Middleboro Review 2: POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: The art of delegate persuasion

Saturday, March 19, 2022

POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: The art of delegate persuasion

HARD SELL — The Democratic caucuses are over. Now the real delegate wooing begins.

Candidates know which delegates are on their team. But there are still plenty of free agents at play. And campaigns are moving quickly to try to win over uncommitted delegates who can either add to a candidate’s convention-hall show of force or make sure they’re not left off the primary ballot entirely.

Playbook chatted with eight delegates who are uncommitted in the governor’s race to find out what they want to see from state Attorney General Maura Healey and state Sen. Sonia Chang-Díaz before they pick a side.

The answer, overwhelmingly, was policy.

“I really want to know the plans, the nitty gritty,” said Bessie King, a first-time delegate from East Boston. “How, logistically, do they intend to improve education in Massachusetts? How, logistically, do they intend to improve the MBTA and the huge transportation problems?”

Chang-Díaz’s team is trying to work that to her advantage. Her campaign identified her policy proposals and progressive stances on single-payer health care and tuition-free public college as the senator’s key selling points over Healey in an internal memo. A recent fundraising email declared Chang-Díaz the “only candidate in this race with a policy platform.”

That doesn’t tell the full story. While Healey’s campaign has been light on specifics so far, the caucuses that took up the bulk of her last two months were designed for short stump speeches, not substantive policy discussions. And Chang-Díaz put out her first policy platform two-and-a-half months into her campaign, which is longer than Healey’s been running for governor.

Healey’s campaign says she’s taken “clear stances on the most pressing issues facing our state” in her seven years in office and has shared her “vision” for economic development, housing and confronting climate change since launching her latest bid. But some uncommitted delegates are growing disappointed with Healey’s lack of a policy platform — or even an issues tab on her website — and warning that her record as attorney general can only carry her so far. Others told Playbook they want to see more from both gubernatorial hopefuls on issues like transportation and climate justice.

Will MacArthur is waiting on Healey’s housing plan to make up his mind, calling the issue the “No. 1 priority for Cambridge residents.” The Cambridge Ward 11 delegate told Healey’s campaign as much when they called to follow up with him a few days after his caucus.

Some delegates are also worried about electability, even with Democrats increasingly favored by political handicappers to take back the corner office.

“I just want to make sure [Healey] has a message beyond just being attorney general and that she’ll convey it effectively to the electorate,” Andover delegate Jessy Han said. “And I want to see if Sonia Chang-Díaz can effectively reach out to voters who might not be ideologically similar to her.”

Worcester Ward 9 delegate Ryan Hale says he’s confident in having a Democratic governor come 2023: “I just want to know what that governor is going to do.”

GOOD FRIDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. I hope you all had as much fun on St. Patrick’s Day as Gov. Charlie Baker did at the Dropkick Murphys concert at the House of Blues last night ( h/t Dylan Rossiter). Baker’s office says the governor is a regular at the band’s St. Patrick’s show.

TODAY — Sen. Elizabeth Warren is on GBH’s “Boston Public Radio” at 11 a.m. Labor Secretary Marty Walsh addresses New England Council members at a noon luncheon at the Seaport Hotel. Baker and Boston Mayor Michelle Wu speak at the South Boston Citizens’ Association’s Evacuation Day Banquet. LG hopeful and state Rep. Tami Gouveia holds her second UnBossed: Celebrating Bold Leadership event at 4 p.m.

THIS WEEKEND — Rep. Jake Auchincloss speaks at Dunn Gaherin’s St. Patrick’s Day Political Roast in Newton at 11 a.m. Saturday. State Sen. Nick Collins is on WBZ’s “Keller at Large” at 8:30 a.m. Sunday and hosts the Boston St. Patrick’s Day political breakfast at 9 a.m. Sunday at the BCEC. N.H. Gov. Chris Sununu is on WCVB’s “On the Record” at 11 a.m. Sunday.

Tips? Scoops? Email me: lkashinsky@politico.com.

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THE LATEST NUMBERS

— “Massachusetts coronavirus hospitalizations: Patients in ICU, intubated drop to lowest level since summer,” by Rick Sobey, Boston Herald: “State health officials on Thursday reported 899 daily coronavirus cases as the number of COVID-19 patients in the ICU and those who are intubated dropped to the lowest level since the summer amid the omicron variant retreat. … A total of 2,022 staff and students tested positive in Bay State schools in the past week, an increase from the previous week’s report but the pool positivity rate was lower.”

