| | |  | BY STEPHANIE MURRAY | GOOD MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. TGIF! SCOOP: WU SPENT $43,000 ON CAMPAIGN COSTS — The dust has barely settled after the Sept. 1 primary, but attention is already shifting to 2021. Boston City Councilor Michelle Wu, who is widely expected to challenge Boston Mayor Marty Walsh if he runs for reelection, spent around $43,000 on campaign-related expenses in August. Wu was just reelected to a two-year term on the council last fall, so it would be out of the ordinary to beef up campaign spending for another council run right now. "Councilor Wu believes that in this moment of hardship in our city, each one of us should be asking ourselves how we can make a difference in strengthening our communities and fighting for change that matches the scale and urgency of our current challenges," said Wu spokesperson Jessicah Pierre. "It is more important than ever for public servants to be proactive and creative in the ways our teams communicate with our constituents." Pierre added. She declined to answer whether the campaign expenses were for a mayoral campaign. Wu spent $22,500 on campaign emails and a digital ad buy, according to her most recent OCPF report. Wu also paid $15,000 for video production services to the firm Blue State Digital, and spent $6,000 on campaign research. Wu has $346,000 in her war chest, while Walsh has $5.5 million in the bank. The mayor gave half a million dollars from his campaign coffers to Boston's coronavirus resiliency fund in May. The Roslindale Democrat has raised her profile in recent weeks. Wu penned an op-ed in the Boston Globe on Wednesday under the headline "Business as usual is hurting Boston ," which highlighted problems with the city's development process. Plus, Wu's "Boston Green New Deal" climate plan was featured in HuffPost a few weeks ago. Wu emailed her supporter list five times in the month of August to promote her climate plan and drum up support for "transit justice and free public transportation," among other topics. Wu also asked supporters to take a survey on the top issues facing city government, and promoted her reopening plan for Boston Public Schools. Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget for the Playbook? Get in touch: smurray@politico.com. TODAY — Winner of the 4th District Democratic primary Jake Auchincloss briefs reporters at Newton City Hall. |  | THE LATEST NUMBERS |
| – “Massachusetts COVID infection rate dips to .9% as state reports 17 new deaths, 393 new cases,” by Tanner Stening, MassLive.com: State health officials announced another 17 coronavirus deaths on Thursday, bringing the statewide death count to 8,870. Officials also confirmed another 393 cases of COVID-19, for a total now of at least 119,819.” | | DATELINE BEACON HILL |
| – “Baker targets 5 hotspots with ed campaign,” by Bruce Mohl, CommonWealth Magazine: “The Baker administration is launching a new, fairly basic COVID-19 education campaign targeting the five communities hardest hit by the virus. Gov. Charlie Baker said the campaign will promote the use of masks, social distancing, and the avoidance of larger gatherings. The campaign will run in multiple languages, on billboards and social media, in Chelsea, Everett, Lawrence, Lynn, and Revere – communities where the rate of COVID-19 cases per 100,000 people puts them in the high-risk category.” – “Legislators take aim at Massachusetts Bail Fund,” by Sean Philip Cotter, Boston Herald: “A group of Beacon Hill Republicans is calling for a hearing into the Massachusetts Bail Fund, questioning the group’s tax-exempt status as the left-wing organization springs people charged with increasingly serious crimes.” – “Baker: Don’t rush COVID-19 vaccine,” by Sarah Betancourt, CommonWealth Magazine: “Gov. CHarlie Baker said on Thursday that federal officials should follow all testing procedures and not rush the release of a COVID-19 vaccine. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention last week notified public health officials in all 50 states and five large cities to prepare to distribute a coronavirus vaccine to health care workers and other high-risk groups as soon as late October or early November, right about the time of the election.” – “Massachusetts gaming arcade, Bit Bar, sues Gov. Charlie Baker over coronavirus reopening plan claiming casino slot machines are similar to arcade games,” by Douglas Hook , MassLive.com: “A Massachusetts arcade based in Salem, Bit Bar, is suing Gov. Charlie Baker over his coronavirus reopening plan claiming it should be allowed to open now. The business claims arcade games are similar to casino slot machines and notes casinos are already up and running - with some limitations - under Baker’s reopening plan.” | | FROM THE HUB |
