POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: QANON makes its way to MASS. — TRUMP and BIDEN to DEBATE — The CENSUS struggle

BY STEPHANIE MURRAY Presented by CuriosityStream GOOD MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. QANON MAKES ITS WAY TO MASSACHUSETTS — A long shot Republican running against Rep. Jim McGovern this November sought to tie the congressman to a dangerous conspiracy theory in a recent interview, and McGovern is calling on Republicans to denounce her statement. Congressional candidate Tracy Lovvorn has made reference to the QAnon conspiracy, a baseless theory that suggests President Donald Trump is working to defeat a group of pedophiles within the American government with the help of an anonymous figure. QAnon has been labeled a potential domestic terrorism threat by the FBI. Asked about her beliefs in recent interviews, Lovvorn said some facets of the QAnon conspiracy are outlandish, but that she finds others credible, naming the arrest and death of convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein as an example. Lovvorn tried to link McGovern to the far right-wing conspiracy theory during an interview with the New Boston Post last week. On the national level, President Donald Trump has declined to denounce supporters of the conspiracy theory, even as members of his own administration have distanced themselves from the issue. "QAnon isn't a harmless conspiracy theory — it's a sick cult that exploits exploited children and has been called a domestic terror threat by the FBI. It has no basis in reality. Reasonable Republicans need to denounce it and not stand on the sidelines," McGovern said in a statement. It's all but certain McGovern will win reelection in November, but Lovvorn's embrace of QAnon shows that the conspiracy has a presence even in deep blue Massachusetts. And the Grafton Republican's views have been generating some attention this week — Lovvorn was asked about QAnon during an NECN interview, and independent Worcester journalist Bill Shaner also covered her comments. The MassGOP, which supports Lovvorn, did not respond to a request for comment. Lovvorn is not the only Bay State Republican embracing fringe theories in the run-up to the election. Helen Brady, the Plymouth Republican running against Rep. Bill Keating, recently tweeted a medical study that has been cited by coronavirus conspiracy theorists, and confirmed her concern to POLITICO that the government could use a Covid-19 vaccine to insert medical information into a patient's skin. Conspiracy theories about the pandemic have derailed contact tracing efforts in other states, and further conspiracies about a vaccine could deter people from getting it once it becomes available. Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget for the Playbook? Get in touch: smurray@politico.com. TODAY — President Donald Trump and former Vice President Joe Biden debate for the first time. Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Sen. Ed Markey host a virtual fundraiser. Boston Mayor Marty Walsh speaks to the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce.   A message from CuriosityStream: Is docu-binging a thing? If it isn’t, then it definitely should be. Discover a treasure trove of enlightened entertainment with CuriosityStream, the first on-demand documentary streaming service. Unlock access to thousands of streamable documentaries and non-fiction TV shows on History, Nature, Science, Food, Technology, Travel, and more for just $14.99 for the whole YEAR by using the code POLITICO when you sign up. Sign Up Today.     HAPPENING THURSDAY - SOLVING THE DRUG PRICING PUZZLE: The cost of prescription drugs is top of mind for millions of Americans and a motivating factor in the upcoming election. Join POLITICO Thursday, Oct. 1 at 10 a.m. EDT for a conversation exploring ideas to make prescription drugs more affordable, including patent reform, how the FDA can build on its recent record of fast-tracking generic approvals, and the role of international price benchmarking. REGISTER HERE.     