— “Town-by-town COVID-19 data in Massachusetts,” by Ryan Huddle and Peter Bailey-Wells, Boston Globe.

DATELINE BEACON HILL

— PROGRESSIVE SCORECARD: Progressive Massachusetts is releasing its mid-session legislative scorecard today.

State Reps. Mike Connolly and Erika Uyterhoeven, and state Sens. Sonia Chang-Díaz, Jamie Eldridge and Becca Rausch achieved perfect scores. State Reps. Tami Gouveia, Nika Elugardo, Russell Holmes and Dan Sena; and state Sens. Adam Gomez, Adam Hinds, Pat Jehlen and Ed Kennedy got above 90 percent. Chang-Díaz and Gouveia are the progressive group’s picks for governor and lieutenant governor. State Rep. Colleen Garry scored the lowest of the Democrats with 44 percent. No Republican scored above 45 percent, the group said.

— SHOW OF SUPPORT: House lawmakers approved the resolution from Speaker Ron Mariano and Minority Leader Brad Jones asking the state and the feds to expedite resettling Ukrainian refugees in the United States and Massachusetts, with 149 representatives signing on.

— “House votes to ban hairstyle discrimination,” by Shira Shoenberg, CommonWealth Magazine: “In 2017, Mya and Deanna Cook, 15-year-old twins, were disciplined because they wore box braids to school at Mystic Valley Regional Charter School in Malden. … On Thursday, after years of their advocacy, the Massachusetts House passed a bill that would prohibit schools from having policies that ban natural hairstyles. The bill also prohibits discrimination in workplaces and public spaces based on natural hairstyles. The bill passed unanimously, 155-0.”

— “Mass. House leaders heralded the creation of an Equal Employment Opportunity officer. They’ve left the position empty for 15 months,” by Samantha J. Gross, Boston Globe: “In 2018, amid the #MeToo reckoning, the leaders of the Massachusetts House of Representatives created a new position, an ‘independent’ Equal Employment Opportunity officer to examine allegations of harassment or discrimination while protecting the confidentiality of accusers and witnesses. In June 2019, the House Rules Committee appointed Boston employment lawyer John McLafferty to the role. McLafferty left for a new job in the fall of 2020. Fifteen months later, a successor still hasn’t been hired. That’s left House staffers wondering who they can go to when they need to privately report an instance of harassment, and questioning whether the creation of the role was just an empty gesture.”

VAX-ACHUSETTS

— “White House taps second Massachusetts health expert to lead nation’s COVID-19 response,” by Kay Lazar and Felice J. Freyer, Boston Globe: “Dr. Ashish Jha, dean of the Brown University School of Public Health and past director of Harvard’s Global Health Institute, will be the new COVID coordinator, the Biden administration announced Thursday, replacing Jeff Zients. Jha joins the COVID initiative alongside Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Director Dr. Rochelle Walensky, formerly of Harvard and Massachusetts General Hospital.”

— “MIT’s new mask policy, barring people from asking others to wear masks, criticized,” by Grant Welker, Boston Business Journal: “MIT’s new policy, which took effect Monday, makes masks optional for most indoor areas on campus. ... The policy doesn’t allow any department, lab or center from setting its own policies on campus and specifically says that people may not request or require others to wear masks.”

— “COVID-19 found in 15% of Massachusetts deer tested,” by Craig LeMoult, GBH News: “State wildlife officials tell GBH News that COVID-19 antibodies have been found in 15 percent of white tail deer tested in Massachusetts as part of a USDA-led study.”

FROM THE HUB

— LIVE AND IN PERSON: The Boston St. Patrick’s Day breakfast returns to its pre-pandemic form this Sunday. Host and state Sen. Nick Collins is promising plenty of (off-key) singing, dancing and good-natured ribbing at the first in-person breakfast in two years. Watch out: He’s also got “something special” planned for Charlie Baker’s last breakfast as governor.

Pundits like to poke fun at the breakfast. But Collins argues it’s the perfect proving ground for statewide office-seekers, several of whom will be trying out their best (and worst) material in front of the crowd at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center.

