| | |  | BY STEPHANIE MURRAY | GOOD MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. WHAT WENT WRONG FOR KENNEDY — The question seemed to trail him everywhere, from the day Joe Kennedy announced he’d challenge Sen. Ed Markey in the Democratic primary to the final hours of the campaign: Why are you running? In a year of campaigning across Massachusetts, Kennedy never seemed to come up with a satisfactory answer. In the end, he simply gave up trying. Instead, in a primary-eve speech in East Boston, the neighborhood where his famous family has its roots and where he launched his Senate bid in 2019, the 39-year-old congressman sought to dismiss the idea that his motivation for running mattered at all. "I've spent the last weeks and months on the roads across our commonwealth in cities like Lowell, and in Chelsea and in Gloucester. In neighborhoods like East Boston," Kennedy said. "And not one person in those cities, not one, has asked me why I am running for the Senate. The only thing they ask: What can you do to make this better, and when I need you, will you be there?" He lost every precinct in East Boston Tuesday. Kennedy’s failure to lay out a rationale for taking on Markey wasn’t the sole cause of his defeat. Rather, it was symptomatic of a campaign that was too confident, for too long — it didn’t think the usual rules applied, or that the 74-year-old Markey had enough fight in him to fend off one of the Democratic Party’s brightest young stars. Kennedy built his campaign on the promise that he would show up in Massachusetts, as opposed to his opponent, who spent too much time in Washington. The scion of the state’s iconic political dynasty would win by assembling a coalition of voters of color who didn’t always vote — similar to how Rep. Ayanna Pressley upset a veteran Massachusetts incumbent two years earlier, former Congressman Michael Capuano. His candidacy was designed around the idea that a vote for Kennedy was an investment in his seemingly limitless political future, while Markey was already on his way out the door. What Kennedy didn't envision was the way Markey would reinvent himself as a darling of the progressive left over the course of the year, harnessing the energy of young voters and climate activists. Read more. 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 virtual Kennedy Institute event moderated by the Boston Globe’s Kimberly Atkins. |  | THE LATEST NUMBERS |
| – “Massachusetts reports 22 new COVID deaths, 288 cases on Wednesday,” by Tanner Stening, MassLive.com: “State health officials announced another 22 coronavirus deaths on Wednesday, bringing the statewide death count to 8,853 since the pandemic began. Officials also confirmed 288 new cases of the virus, for a total now of at least 119,426 across the state.” | | DATELINE BEACON HILL |
| – “DeLeo's Team Wins Big As Mass. Voters Send Senior Leaders Back To Beacon Hill,” by Mike Deehan, GBH News: “The 2020 primary was a good night to be a senior member of the Massachusetts House, with each member of Speaker Robert DeLeo's leadership team retaining their seat against competition from other Democrats. The only thing close to an exception in DeLeo's sweep was former division leader Lowell Rep. Richard Nangle, and for good reason: The 11-term conservative Democrat was indicted in February on federal corruption charges.” – “Baker PAC does well backing incumbent Dems,” by Bruce Mohl, CommonWealth Magazine: “The super PAC with ties to Gov. Charlie Baker did very well on primary night, but the results were skewed because so many of the candidates it supported were incumbents and heavy favorites. Overall, the Massachusetts Majority PAC spent $154,687 in August backing 22 candidates – 18 Democrats and four Republicans, mostly for state legislative seats.” – “Galvin Stands By First Ever Mass. Election By Mail,” by Mike Deehan, WGBH News: “Secretary of State William Galvin is standing by the state's voting process, the first time universal mail-in voting had been combined with in-person balloting on a primary election day. ‘It was a success, I think was a good day for democracy, it was a good day for Massachusetts. Comparative to other states, we did pretty well,' Galvin said of the election, which likely set a new record for the number of ballots cast at over 1.5 million.” – “Lobbying remains lucrative during pandemic,” by Bruce Mohl, CommonWealth Magazine: “Even in a pandemic, lobbying is continuing on Beacon Hill. Records covering the first half of 2020 indicate the 10 biggest spenders on lobbying during the first half of 2020 spent almost the same amount as the 10 biggest spenders in 2019, even though COVID-19 hit the state hard in early March and is continuing to curtail legislative activity on Beacon Hill.” | | FROM THE HUB |