THE LATEST NUMBERS – “New COVID cases in Massachusetts steadily rising as state reports 367 new cases, 11 more deaths,” by Tanner Stening, MassLive.com: “State health officials confirmed another 367 coronavirus cases on Monday, bringing the statewide total to 128,793. Health officials also announced another 11 COVID-related deaths, for a total now of 9,202 since the start of the pandemic.” DATELINE BEACON HILL – “Massachusetts officials, volunteers can’t get data from U.S. Census Bureau to pinpoint potentially undercounted areas,” by Steph Solis, MassLive.com: “While legal battle over the 2020 Census deadline drags on in federal courts, census officials and advocates say the U.S. Census Bureau is making it harder for them to pinpoint what Massachusetts neighborhoods still need to be counted. State officials, researchers and advocates across the country say they don’t have a clear picture of who is being counted because the U.S. Census Bureau has declined to share localized data on the status of residents who didn’t fill out the census.” – “Mass. lawmakers seek expanded jobless payments,” by Christian M. Wade, Eagle-Tribune: “Lawmakers want the Baker administration to extend new federal unemployment benefits to jobless workers who fall just below the threshold to qualify. In a letter to state Labor Secretary Rosalin Acosta, lawmakers said they've heard from low-income workers who are not eligible for the $300 per week in payments from the federal government because they qualify for less than $100 in weekly state unemployment payments.” – “Calls For State Abortion Protections Grow Louder After Trump Announces SCOTUS Nominee,” by Adrian Ma, WBUR: “During a White House ceremony on Saturday in which President Trump announced Judge Amy Coney Barrett as his nominee to succeed the late Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg on the Supreme Court, Barrett promised to ‘apply the law as written. Of course, the meaning of the words in the Constitution is a matter of legal interpretation.” – “Blacks, Latinos migrating from Boston to Gateway Cities,” by Sarah Betancourt, CommonWealth Magazine: “Blacks and Latinos in search of lower-cost housing are migrating from Boston to the state’s 26 Gateway Cities, according to mortgage origination data analyzed by MassINC researchers. In 2007, according to the MassINC research brief, 27 percent of the state’s black home buyers purchased in Boston. But by 2017 that percentage had fallen to 11 percent, a 16-point drop. Over that same time period, the share of blacks purchasing homes in Gateway Cities jumped by 15 points, rising from 38 to 53 percent.” – “A state budget in three weeks? Officials poised for ambitious push,” by Matt Murphy, State House News Service: “The House and Senate may be getting ready in unprecedented economic times to attempt to do in three weeks what would ordinarily take three months, according to the Senate's top budget writer. That would be to draft and put an annual state budget on Gov. Charlie Baker's desk. But exactly how the Legislature would accomplish this feat remains to be explained.” FROM THE HUB – “Homey, coveted, costly — and crushed by the pandemic,” by Rebecca Ostriker, Todd Wallack, Liz Kowalczyk, Robert Weisman, Mark Arsenault, and editor Patricia Wen, Boston Globe: “The staggering toll is a case study in the indiscriminate power of this virus and in the failure of the state and the elder-care system to protect some of Massachusetts’ most vulnerable residents. As the virus initially spread inside Belmont Manor, many caregivers weren’t wearing masks. When people started getting sick, the nursing home’s leaders had a less-than-adequate plan to stem the tide.” – “Despite Soaring Demand For Flu Shots, State Is Not Worried About Short Supplies,” by Marilyn Schairer, GBH News: “The Massachusetts Department of Public Health is reporting strong demand for the flu vaccine this year, and said the supply is abundant despite shipment delays in some locations across the state. Pejman Talebian, Director of the Immunization Division for the Department of Public Health said DPH will be supplying, ‘more than 1.2 million doses of flu vaccine this year compared to approximately 900,000 doses annually over the last several years.’” – “As rate of positive coronavirus tests increases in Massachusetts, some experts urge caution,” by Dasia Moore, Boston Globe: “As COVID-19 outbreaks ravaged much of the country over the summer, Massachusetts was largely spared. But one week into fall, epidemiologists see signs that the virus is once again on the rise here, with some warning that the state should at least press pause on plans to further loosen restrictions.” – “Salem State University students to face discipline for violating public health guidelines with large gathering,” by Emily Sweeney, Boston Globe: “Several Salem State University students will face discipline for attending off-campus gatherings in violation of public health guidelines, authorities said. Salem Mayor Kim Driscoll and Salem State University President John Keenan