“Who doesn’t like to see their future leaders come in front of them and face the music?” Collins quipped. “We want to see if they can make light of themselves. Can they be self-deprecating?”

Collins kicks off the festivities at 9 a.m. Sunday. Catch the event live on CBSBoston.com, BNN and WROL Irish Radio 950 AM starting at 10 a.m.

— “Suffolk County DA Kevin Hayden announces rapid indictment program for firearms offenses,” by Alexi Cohan, GBH News: “Suffolk County District Attorney Kevin Hayden is in the process of rolling out a new rapid indictment program aimed at moving the most serious gun cases through the courts quickly. Hayden announced the program on Greater Boston Thursday, saying he’s making two grand juries and two prosecutors available to review gun cases. The program already resulted in 30 indictments in the last month, according to Hayden.”

— “What does Evacuation Day mean? Depends who you ask at the Boston event,” by Sean Philip Cotter, Boston Herald: “The most eye- and ear-catching parts of the event came in the moments between Mayor Michelle Wu was speaking and the coronavirus-restriction protesters who’ve dogged her for months. They held signs such as ‘Evacuate Wu’ and the more conspiracy-theory oriented placards and attempted to drown her out with chants such as ‘medical independence.’ Wu, who saw things the opposite way, took the podium and jabbed back."

— “HIV outbreak among drug users accelerates in Boston,” by Danny McDonald, Boston Globe: “A Boston-based HIV outbreak among people who inject drugs may have accelerated during the past year, with nearly 60 new cases identified since last March, according to state data.”

— “Boston lays out new rules for North End restaurants’ outdoor dining,” by Sean Philip Cotter, Boston Herald: “North End restaurants looking to do outdoor dining this year would have to pony up a $7,500 fee to opt into the program as the city’s planning to serve up several new changes including one-way traffic on Hanover Street. … But several restaurateurs were less than thrilled by that arrangement.”

— "Should Boston's Police Commissioner be an 'insider' or an 'outsider'?" by Saraya Wintersmith, GBH News: "Those in support of an outsider point to the department's history of resistance and recent scandals. They say it's clear the police should not be responsible for straightening out their own ranks. Meanwhile, those hoping for an insider say it would be difficult for someone to get acclimated to the force's complexities, build morale within the ranks and enact Wu's reform agenda without stumbling over the Boston's idiosyncrasies."

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PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES

— “In front of troubled bridge, Baker presses lawmakers to approve billions in borrowing to fund transportation projects,” by Taylor Dolven, Boston Globe: “The Baker administration is pressing lawmakers to approve borrowing $9.7 billion for transportation and environment projects as it takes advantage of extra cash coming from the federal infrastructure bill. In front of a noisy highway bridge that is in need of repair, Governor Charlie Baker urged swift passage of the bill he said will provide matching funds for the new federal infrastructure money and help pay for projects such as road and bridge improvements, new Green Line trolley cars, and electric vehicle chargers.”

— “Mass. workers have the fourth-longest commute time among US states, according to new Census data,” by Daigo Fujiwara and Christina Prignano, Boston Globe: “New data released by the US Census Bureau on Thursday showed that Massachusetts has the fourth-longest commute time among states, with the average worker’s trip to work clocking in right at 30 minutes. That’s an increase of an average of 2.7 minutes from 2010, the last time such data was available."

ON THE STUMP

— ENDORSEMENT ALERT: State Sen. John Cronin and state Rep. Michael Kushmerek have endorsed state Sen. Eric Lesser for lieutenant governor. Lesser will announce the endorsements at noon in Fitchburg.

— GETTING IN: Donna Buckley is running for Barnstable County sheriff. Buckley is a former general counsel for the sheriff’s office.

FROM THE DELEGATION

— “Warren bill would crack down on Russians’ use of bitcoin to evade Ukraine sanctions,” by Jim Puzzanghera, Boston Globe: “To tighten the economic pressure on Russia, Senator Elizabeth Warren [planned] to introduce legislation Thursday to crack down on the use of bitcoin and other cryptocurrencies to evade tough sanctions for the invasion of Ukraine.”

— “House votes to further restrict Russian trade after invasion,” by Kevin Freking, Associated Press: “The House voted overwhelmingly Thursday to suspend normal trade relations with Russia and Belarus. … In a joint statement introducing the trade bill, Reps. Richard Neal, D-Mass., and Kevin Brady, R-Texas, said [Ukrainian President Volodymyr] Zelenskyy’s remarks [to Congress this week] ‘only strengthened our resolve to further isolate and weaken’ Russian President Vladimir Putin.”