| – “State prisons resuming in-person visits, programming,” by Sarah Betancourt, CommonWealth Magazine: “The Department of Correction has announced it will continue reopening its facilities as a part of its Phase 3 reopening plan. In a message to the Massachusetts Black and Latino Legislative Caucus on Tuesday, the DOC, which oversees the state’s prisons, said ‘it will be announcing the advancement to Phase 3 in its COVID re-opening plan on a rolling-basis across facilities.’” – “Wednesday would have been the first day of classes for many. These parents are pushing the schools to reopen.” by Felicia Gans, Boston Globe: “To mark what would have been the start of the academic year, a group of parents wrote sent a letter to superintendents, school committees, and state leaders, urging them to lay out a detailed plan for getting students back to school, in person and full time.” – “Segregation on rise in Massachusetts schools,” by Yawu Miller, Bay State Banner: “Schools in predominantly Black and Latino neighborhoods in Massachusetts are becoming more intensely segregated, even as the state’s population is becoming more diverse, according to a new study released in August. The study, commissioned by the Center for Education and Civil Rights and the Beyond Test Scores Project, found that the number of intensely segregated predominantly white schools in Massachusetts has declined sharply over the last 11 years.” | | THE SENATE SHOWDOWN |
| – “Markey win highlights goals of progressive wing in Democratic Party,” by Victoria McGrane, Boston Globe: “Until Senator Edward J. Markey’s decisive victory Tuesday night, the ascendant Democratic left was better known for fielding young, upstart candidates against entrenched incumbents who were standing in the way of their urgent demands for action on climate, single-payer health care, and social justice. But, for the rising generation of progressive activists who helped return him to the Senate, Markey’s win sent a message.” – “How Ed Markey Defeated Joe Kennedy,” by Russell Berman, The Atlantic: “For the better part of a year, Senator Edward Markey was a legislator spiraling toward a forced retirement, a veteran progressive whose legacy in Massachusetts would soon be reduced to a footnote in the latest chapter of the Kennedy dynasty. Polls taken last fall showed Representative Joe Kennedy III trouncing Markey in a Democratic primary; at the height of the coronavirus pandemic this spring, it was unclear whether Markey could even muster enough signatures to get on the ballot.” – “Markey Showed A Flash Of Kennedy Magic,” by David S. Bernstein, GBH News: “The U.S. Senate campaign of Joe Kennedy III predictably inspired plenty of nostalgia and inevitable comparisons to others in the famous political family. But it turned out that Ed Markey was the one who best emulated a Kennedy legend: Ted Kennedy. The Ted Kennedy of 1994, to be precise.” – “Kennedy dominates in Bristol County, despite losing statewide,” by Ted Nesi, WPRI: “If Congressman Joe Kennedy decides to return to electoral politics in the coming years, it appears he’ll start with a strong base in Southeastern Massachusetts. Kennedy posted a dominant performance across Bristol County in Tuesday’s U.S. Senate primary, taking 62% of the vote. That was his best showing in any of the Bay State’s 14 counties, according to preliminary results compiled by The Associated Press.” – “Kennedy’s success in Worcester, county no surprise to observers,” by Brad Petrishen, Telegram & Gazette: “Political observers Wednesday remarked that Kennedy was unable to translate his appeal to – and focus on – working-class voters and minorities into a large-enough coalition to oust Markey, who benefited from a glut of endorsements and cachet with the party’s increasingly progressive wing. The narrative fit for the most part in Worcester, one of the majority of Gateway Cities to go for Kennedy, though he enjoyed less success here than elsewhere.” – “Republican candidate Kevin O’Connor challenges Ed Markey to a debate,” by Marie Szaniszlo, Boston Herald: “A day after winning the Republican primary for senator, Kevin O’Connor took to the campaign trail Wednesday by taking the fight to Sen. Edward Markey’s home turf. O’Connor, who beat entrepreneur Shiva Ayyadurai in Tuesday’s primary, held a press conference in Malden, where he challenged Markey to a debate.” | | PRIMARY SOURCES |
| – “Jake Auchincloss is widening his lead over Jesse Mermell. But the race isn’t over yet.” by Nik DeCosta-Klipa, Boston.com: “With just a fraction of votes left to be counted in the 4th District congressional primary race, Newton City Councilor Jake Auchincloss appears to be inching toward the Democratic nomination to replace Rep. Joe Kennedy III in Congress. However, it is going to take a court order before he — or anyone else — reaches the finish line.” – “Senate race drives vote in Attleboro area, 4th Congressional District not so much,” by George W. Rhodes, Sun Chronicle: “The race between Sen. Edward Markey and Rep. Joseph Kennedy III for Senate clearly drove the overall vote while the race for 4th Congressional District seat appeared to be an afterthought for many voters. And the mail-in ballot option, offered by the state because of the coronavirus pandemic, was very popular and at least in Attleboro helped drive the vote total higher.” – “In re-electing Rep. Richard