released a joint statement that said the two incidents occurred Friday night.” – “With public schools shifted to remote learning, Catholic schools in Massachusetts left without school bus transportation,” by Heather Morrison, MassLive.com: “When Massachusetts' largest school districts shifted to fully remote learning for the start of the 2020-2021 school year, the decision left some parents longing for the sight of a yellow school bus rolling down their street.” THE RACE FOR CITY HALL – “Michelle Wu’s personal path to politics,” by Michael Jonas, CommonWealth Magazine: “Boston City Councilor Michelle Wu confirmed earlier this month what had been widely speculated for more than a year — she will run for mayor next year. Wu has, in very short order, become a political force to be reckoned with in the city. She placed second in the at-large council race in her first run for office, in 2013, a feat she repeated two years later before going on to top the at-large ticket in the last two city elections.” PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES – “In the most complicated stretch of the Green Line extension, cyclists will rise above it all,” by Adam Vaccaro, Boston Globe: “Right now, this industrial strip in the Inner Belt district is a thicket of concrete pillars, steel beams, ramps, and half-finished viaducts. But in a little more than a year, these elevated tracks will finally carry MBTA trolley riders, the conclusion of the decades-long effort to extend the Green Line north into Medford.” NOVEMBER IS COMING – “Legislative candidates seek election do-overs,” by Shira Schoenberg, CommonWealth Magazine: “Doing the same thing again and expecting a different result may be the definition of insanity, as the saying goes, but some legislative candidates are doing it anyway. This November, voters will be asked to choose sides – again – in several legislative rematches. Democratic state Sen. Sue Moran, Democratic state Sen. John Velis, and Democratic state Rep. Carol Doherty all won their seats in special elections this spring, and all are facing the same challengers again this fall.” – “Massachusetts Dems Spelled Their Own Name Wrong on Their Joe Biden Lawn Signs,” by Spencer Buell, Boston Magazine: “When Jessy Han, a 19-year-old podcaster from Andover, saw that his local Democratic Town Committee had Biden/Harris lawn signs up for grabs, he was eager to show his support for the campaign. So he happily handed over a $7 donation and picked one up over the weekend. Before he plunked it in his front yard, though, he spotted something he calls “unfortunate” in the sign’s required funding disclosure at the bottom of its message: The Massachusetts Democratic party had spelled its own name wrong.” – “Julie Hall, Mass. 4th Congressional District Candidate, Talks 'Law And Order' In Pitch To Voters,” by Aidan Connelly, GBH News: “On Monday’s Boston Public Radio, Republican candidate for Massachusetts' Fourth Congressional District Julie Hall discussed her views on police reform, gun control, face masks, and whether the Senate should vote to confirm Judge Amy Coney Barrett to the Supreme Court ahead of the November election.”   A message from CuriosityStream:     DAY IN COURT – “Former Springfield Police Detective Florissa Fuentes, fired over Black Lives Matter social media post, files lawsuit against city,” by Stephanie Barry, Springfield Republican: “About three months after she was fired over a Black Lives Matter social media post, former Springfield Police Detective Florissa Fuentes has sued the city in Hampden Superior Court. The lawsuit, filed Monday, argues the Hispanic mother of three was treated unfairly by the police department in comparison with her male, non-minority counterparts.” ABOVE THE FOLD — Herald: “RAIN DANCE," "HIGH STAKES,” — Globe : “Caution urged as positive rate rises," "Disclosure on Trump's taxes roils campaign," "Homey, coveted, costly.” FROM THE 413 – “Berkshire County DA Releases Prosecutorial Police Watch List,” by Walter Wuthmann, WBUR: “Berkshire County District Attorney Andrea Harrington earlier this week became the latest Massachusetts DA to publicly release a list of police officers her office tracks whose past conduct may raise questions about their credibility in court.” – “How Budget Cuts Are Stressing UMass Students,” by Kirk Carapezza, GBH News: “The University of Massachusetts Amherst drastically reduced the number of students invited back to campus this fall, keeping most courses online. To save money, the state’s flagship university laid off hundreds of resident