| | |  | BY STEPHANIE MURRAY | GOOD MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. PRESIDENTIAL RACE: WE’RE STILL WAITING — Boston Mayor Marty Walsh summed it up: "Unfortunately, we're here,” the mayor said during a press conference yesterday. It's Thursday, and the country remains on the edge of its seat with the presidential race too close to call. Waiting for election results was to be expected because of expanded mail-in voting and the timeline for counting ballots, but the political mood is becoming more tense. President Donald Trump's campaign filed lawsuits to stop the vote count in three swing states, and protesters demonstrated outside ballot counting facilities. As it stands now, Democratic nominee Joe Biden has the upper hand, and is only six votes away from winning the electoral college. The headline leading today’s Boston Globe: “Biden takes Mich., Wis., and edges toward 270." And the Boston Herald: “SEND IN THE LAWYERS!” The presidential results were tallied shortly after the polls closed on Tuesday here in Massachusetts, and now many officials are calling for mail-in ballots to be counted in the battleground states. Hundreds of protesters gathered in Boston in support of continued ballot-counting Wednesday evening. "The United States of America depends on every American having the freedom to cast their vote and for every vote to be counted. Every American, regardless of political affiliation, especially the president and every candidate on the ballot, should be united in supporting this process," Gov. Charlie Baker and Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito said in a statement yesterday. Baker blanked his presidential ballot, he told reporters this week. "Far too many Americans have long felt that their votes do not matter. We cannot risk alienating those voices even further," Tanisha Sullivan, president of the NAACP Boston branch, said in a statement. Rep. Seth Moulton used his campaign email list to direct supporters to their nearest "Protect the Vote" rally and launched a resource page , while outgoing Rep. Joe Kennedy III used his email list to recruit volunteers to call voters with ballot issues in Georgia, Nevada and North Carolina. Secretary of State Bill Galvin called Trump’s efforts to discredit mail-in ballots “deceitful” during a press conference. Sen. Ed Markey appeared at a "Count Every Vote" press conference and Sen. Elizabeth Warren encouraged supporters to “block out the noise” and “count every vote.” THE TRUMP TOWNS THAT FLIPPED TO BIDEN — More than two dozen Massachusetts cities and towns that voted for President Donald Trump in 2016 switched to supporting Democratic nominee Joe Biden on Tuesday , according to elections data from the Associated Press. It appears Biden won Massachusetts with 66% percent of the vote, six percentage points more than Hillary Clinton won (60%) in 2016. Keep in mind, a handful of towns have not reported their election totals yet. The Trump-to-Biden towns: Salisbury, Tyngsboro, Pepperell, Townsend, Ashburnham, Orange, Athol, Royalston, Groveland, Rowley, Tewksbury, Wilmington, Billerica, Lynnfield, Westminster, Hardwick, Westfield, West Brookfield, East Longmeadow, Webster, Saugus, Hanover, Bridgewater, Bourne, Pembroke, Kingston, Plympton, Whitman, Granby and Wilbraham. FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: CAMPBELL'S OCTOBER FUNDRAISING HAUL — Boston City Councilor Andrea Campbell will report raising $94,000 for her 2021 mayoral campaign today. That total matches the $94,000 Campbell reported raising in September. So far, Campbell and Boston City Councilor Michelle Wu are the only candidates in the race for mayor of Boston next year. Boston Mayor Marty Walsh is widely expected to seek a third term, but has not made any formal campaign announcements. Wu raised $90,800 in October, according to her most recent OCPF filing, and has more than $475,000 in cash on hand. Walsh has $5.7 million in his campaign war chest after raising $317,690 in October. Today is the deadline to file campaign finance reports for the month of October. From the time Campbell announced her mayoral bid at the end of September until now, her campaign says it has raised $200,000. Campbell raised more than $100,000 in October and saw 400 new contributors that month, her campaign says, but will report raising $94,000 because of the pace of her bank deposits. The rest will show up on her next monthly filing in November. FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: MASSIE RELEASES PARTY PLAN — Bob Massie, one of the three candidates vying for state Democratic Party, is releasing a 10-point plan detailing his vision for the party today. Among the priorities on Massie’s list: “The Ultimate Goal in Two Years: Win the Governorship.” Also running are current party chair Gus Bickford, who is seeking another term, and former candidate for lieutenant governor Mike Lake. The party will choose its next leader next week. Link. Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget for the Playbook? Get in touch: smurray@politico.com. TODAY — Boston Mayor Marty Walsh holds a media availability to discuss the presidential election. The House meets in a formal session. | |
