| | |  | BY STEPHANIE MURRAY | GOOD MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. WU EYES HISTORY-MAKING MAYORAL BID — If Boston Mayor Marty Walsh runs for reelection next year, beating him won't be easy. The last time an incumbent mayor lost in Boston was in 1949. And that was the late Mayor James Michael Curley, who spent part of his term in a federal prison. Boston City Councilor Michelle Wu is running for mayor and hoping to change that trend. Wu announced her campaign yesterday, and addressed Boston's tendency to reelect incumbent mayors during an interview on WBUR. "We love our history in Boston and the reality as a city that is full of history is we know no one is the first until they do it and it happens," Wu said. "We're actually building a movement here to connect with the real history of Boston, our legacy as a city that has always stood up for what is right, fighting for those systemic big picture changes even when the odds are slim." If Walsh does run for reelection, how Boston handles the coronavirus pandemic over the coming year will be key. Covid-19 has impacted everything — schools, public health, housing and homelessness, transportation and the economy. The mayor is well-liked, and he won reelection with 66 percent of the vote in 2017 against former City Councilor Tito Jackson. "I want to commend Councilor Wu on her decision. I have great respect for her or anyone who runs for office. I look forward to more conversations about how we can move our city forward," Walsh said during a press conference on Tuesday. He passed on a question about whether his administration mishandled Boston's economic boom, as Wu has suggested, and hinted that the mayoral field may grow. "Whether it's the councilor or anyone else that might decide to think about running for mayor, there will be conversations later on at some point about all that." Here's something to watch: Many of Sen. Ed Markey's outspoken supporters from the Sept. 1 primary have shifted their online organizing power to Wu. Making things a little complicated is the fact that Walsh endorsed Markey for reelection against Rep. Joe Kennedy III, while Wu stayed out of the primary. But don't expect next year's mayoral race to be a repeat of what happened this month. The mood of the electorate changes from year to year, especially with the presidential election looming and the ongoing pandemic, and without a blockbuster statewide primary on the ballot. If the most recent primary followed what happened in 2018, progressive primary challengers like Holyoke Mayor Alex Morse and state legislative candidates Jordan Meehan and Damali Vidot may have won. Instead, incumbents ruled on Sept. 1 — Markey, Rep. Richard Neal and state Reps. Kevin Honan and Dan Ryan, among others, all fended off primary challengers. That's a shift from two years earlier when a slate of progressive Black and Latino candidates — Rep. Ayanna Pressley, Suffolk County District Attorney Rachael Rollins and state Reps. Nika Elugardo and Jon Santiago — upset incumbents or won a tough open-seat primary in 2018. Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget for the Playbook? Get in touch: smurray@politico.com. TODAY — Attorney General Maura Healey speaks to the Alliance for Business Leadership as part of the group’s “Progressive Power Hour.” Suffolk County District Attorney Rachel Rollins is a guest on WBUR. Rep. Katherine Clark launches a U.S. Census phone bank, and hosts a Facebook Live with Washington Rep. Suzanne DelBene on the impact of Covid-19 on families. | |
| | HAPPENING TODAY - HOW WILL WE RETURN TO AIR TRAVEL? Air travel has been significantly disrupted by the coronavirus pandemic. The decline in passengers has cost billions — an unprecedented blow to the economy, at home and abroad. As Congress mulls granting an extension in payroll assistance in the CARES Act to U.S. airlines, join CEOs Patrick Steel of POLITICO and Scott Kirby of United Airlines for a virtual conversation about the future of air travel and what it will take to get Americans back into the sky. REGISTER HERE. | | | | | |  | THE LATEST NUMBERS |
| – “Massachusetts reports 286 new COVID cases, 6 more coronavirus deaths on Tuesday,” by Benjamin Kail, MassLive.com: “State public health officials on Tuesday confirmed 286 new COVID-19 cases and 6 more deaths from illness linked to the virus, bringing the commonwealth’s death toll to 9,016 since the pandemic began. When including probable cases, the state says 1,968 may have died in connection to the disease.” | | DATELINE BEACON HILL |