IT'S NOT EASY BEING GREEN

— “Massport has a $1 billion plan to cut climate pollution. Critics say it’s nowhere near enough,” by David Abel, Boston Globe: “In one of the state’s largest efforts to curb carbon emissions, the Massachusetts Port Authority unveiled plans Thursday to spend $1 billion over the coming decade to reduce its contribution to the pollution that causes climate change. … When fully implemented, the plan would mean a reduction of about 110,000 metric tons of carbon emissions a year, the equivalent of removing roughly 24,000 cars from the road.”

FROM THE 413

— “Trial Court reviewing mold study from Springfield courthouse,” by Jim Kinney, Springfield Republican: “The state Trial Court on Thursday told workers at the mold-infested Roderick L. Ireland Courthouse in Springfield that it’s having its own experts review the findings of mold testing commissioned by lawyers seeking to shut the building down.”

— “It's been almost a year since U.S. Capitol Police Officer Billy Evans was killed. The Senate just approved a plaque in his honor,” by Greta Jochem, Berkshire Eagle: “Soon the place that Billy Evans worked to protect, the grounds of the U.S. Capitol, will display a commemoration of his life.”

THE LOCAL ANGLE

— “Bizarre harassment of Natick couple by eBay was ‘clearly criminal,’ company admitted,” by Aaron Pressman, Boston Globe: “In a newly disclosed 34-page PowerPoint presentation, lawyers for eBay admitted that actions by its employees ― which included threatening Ina and David Steiner, sending the couple live spiders and a bloody pig mask, and following them around town ― were ‘clearly criminal.’ But they told lawyers in the US attorney’s office in Boston that the government should not charge eBay itself with criminal misconduct.”

— “Biden names MassINC’s Matias regional HUD administrator,” by Bruce Mohl, CommonWealth Magazine: “President Biden on on Thursday appointed Juana Matias, the chief operating officer of MassINC, as the New England regional administrator for the US Department of Housing and Urban Development.”

MEDIA MATTERS

— “Several Mass. Gannett newspapers to kill print edition, go online-only,” by Don Seiffert, Boston Business Journal: “As of May, around 20 local newspapers west Boston that are owned by Gannett Co. Inc. will be stopping print publication altogether, reporting solely online.”

MEANWHILE IN NEW HAMPSHIRE

— “Gov. Sununu promises veto for NH Republicans’ redrawn congressional map,” Adam Sexton, WMUR: “Gov. Chris Sununu said Thursday he will veto the congressional redistricting map approved by his fellow Republicans in the New Hampshire Legislature. ... New Hampshire House Republicans completely redrew the state's congressional lines to make the 1st District more Republican and the 2nd District more Democratic, attempting to give each party a safe seat on Capitol Hill.”

WELCOME TO THE WORLD — Boston state Rep. Jon Santiago and his wife, Alex, welcomed Rafael Santiago on March 5. Tweet with pics.

TRANSITIONS — Matt Jacques, the former chief accountant for the SEC’s enforcement division, is returning to AlixPartners as managing director and co-lead of Americas investigations, disputes and risk in the firm’s Boston office.

— Zeyi Yang will join the MIT Technology Review from Protocol.

— MassLive reporters Cassie McGrath and Benjamin Kail are heading to the Boston Business Journal. McGrath will cover health care and Kail will cover law and money. They start Monday.

— Joe Difazio is leaving the Patriot Ledger to dovideo producing for USA TODAY.

HAPPY BIRTHWEEKEND — to Wilnelia Rivera of Rivera Consulting; Jesse Mermell, Jill Abramson, Abigail Webber and Seth Rogovoy, who celebrate Saturday; and to Sunday birthday-er Karlee Fain.

NEW HORSE RACE ALERT: SAVING DAYLIGHT, SAVING PACKIES — Luc Schuster of Boson Indicators talks about the U.S. Census undercount and what it might mean for Massachusetts. State House News Service’s Matt Murphy joins hosts Jennifer Smith and Steve Koczela to dive into liquor sale licensing issues. Subscribe and listen on iTunes and Sound Cloud.

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