| | NEW EPISODES OF POLITICO'S GLOBAL TRANSLATIONS PODCAST: The world has long been beset by big problems that defy political boundaries, and these issues have exploded in 2020. 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 for Season Two, available now. | | | | | |  | THE LATEST NUMBERS |
| – “Massachusetts reports 1,629 new COVID cases and more than 100K tests in one day; 27 more deaths announced Wednesday,” by Tanner Stening, MassLive.com: “State health officials confirmed another 1,629 coronavirus cases on Wednesday, bringing the statewide total to 158,937. That’s based on 103,066 new molecular tests, according to the Department of Public Health. There are currently 17,455 active cases of the virus across the state.” | | DATELINE BEACON HILL |
| – “As New COVID Guidelines Take Effect, Walsh And Baker Part Ways On Schools,” by Adam Reilly, GBH News: “As Boston Mayor Marty Walsh urges adherence to new state guidelines aimed at stemming the spread of COVID, he’s also parting ways with the governor in a subtle but telling way — saying that compliance could help the city’s public schools resume in-person learning.” – “Mounting clusters in youth sports, pandemic fatigue complicate fight against coronavirus in Mass.” by Kay Lazar, Boston Globe: “Growing clusters of coronavirus infections in youth sports, coupled with pandemic fatigue, are complicating the battle to control new COVID-19 cases across Massachusetts, health department directors say. They say the hurdles, coming as the number of cases soar across the state, are making their job of tracking down close contacts of infected residents exponentially more complex than earlier in the pandemic.” – “Why are police reforms stalled?” by Yawu Miller, Bay State Banner: “Back in July, lawmakers on Beacon Hill were moving full steam ahead on a package of progressive police reforms, spurred on by nationwide protests over police violence. Then the process ground to a halt, as police unions lobbied elected officials to water down key provisions that would require greater accountability and transparency. Three months later, the legislative logjam shows no signs of clearing, even as Massachusetts news media continue to churn out headline after headline of longstanding police malfeasance and corruption.” | | ELECTION ROUNDUP |
| – “Massachusetts voters sour on state of nation,” The Associated Press: “Voters in Massachusetts made their pick for president while holding negative views about the country's direction, according to an expansive AP survey of the American electorate. The race between President Donald Trump and Democratic rival Joe Biden concluded Tuesday as the nation remains in the throes of a global public health crisis and mired in the economic downturn it brought on.” – “3 Takeaways From Election Day In Massachusetts,” by Callum Borchers, WBUR: “There weren't many surprises in Massachusetts' election results this year, but there's more to learn from the votes than just the clear-cut wins and losses. Here are three takeaways from parsing the numbers and studying the map of town-by-town results.” – “Massachusetts voter turnout exceeds 3.3 million, record set in 2016 presidential election, Secretary William Galvin says,” by Steph Solis, MassLive.com: “Massachusetts has exceeded the voter turnout record set in the 2016 election, when 3.3 million ballots were cast, Secretary of the Commonwealth William Galvin said Wednesday. More than 2.3 million voters in Massachusetts voted early, either in person or by mailing in a ballot as allowed in the state’s emergency voting law.” – “Baker election investments yield few gains,” by Bruce Mohl, CommonWealth Magazine: “Gov. Charlie Baker invested a lot of personal endorsements and about $900,000 in super PAC funds in mostly Republican Massachusetts political races, but the returns on Tuesday were fairly modest. The number of Republicans holding seats in the Senate is likely to drop from four to three while the House showed little overall change. Baker could argue his efforts helped stave off additional losses in a state where Democrats turned out in great numbers for Joe Biden.” | | FROM THE HUB |