| – “State halts admissions to Mission Hill assisted living facility after inspection,” by Andrea Estes, Boston Globe: “State officials have suspended the certification of a Boston assisted living facility after inspectors discovered that employees were locking dementia patients in their rooms to enforce a quarantine aimed at controlling the spread of COVID-19. Inspectors from the Executive Office of Elder Affairs found a host of problems at the facility, Landmark at Longwood, when they investigated last month.” – “Spacing causes challenges for reopening schools,” by Christian M. Wade, Eagle-Tribune: “When students return to classes in Peabody schools this fall, they’ll sit facing the same direction, spaced at least 6 feet apart. The district, one of the largest on the North Shore with roughly 6,000 students, is among a majority that have largely shunned the state’s lower threshold for social distancing guidelines for in-class learning.” – “With the first day of school approaching, parents and students share dueling anxieties,” by Naomi Martin, Boston Globe: “As the first day of school approaches — Sept. 16 for many of the state’s 950,000 public school students — anxieties are mounting among parents and children about education in the COVID-19 era. Many have grown increasingly vocal this week, as school districts finalize plans and negotiate with teachers’ unions over how much time students should spend in school buildings or learning on a computer screen.” – “Somerville, Northeastern Partner To Look For Coronavirus In City Sewage,” by Max Larkin, WBUR: “As it weighs its response to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the city of Somerville is turning to science — and its sewers. By testing raw sewage for shed coronavirus particles at 10 sites throughout the city, Somerville's mayor said he hopes to ‘get ahead of the virus.’” – “Black activists fear Dorchester street party could become COVID-19 superspreader event — and want help from local leaders,” by John R. Ellement, Boston Globe: “Community activists say a Dorchester street party a week ago drew thousands and could become a superspreader event, imperiling already hard-hit Black and Latin communities. The activists faulted Governor Charlie Baker and Mayor Martin J. Walsh for not preventing it from happening. Members of the The Black Boston COVID-19 Coalition warned during a Zoom press conference Thursday another gathering is set for the Labor Day weekend in Dorchester.” | | PRIMARY SOURCES |
| – “Auchincloss wins 4th District primary to succeed Joe Kennedy," by Ted Nesi, WPRI: "Newton City Councilor Jake Auchincloss has won the Democratic primary to replace Joe Kennedy in the 4th Congressional District, eking out a narrow victory in a crowded field despite an onslaught of negative advertising and his own past work as a Republican campaign staffer. The Associated Press called the race for Auchincloss at about 1:30 a.m. early Friday, more than 48 hours after polls closed, when some laggard communities — notably Franklin — finally finished counting ballots under the close supervision of Secretary of State William Galvin." – “How a Smooth Election in Massachusetts Could Be a Cautionary Tale,” by Nick Corasaniti and Stephanie Saul, The New York Times: “Aside from a Kennedy losing, election night in Massachusetts on Tuesday felt almost normal. Despite the disruption of the coronavirus pandemic, results for a hotly contested statewide race trickled in throughout the night, with a winner called around 10:30 p.m. Nearly one million absentee ballots were counted by midnight. There were even timely victory and concession speeches.” – “Glitches mar Tuesday’s election,” by Shira Schoenberg, CommonWealth Magazine: “While Tuesday’s election largely went smoothly, with potentially record-high turnout, the introduction of expanded vote-by-mail and other pandemic-related challenges created lots of headaches for municipal officials and a not insignificant number of errors that affected voters and even denied some the ability to vote.” – “QAnon Believer Tracy Lovvorn Wins Massachusetts Republican Primary Unopposed,” by Darragh Roche, Newsweek: “Tracy Lovvorn ran unopposed for the Republican nomination in the heavily Democratic district. She was also the GOP candidate in 2018, losing to incumbent Congressman Jim McGovern and garnering less than a third of the vote. Lovvorn expressed support for QAnon on her Twitter account on 23 March, writing ‘Never forget, we are all in this TOGETHER’ and adding a hashtag used by believers in the conspiracy.” | | DAY IN COURT |
| – “Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey joins multi-state action to halt changes made at United States Postal Service prior to 2020 election,” by Michael Bonner, MassLive.com: “Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey joined in filing a multi-state action in seeking to halt changes to the United States Postal Service that could prevent employees from delivering the mail. Healey joined a coalition of attorney generals from California, Delaware, the District of Columbia, Maine, North Carolina and Pennsylvania who said actions within the USPS may lead to harming veterans, seniors and rural communities as well as disrupt the general election in November.” – “Rachael Rollins On Boston Police Overtime Scandal: 'This Is A Sad Day For Law Enforcement,'” by Emily Judem, GBH News: “Suffolk District Attorney Rachael Rollins said the indictment yesterday of nine current and former Boston Police officers for alleged overtime fraud erodes trust in law enforcement at a time when that trust is already at an all-time low. And though she lauded U.S. Attorney Andrew Lelling and the FBI for their investigation, she criticized both for failing to sufficiently publicize the indictments, saying that this illustrates inequities in the criminal justice system.” | | WARREN REPORT |
