to provide ‘necessary assistance to State and local civilian authorities,’ but did no give a reason for the move.” – “Families protesting flu vaccine mandate for students in Massachusetts gather outside State House in Boston Sunday,” by Amanda Getchell, MassLive.com: “Hundreds of parents, children, educators and public health workers rallied at the Massachusetts State House Sunday morning, standing in solidarity against the flu vaccine mandate announced by the Department of Public Health earlier this month.” HAPPY BIRTHDAY – to state Sen. Becca Rausch. NEW EPISODE: PRIMARY SCHOOL – On this week’s Horse Race podcast, hosts Jennifer Smith, Steve Koczela and Stephanie Murray break down the Sept. 1 primary. 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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