assistants and peer mentors, including senior James Cordero.” THE LOCAL ANGLE – “Some covid-19 rule-breakers could be narcissists, experts say. Here’s how to approach them.” by Allyson Chiu, The Washington Post: “Susan Whitbourne was shopping recently in her neighborhood Whole Foods in Framingham, Mass., when another patron caught her eye. The man, who was chatting on his cellphone as he meandered around the store, had pulled his face covering down — a violation of Massachusetts’s statewide mask mandate.” – “Defund WPD calls on Worcester city manager, city council to create a public online database of police conduct records,” by Michael Bonner, MassLive.com: “Defund WPD, an organization aimed at reforming the Worcester Police Department, on Friday delivered a petition with more than 1,200 signatures calling for the city to create a public database of police conduct records. The petition was addressed to Worcester City Manager Edward Augustus Jr., the City Council and Police Chief Steve Sargent.” – “Worcester schools begin planning for return to in-person learning,” by Scott O’Connell, Telegram & Gazette: “The school department on Tuesday will begin the process of figuring out how many students the district can bring back to in-person learning later this fall, and where those kids will be, according to the superintendent.” – “Haverhill deals with nursing home COVID 'cluster,' school spread pushing city into 'red' high-risk zone,” by Allison Corneau, Eagle-Tribune: “Less than two weeks into the school year, new COVID-19 cases continue to emerge in Haverhill schools — forcing officials to warn residents to have of increased vigilance as the city prepares to enter the ‘red’ high risk zone this week. That's in addition to what Mayor James Fiorentini says is a coronavirus ‘cluster’ of cases at the Lakeview House nursing home that account for 20 of the city's 31 new cases reported on Sunday.” – “Despite ‘red’ category, New Bedford schools continue some ‘in-person’ learning,” by Kerri Tallman, SouthCoast Today: “The city may be in its third week of being designated a red (higher risk) community for COVID-10 but the leaders of the city’s schools districts say they remain comfortable with the in-person component of their learning plans. New Bedford’s percent positivity rate -- thought to be a good indicator of how prevalent COVID-19 spread is in a community -- has declined each of the three weeks the city has been in the red category, from 4.5% to 4.05% to 3.83%.” HAPPY BIRTHDAY – to state Rep. Tommy Vitolo, Cassie Moreno, Tyler O'Day, David Nather, who is 56; Greig Fields and Aron Chilewich. NEW EPISODE: YES WE CAMPBELL – On this week’s Horse Race podcast, hosts Jennifer Smith and Steve Koczela discuss Boston City Councilor Andrea Campbell’s entrance into the 2021 mayoral race, and Rebecca Hart Holder of NARAL Pro-Choice Massachusetts talks about the Supreme Court and reproductive rights. 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.   A message from CuriosityStream: Educate and enlighten the whole family with award-winning documentaries streaming on CuriosityStream . Refine your content consumption with 35 curated collections, hand picked by their experts featuring some of their originals even feature incredible hosts like David Attenbourough, Stephen Hawking, Nick Offerman, and Chris Hadfield. CuriosityStream also works on just about any device, so you can keep learning no matter where you go. Use code POLITICO to sign up, a year’s worth of access to award-winning exclusives and originals for just $14.99. Sign Up Today.     NEW EPISODES: LISTEN TO POLITICO'S GLOBAL TRANSLATIONS PODCAST: The world has always been beset by big problems that defy political boundaries, but in 2020 many of those issues have exploded. Are world leaders and political actors up to the task of solving them? Is the private sector? Our Global Translations podcast, presented by Citi, unpacks the roadblocks to smart policy decisions, and examines the long-term costs of the short-term thinking that drives many political and business decisions. Subscribe now for Season Two, launching Oct. 21.       Follow us on Twitter Stephanie Murray @StephMurr_Jour   Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook family Playbook  |  Playbook PM  |  California Playbook  |  Florida Playbook  |  Illinois Playbook  |  Massachusetts Playbook  |  New Jersey Playbook  |  New York Playbook  |  Brussels Playbook  |  London Playbook View all our politics and policy newsletters FOLLOW US

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