| – “New State Police Overtime Abuse Underlines Need For Beacon Hill Action, Baker Says,” by Mike Deehan, GBH News: “As another State Police trooper is revealed to have been disciplined for wrongfully collecting overtime pay, Gov. Charlie Baker is calling for the Legislature to pass a bill he filed last year to curb overtime abuses. The Boston Globe reported Tuesday that Sergeant Mark Lynch, a former head of the State Police union at the height of the overtime scandal, was found to have manipulated or skipped about 30 shifts he was paid for after details of the troopers' theft had been revealed to the public.” – “‘Really alive in every sense of that word’: Charlie Baker and others reflect on the death of SJC chief justice Ralph Gants,” by Nik DeCosta-Klipa, Boston.com: “Gov. Charlie Baker ordered American and Massachusetts flags to be flown at half-mast “until further notice” Tuesday to honor the ‘unparalleled’ life and legacy of Supreme Judicial Court Chief Justice Ralph Gants. During a press conference Tuesday afternoon in Fitchburg, the Massachusetts governor called Gants’ unexpected death ‘shocking, and in some ways, overwhelming .’” – “It won’t be long before jobless benefits begin to run out,” by Larry Edelman, Boston Globe: “Back to school is underway (kind of) and the leaves are starting to flash some fall color. Before you know it we’ll blow through Halloween and barrel headlong toward Thanksgiving and Christmakwanzakah. Of course, the tack of the coronavirus pandemic will determine just how happy the holidays are. A big unknown is how much time we’ll be able to spend with family and friends outside our COVID bubbles with the virus lurking in the epidemiological shadows.” – “Agencies scramble to offer school-day childcare,” by Shira Schoenberg, CommonWealth Magazine: “Thousands of Massachusetts students are starting school remotely this fall. Many of their parents are working. Where will those kids go during the day? The question is one that myriad social service and childcare organizations are scrambling to address with an unusual amount of collaboration, amid conditions that result in logistical nightmares.” – “State to head up contact tracing at Boston College amid COVID-19 outbreak,” by Laura Krantz and Deirdre Fernandes, Boston Globe: “The state said Tuesday that it will take the lead in contact tracing at Boston College amid growing skepticism on campus about the school’s testing regimen, which is less rigorous than at some other local universities, and concern that the the school is not equipped to control the spread of COVID-19.” – “Health insurance premiums to rise 8% next year,” by Shira Schoenberg, CommonWealth Magazine: “Health insurance premiums for Massachusetts residents will rise by an average of 7.9 percent at the beginning of next year, despite insurers having profited from declining health care costs during the COVID-19 pandemic. Kevin Beagan, deputy commissioner for the health market at the state Division of Insurance, said the higher premiums reflect several factors, including uncertainty about what health care will look like next year.” | | THE RACE FOR CITY HALL |
| – “Ed Markey’s ‘Markeyverse’ of online activists lining up behind Michelle Wu,” by Sean Philip Cotter and Lisa Kashinsky, Boston Herald: “The Markeyverse is giving rise to the Wuniverse. The Gen-Z activists whose social-media savvy improbably powered 74-year-old incumbent U.S. Sen. Edward Markey to a primary win over 39-year-old challenger U.S. Rep. Joseph Kennedy III earlier this month are at it again — this time for newly minted Boston mayoral candidate Michelle Wu.” – “Analysis: 5 Reasons To Take Michelle Wu's Mayoral Candidacy Seriously — And 5 Reasons Not To,” by Adam Reilly, GBH News: “After months of speculation, Boston City Councilor Michelle Wu made it official Tuesday: She’s running for mayor in 2021, possibly against the incumbent, Marty Walsh, and possibly not, if Walsh doesn’t run for reelection. (It's possible, for example, that if Joe Biden wins the presidency, he'll tap Walsh for a post in his administration.)” | | FROM THE HUB |
| – “NAACP National Convention, Forced Online By COVID, Will Return To Boston In 2023,” by Phillip Martin, GBH News: “When COVID-19 forced the cancellation this summer of most in-person gatherings, one of the most bitter blows to Boston was the loss of the NAACP national convention, which had been slated to take place here for the first time since 1982. But NAACP Boston Branch President Tanisha Sullivan told GBH News Tuesday that the group has decided to give Boston a second try at an in-person national convention in 2023.” – “In the age of COVID, high school parties send school districts scrambling,” by Zoe Greenberg, Boston Globe: “Parties hosted by high school students that would have once been routine have thrown entire school