Neal, voters chose ‘meat and potatoes’ over progressive causes,” by Jim Kinney, Springfield Republican: “The 1st Congressional District primary between winner, incumbent U.S. Rep. Richard Neal, and the challenger, Holyoke Mayor Alex B. Morse, had a turning point. But it wasn’t the point some folks might think.” – “Massachusetts Hopeful Alex Morse Couldn’t Overcome Homophobic Smear,” by Ryan Grim, Daniel Boguslaw, Eoin Higgins, The Intercept: “For most of the campaign for Massachusetts’s 1st Congressional District, the race between incumbent Richie Neal and challenger Alex Morse played out along similar lines. The Holyoke mayor was proud of his identity as the first openly gay man to govern the postindustrial town, but the race was more of a referendum on Neal and his approach to politics.” | | ALL ABOARD |
| – “It really is Charlie on the M(B)TA,” by Adam Vaccaro, Boston Globe: “Governor Charlie Baker says he was commuting on the MBTA this winter, and apparently even lodged a complaint about a dead animal along the tracks. Baker disclosed his commuting foray at a media event Tuesday to mark the conclusion of a 28-day repair sprint on part of the Green Line.” | | DAY IN COURT |
| – “Middlesex, Suffolk County Prosecutors Vow To Fight For Ban On Immigrant Courthouse Arrests: 'This Is A Setback, Not A Defeat,'” by Tori Bedford, GBH News: “Prosecutors from two of the state’s largest counties say they will work to preserve a ban on immigration authorities from arresting undocumented immigrants at Massachusetts courthouses, despite a federal appeals court decision Tuesday overturning a ruling to ban the practice. ‘We are going to be moving forward on as many fronts as possible to protect people's right to access the courts,’ Middlesex County District Attorney Marian Ryan said in an interview with GBH News Wednesday.” – “3 current and 6 retired Boston police officers charged with overtime fraud, US attorney says,” by Milton J. Valencia, Matt Rocheleau and Gal Tziperman Lotan, Boston Globe: “Federal authorities arrested nine current and former Boston police officers Wednesday and charged them with running an overtime scam out of the department’s evidence warehouse, where they allegedly falsified time sheets to collect more than $200,000 over a three-year period.” – “Suffolk DA questions credibility of officers charged in Boston police overtime scandal, vows to review cases,” by Erin Tiernan, Boston Herald: “Suffolk District Attorney Rachael Rollins is vowing to review criminal cases linked to nine Boston police officers facing federal charges of stealing $200,000 in a multi-year overtime fraud scheme, calling their behavior ‘suspect.’” | | TRUMPACHUSETTS |
| – “Trump claims Joe Kennedy’s defeat proves Dems controlled by ‘radical left,’” by Quint Forgey, POLITICO: “President Donald Trump on Wednesday pointed to Rep. Joe Kennedy’s defeat in a Democratic primary as evidence that the party has come to be dominated by the ‘Radical Left.’ Kennedy, a congressman from the state’s Fourth Congressional District, lost his primary challenge against incumbent Democratic Sen. Ed Markey.” | | ABOVE THE FOLD |
| — Herald: “COVID CATCHERS,” “MORE OT BLUES,” — Globe : “Auchincloss still leads as count goes on,” “9 charged in Boston police OT scam.” | | FROM THE 413 |
| – “Spotty broadband challenges Western Mass. schools,” by Hiawatha Bray, Boston Globe: “With its forests and fields, farmhouses and cabins, Sandisfield in far western Massachusetts looks like a Norman Rockwell image of old New England. And it might as well be, as far as Internet access is concerned. But in a time of pandemic, the lack of reliable high-speed broadband access in Sandisfield and other small western Massachusetts towns has become a serious challenge, especially for families with school-age children forced to fall back on remote learning.” | | THE LOCAL ANGLE |
| – “Some South Shore schools, unions at odds over return to class,” by Jessica Trufant, The Patriot Ledger: “With just weeks to go before students and teachers start the school year, many districts have yet to work out agreements with local educators’ unions outlining the expectations and guidelines of returning to the classroom. Some school districts have already negotiated agreements with their respective unions.” – “Renewed attempt to retire Tewksbury Redmen mascot falls on deaf ears,” by Stefan Geller, The Lowell Sun: “Tewksbury Memorial High School alumni Grace Morris was only a freshman when the School Committee voted on a proposal to change the Redmen mascot, which depicts the profile of a Native American chief wearing a feathered headdress, and said that at the time her opinion on the issue was quickly discounted.” – Rep. Joe Kennedy III made Fortune’s 40 Under 40 list. Link. HAPPY BIRTHDAY – to former Rep. John Olver, who is 84; state Sen. Jo Comerford, state Rep. Andy Vargas, the Boston Globe’s Daniel McGowan, and Leo Stella, aide to state Sen. Nick Collins; and Caroline Lehman (h/t Dave Molina). 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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