| – “Hundreds protest across Boston, demand all votes get counted,” by Zoe Greenberg, Steve Annear, Danny McDonald and Vernal Coleman, Boston Globe: “Hundreds of demonstrators gathered Wednesday across Boston to demand transparency and thoroughness in the hotly contested — and still unsettled — presidential election. One rally, held on the Boston Common Wednesday afternoon, served as a direct rebuke to Republican President Trump’s false claims of victory Tuesday night before millions of battleground votes had been counted.” – “Nonprofits keep making in-lieu-of-tax payments to Boston,” by Colman M. Herman, CommonWealth Magazine: “Boston’s medical, educational, and cultural nonprofit institutions have taken a huge financial hit during the COVID-19 pandemic, but most of them continued to make voluntary tax payments to the city this year. Twenty-four of the 47 nonprofits assessed by the city as part of its payment-in-lieu-of-taxes program paid about the same amount as they did last year, 10 paid less, one paid more, and 12 continued to make no payments at all, according to city records.” – “Concerned over bias, Boston councilors want to probe city’s gang database,” by Danny McDonald, Boston Globe: “Boston city councilors are pushing to examine the city’s gang database over concerns that Black and brown city residents are disproportionately represented in the database. Councilor Andrea Campbell, a consistent proponent of police reform who is running for mayor, said city authorities should be looking at how the database is compiled, how it’s used by not only Boston police, but the city’s school system, as well as other agencies.” | | YOU'VE GOT MAIL |
| – “Why Massachusetts was able to count its influx of mail-in ballots so quickly, while states like Pennsylvania could not,” by Nik DeCosta-Klipa, Boston.com: “Joe Biden’s resounding margin of victory in Massachusetts wasn’t the only reason Bay Staters had a clear view of their state’s election results Tuesday night. While swing states like Pennsylvania and Michigan continue to tally ballots in the tightly contested presidential election Wednesday afternoon, Massachusetts had already reported a vast majority of its votes by Tuesday night.” | | BALLOT WARS |
| – “How did ranked-choice tank with Massachusetts voters?” by Matt Stout, Boston Globe: “This fall’s nine-way Democratic primary for the Fourth Congressional District was held up by advocates as the poster child for implementing ranked-choice voting. In that system, supporters argued, Massachusetts could avoid plurality decisions — like Jake Auchincloss’s 22.4 percent victory there — and give voters more choice. Except, they didn’t want it. Especially in the Fourth.” – “Massachusetts Question 2: Ranked choice voting opponents take victory lap,” by Rick Sobey, Boston Herald: “Opponents of ranked choice voting in Massachusetts took a victory lap on Wednesday after voters turned down a new voting system for the state. Question 2 — implementing ranked choice voting in the Bay State — was defeated by a 55% to 45% margin. Question 1 — updating the ‘right-to-repair’ law — overwhelmingly passed 75% to 25%.” – “Spending on ballot questions breaks records,” by Christian M. Wade, CNHI News: “Fundraising committees behind two statewide ballot questions poured more than $60.7 million into their campaigns, making it one of the most expensive election cycles in recent years. But the big spending — which paid for prime-time TV ads, glossy mailers and other materials -- produced mixed results in Tuesday’s election.” | | TRUMPACHUSETTS |
| – “Bristol County is Trump’s top region in Massachusetts,” by Ted Nesi, WPRI: “Bristol County is Trump country, relatively speaking at least. Even as Joe Biden was romping to a 66% showing across Massachusetts in Tuesday’s election, President Trump retained a sizable base of support in Bristol County, with preliminary results showing the Republican incumbent receiving nearly 43% of the vote across its cities and towns.” | | FROM THE DELEGATION |