districts into disarray, warranting furious letters from school administrators and delaying in-person learning in some Dover-Sherborn, Lincoln-Sudbury, and Dedham schools. The gatherings have also frustrated the best efforts of school and public health officials, who say that despite the high stakes, there isn’t much schools can do to prevent similar events in the future.” – “Following environmental uproar, Boston councilors want to talk about Melnea Cass plan,” by Danny McDonald, Boston Globe: “Boston city councilors want to take a look at a redesign plan for Melnea Cass Boulevard, following community uproar over the prospective removal of 124 mature trees that line the thoroughfare. Councilors Kim Janey and Julia Mejia want a hearing to look at strategies to improve safety while preserving the mature trees along the corridor, which was named after a prominent civil rights activist.” – “Boston Mayor Marty Walsh extends outdoor dining season, waives fees for space heaters as weather cools,” by Benjamin Kail, MassLive.com: “Boston Mayor Marty Walsh on Tuesday announced fee waivers for outdoor propane heaters and crossed his fingers for light weather heading into the winter as he extended the city’s outdoor dining season to support restaurants during the COVID-19 pandemic. Restaurants using outdoor dining spaces that do not extend onto sidewalks and parking lanes may do so for the duration of the public health crisis, Walsh said.” | | ON THE STUMP |
| – “Meet the Republican running against Ed Markey in the general election,” by Nik DeCosta-Klipa, Boston.com: “Sen. Ed Markey may have pulled off an impressive and historic win in the Democratic primary this summer. But his re-election isn’t clinched yet. As much as Markey has focused on President Donald Trump and flipping the Senate majority in the Nov. 3 general election, the Malden native is facing an energetic challenge from Republican Senate nominee Kevin O’Connor back home.” | | PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES |
| – “Poftak pushes feds for $32b for transit agencies,” by Bruce Mohl, CommonWealth Magazine: “With financial challenges mounting at the MBTA, General Manager Steve Poftak joined transportation officials from across the country on Tuesday to press Congress to pass a stimulus package containing $32 billion of financial aid for the nation’s transit authorities. The amount is more than the $25 billion the agencies received under the earlier CARES Act and far more than the $15.75 billion the House included in a stimulus package that is currently sitting dormant on Capitol Hill.” – “'We Have To Be Realistic': MBTA Considers Permanent Service Cuts Amid Budget Crisis,” by Zeninjor Enwemeka, WBUR: “The MBTA is considering cutting some service permanently as the transit agency faces major budget challenges due to the coronavirus pandemic. The proposed service overhaul could mean some riders may have to walk further, transfer more often or switch modes of transit — and potentially, pay more — in the future.” | | DAY IN COURT |
| – “Baker, already faced with a historic chance to reshape judiciary, could now name the entire SJC,” by Matt Stout, Boston Globe: “The sudden death of Supreme Judicial Court Chief Justice Ralph D. Gants has left the Massachusetts bar and broader political world mourning a jurist considered a 'giant' within the court’s centuries-long history. The tragedy also has opened the door for something rare, and perhaps unprecedented, in its modern iteration: Governor Charlie Baker could select an entire high court of his own nominees.” – “Appeals court backs Trump on immigrant program,” by Sarah Betancourt, CommonWealth Magazine: “A federal appeals court has ruled the Trump administration can end humanitarian protections that have allowed more than 300,000 people from El Salvador, Haiti, Nicaragua, and Sudan to remain in the United States, including thousands in Massachusetts. A divided 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals on Monday lifted a preliminary injunction that blocked the government from ending Temporary Protected Status, or TPS, for people from those four countries.” | | DATELINE D.C. |