| – “Elizabeth Warren Beats Covington Students’ Defamation Suit,” by Peter Hayes, Bloomberg Law: “Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Rep. Deb Haaland (D-N.M.) shook off defamation claims by a group of Catholic high school students from Kentucky over tweets related to a January 2019 incident on the National Mall, after the Sixth Circuit held they are immune from the lawsuit.The legislators are immune from suit as federal employees under an amendment to the Federal Tort Claims Act.” | | DATELINE D.C. |
| – “Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Reps. Ayanna Pressley, Barbara Lee Unveil Historic Legislation Confronting Public Health Impact of Structural Racism,” by Anne Branigin, The Root: “Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) and Reps. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) and Barbara Lee (D-Calif.) announced on Thursday a new plan that would declare racism a public health issue. Dubbed ‘the Anti-Racism in Public Health Act of 2020,’ the legislation is the first of its kind and would harness the power of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to research health disparities and propose antiracist policies to eradicate racial divides in health outcomes.” | | THE PRESSLEY PARTY |
| – “‘Who Needs Hair With These Cheekbones?’ Ayanna Pressley’s Selfie Sends A Powerful Message,” by Aimee Simeon, Refinery 29: “In January, Massachusetts Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley publicly revealed to her supporters and the world that she — like seven million other people — has alopecia. In the emotional video posted to The Root, Rep. Pressley gave a raw account of her experience. Since then, the congresswoman has continued to be vocal about living with the condition and shared an empowering message this week in honor of Alopecia Awareness Month.” | | FROM THE 413 |
| – “Entire Berkshire State Delegation Proceeds To General Election Unopposed,” by Josh Landes, WAMC: “All five members of Berkshire County’s legislative delegation went unchallenged in the Massachusetts Democratic primary on Tuesday. Berkshire County’s four state representatives and state senator are Democrats. As the entire slate moves on to November with no resistance, there’s still much to resolve in the mess of 2020 before looking into the future.” | | THE LOCAL ANGLE |
| – “Codfather moved to 'community confinement,'” by Sean Horgan, The Salem News: “Convicted New Bedford fishing scofflaw Carlos Rafael has been transferred within the federal Bureau of Prisons to ‘community confinement’ in a move that could be the first step toward his return to society once his sentence is completed. The Bureau of Prisons confirmed on Wednesday that the 68-year-old Rafael, known far and wide as ‘The Codfather’ when he ruled the New Bedford docks with his seafood empire, was transferred on June 24 to community confinement.” – “Lowell parents and teachers protest outside city hall over the reopening of schools amid coronavirus pandemic,” by Douglas Hook, MassLive.com: “Gathered outside Lowell City Hall on Wednesday, teachers and parents alike voiced their concerns over the reopening of schools amid the coronavirus pandemic.” – “Worcester School Committee gives OK to fall sports, spectators,” by Scott O’Connell, Telegram & Gazette: “The School Committee on Thursday night gave the go ahead for fall sports to happen this year, albeit with restrictions in place. The committee’s 6-1 vote came a week after it voted 6-1 to give preliminary approval for the district to offer fall sports. That earlier OK was in anticipation of expected guidance to be released by the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association this week .” | | MEDIA MATTERS |
| – “Arjun Singh joins the Audio team as a producer focused on politics,” The Washington Post: “Arjun comes to The Washington Post from WGBH in Boston, where he produced the three-hour midday news show ‘Boston Public Radio.’” Link. – “The Eagle follows well-worn path in reducing print schedule,” by Larry Parnass, The Berkshire Eagle: “Scores of newspapers in the United States have cut days from their print publication schedules, pushed not only by pandemic-era revenue losses but by a public's embrace of all things digital. In October, The Berkshire Eagle will join them, eliminating two days of print publication and transforming its Sunday edition into a weekend paper that will hit doorsteps and newsstands on Saturday.” HAPPY BIRTHWEEKEND – to Saturday birthday-ers Nicole Herendeen of Benchmark Strategies, Michael Ratty, Cannabis Control Commissioner Jen Flanagan and Guillermo Samuel Hamlin. And to Sunday birthday-ers Rep. Bill Keating; Gabrielle Farrell, director of communications to Connecticut Treasurer Shawn T. Wooden and an Elizabeth Warren alum, who turns 3-0; Andover Town Manager Andrew Flanagan; former 3rd District candidate Rick Green, Curt Nickisch, senior editor at Harvard Business Review; and Boston City Councilor Michelle Wu’s chief of staff Dave Vittorini. NEW EPISODE: INCUMBENT UPON US – On this week’s Horse Race podcast, hosts Jennifer Smith, Steve Koczela and Stephanie Murray break down the Sept. 1 primary, and speak with special guest Rep. Jim McGovern about vote by mail and governing under the Trump administration. 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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