| – “Newly reelected, Neal confident Biden will prevail,” by Danny Jin, The Berkshire Eagle: “Rating his confidence level an ‘eight to nine’ out of 10, House Ways and Means Chairman Richard Neal said he remains optimistic that Democrat Joe Biden will win the presidential election once all votes are counted. Neal, a Springfield Democrat, told reporters Wednesday morning in Springfield that he had been in touch with Biden’s team in the past week regarding legislative priorities to address infrastructure needs amid the coronavirus pandemic.” – “McGovern rolls to victory in House contest,” by Dusty Christensen, Daily Hampshire Gazette: “U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Worcester, said he was ‘honored and humbled’ after winning reelection Tuesday in a landslide against Republican challenger Tracy Lovvorn. With 62% of votes reported as of Wednesday afternoon, McGovern had secured 67.7% of the vote against Lovvorn, a 46-year-old Grafton physical therapist.” – “Ayanna Pressley says Baker’s ‘half measures’ don’t do enough to address COVID-19 surge,” by Nik DeCosta-Klipa, Boston.com: “Gov. Charlie Baker made waves Monday with the announcement of a series of executive orders, including a nighttime stay-at-home advisory and an expanded face covering mandate, to address rising COVID-19 infections and hospitalizations in Massachusetts. Rep. Ayanna Pressley says those actions aren’t enough.” – “Moulton: 'There's a lot of work to be done,'” by Dustin Luca, The Salem News: “U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton is eager to continue working for the 6th District after picking up a fourth term in Tuesday's general election. Moulton, 42, a Salem Democrat, carried 65% of the vote with 95% of votes counted as of 3 p.m. Wednesday, according to The Associated Press. He took 264,064 votes to Republican challenger John Paul Moran's 141,995-vote tally.” | | ABOVE THE FOLD |
| — Herald: “SEND IN THE LAWYERS!,” — Globe: “Biden takes Mich., Wis., and edges toward 270.” | | FROM THE 413 |
| – “‘This certainly was not intentional’: Belchertown clerk says typo skewed 7th Hampden District election results,” by Stephanie Barry, Springfield Republican: “The Belchertown Town Clerk said fatigue may have led her to misreport data to the Associated Press Tuesday night — prompting a candidate for 7th Hampden District state representative go to sleep a winner and wake up a loser. Republican James ‘Chip’ Harrington declared victory in the race late Tuesday night, based on data reported by the AP showing him up 324 votes over his Democratic opponent, Jake Oliveira. On Wednesday morning the error was corrected and Oliveira was up by 134 votes.” | | THE LOCAL ANGLE |
| – “‘It’s simply abhorrent’: Anti-Asian, xenophobic slurs lodged at voters in ‘highly diverse’ Massachusetts city, civil rights group says,” by Jackson Cote, MassLive.com: “A civil rights group in Massachusetts claimed residents in a ‘highly diverse’ city in the commonwealth were harassed by individuals who lodged racist slurs at them on Election Day. ‘As polls were about to close, we started receiving reports of anti-Asian and xenophobic comments that were being hurled at voters standing in line, waiting to vote at two precincts in the city of Lowell,’ Iván Espinoza-Madrigal, executive director of the Boston-based Lawyers for Civil Rights organization, told MassLive.” – “Cape voters repudiate President Trump with record turnout,” by Doug Fraser and Cape Cod Times: “Nationally, there was a record voter turnout to vote in person Tuesday and by mail-in, early and absentee balloting. On the Cape and Islands, more than 166,000 people cast their ballots, 17,000 (11.4%) more than in 2016. Former Vice President Joe Biden received over 60% of the votes counted Tuesday to President Donald Trump’s 35%.” HAPPY BIRTHDAY – to James Melcher, who is 81; Jeremy Ravinsky, Steven Bachner and Richard Parker. NEW EPISODE: DOWN FOR THE COUNT – On this week’s Horse Race podcast, hosts Steve Koczela, Jennifer Smith and Stephanie Murray break down the results of the 2020 election, with insights on the presidential race, local contests and polling. 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. | |
| | EXCLUSIVE: "THE CIRCUS" & POLITICO TEAM UP TO PULL BACK THE CURTAIN ON THE MOST UNPRECEDENTED PRESIDENTIAL ELECTION IN HISTORY: It’s been the most unconventional and contentious election season of our lifetime. The approach taken by each candidate couldn’t be more different, yet the stakes couldn’t be higher as we cross the finish line. Join POLITICO’s John Harris, Laura Barrón-López, Gabby Orr and Eugene Daniels in a conversation with John Heilemann, Alex Wagner, Mark McKinnon and Jennifer Palmieri of Showtime's "The Circus" tonight at 8 p.m. EST for an insiders’ look at the Trump and Biden campaigns, behind-the-scenes details and nuggets from the trail, and the latest on where things stand and where they are heading. DON'T MISS THIS! REGISTER HERE. | | | | | | |
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