| – “Katherine Clark, who has swiftly climbed the House ranks, will run for assistant speaker,” by Jess Bidgood, Boston Globe: “Representative Katherine Clark, the Melrose Democrat and the second-highest ranking woman in the party’s House leadership, is planning to run for the role of assistant speaker. Clark, a low-key operator in Washington whose allies credit her with helping Democrats recapture the House majority in 2018, has been reaching out to her colleagues in recent weeks and asking for their support ahead of her expected announcement.” – “Calls to declare racism a public health crisis grow louder amid pandemic, police brutality,” by Kim Bellware, The Washington Post: “On Sept. 3, Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) introduced the Anti-Racism in Public Health Act, a bill that would formally identify systemic racism as a public health crisis in the United States. The law, which has Rep. Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) and Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) as co-sponsors, would create a National Center for Anti-Racism within the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to develop anti-racist federal health policies.” | | ABOVE THE FOLD |
| — Herald: “DINING AL FREEZCO,” — Globe: “'And then I heard her screaming . . .'" "With BC under fire, state takes lead on virus.” | | FROM THE 413 |
| – “State publishes survey in effort to ‘reimagine’ Holyoke Soldiers’ Home amid tragic loss of lives and waning pandemic,” by Stephanie Barry, Springfield Republican: “The state has published a survey to advance its ‘rapid planning’ initiative for the Holyoke Soldiers' Home following a staggering loss of lives and amid public pressure. The state posted the seven-question ‘needs assessment’ to solicit public comment on the project.” – “Defund413 advising Amherst town manger on appointments to committee reviewing police practices,” by Jim Russell, Springfield Republican: “Town Manager Paul Bockelman, who is working to appoint a committee to review police practices, told the Town Council that community activists, including Defund413, will help him vet potential members. The organization has a chapter called Defund413 Amherst, which states on its Facebook page that its ‘main goal is to take as much money away from the city/town police force as possible.’” | | THE LOCAL ANGLE |
| – “Worcester police chief insists department is free of institutional racism,” by Nick Kotsopoulos, Telegram & Gazette: “Police Chief Steven M. Sargent says institutional racism does not exist within the ranks of the local Police Department, nor would it ever be tolerated in any form. Sargent made those remarks during a meeting with the Human Rights Commission Monday night when he was pressed by some members about whether racism exists in the police force and whether racial profiling is taking place.” – “Poirier endorses fellow Republican John Simmons, a North Attleboro councilor, in state rep race,” by Tom Reilly, Sun Chronicle: “John Simmons has won the endorsement of the area’s longtime Republican lawmaker for her seat in the state Legislature. ‘I could not be more excited, or proud, to endorse North Attleboro Town Councilor John Simmons to be our next representative in the state Legislature,’ retiring state Rep. Elizabeth Poirier, R-North Attleboro, said this week.” – “Twitter account that reportedly made racist remarks may be linked to Cambridge police lieutenant,” by Arianna MacNeill, Boston.com: “Cambridge police are investigating one of their own after a member of the department may have made racist statements on a personal Twitter account. In a statement, the department said it knows of the ‘deeply disturbing social media statements’ and the department’s Professional Standards Unit has begun an investigation.” – “Lowell announces last-minute switch to remote learning,” by Emma Murphy, The Lowell Sun: “Two days before the start of school, Lowell Public Schools announced it would be opening with remote learning for students in grades 1-12. Since August, the district has been preparing for a hybrid opening that would allow 25% of the district’s students to return to school for in-person learning. On Tuesday, the district announced that a shortage of air purifiers means the majority of schools could not reopen for in-person learning.” NEW EPISODE: THE HORSE RACE OF THE APOCALYPSE – On this week’s Horse Race podcast, hosts Jennifer Smith, Steve Koczela and Stephanie Murray break down what could be in store for Boston’s 2021 mayoral race, and talk about the MassGOP candidates running for congress. 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. | |
| | CAN HEALTH APPS IMPACT THE ELECTION ? Amid persistent concerns about how the pandemic could impact voter turnout, many are overlooking one scenario – digital manipulation via health apps. Some security researchers warn that in the wrong hands, these apps could keep voters home on Election Day. How significant of a threat is this? Get insight into this and the politics, policies, and technologies driving significant change on voters' most personal issues: their health. SUBSCRIBE TO FUTURE PULSE NOW. | | | | | | |
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