Middleboro Review 2: POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: The Hassan effect hits Mass.

Tuesday, March 8, 2022

POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: The Hassan effect hits Mass.

IT’S GETTING CROWDED IN HERE — New Hampshire Sen. Maggie Hassan is reserving general-election ads in the Boston media market, locking up prime TV real estate while Massachusetts candidates are still focused on getting on the ballot.

Hassan is pouring $13 million into her fall advertising blitz, her campaign said in a memo released last week that specifically notes her ability to play early in the “expensive Boston market” that extends into southern New Hampshire.

She’s already booked hundreds of thousands of dollars of spots on Boston-area stations WCVB, MeTV and NBC 10, with more on the way. The ads are slated to run from Sept. 13, New Hampshire’s primary day, through Election Day in November, according to ad-tracking firm AdImpact and FCC filings available Monday. And Hassan is blanketing the airwaves by placing buys during popular newscasts, daytime talk shows and soaps, primetime NFL games and late-night shows.

Hassan remains one of the most vulnerable Senate Democrats this cycle despite avoiding a challenge from GOP Gov. Chris Sununu. Her early buys show she’s not messing around when it comes to crowding out her competition on the airwaves and getting the eyes of donors in deep-pocketed Massachusetts.

She's also making it tougher for Bay State candidates who will have to compete for airtime not only against Granite State drop-ins but also against groups waging potentially expensive battles over contentious ballot questions.

“For a challenger or down-ballot candidate, every spot you can put up is precious,” Democratic strategist Scott Ferson said. “You’ve got a limited amount of money, and so every spot you put up is critical because that’s your one chance to meet voters statewide.”

Some candidates are in better positions than others to buy earlier. State Attorney General Maura Healey is already sitting on more than $4 million to shell out on ads in the governor’s race. Secretary of State Bill Galvin has more than $2 million in his war chest for his reelection bid. State Sen. Eric Lesser leads the lieutenant governor field with $884,491 in his coffers. But no other statewide candidate has more than $500,000 in their bank account right now, and Hassan isn’t waiting around.

GOOD TUESDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. Tips? Scoops? Links not working? Email me: lkashinsky@politico.com.

TODAY — Acting Gov. Karyn Polito makes a Municipal Cybersecurity Awareness Grant announcement at 11 a.m. at Haverhill City Hall and a manufacturing and innovation grant at 99Degrees in Lawrence at 1:30 p.m. State Rep. Maria Robinson’ s nomination as assistant secretary in the Energy Department’s Office of Electricity gets a U.S. Senate committee vote at 10 a.m.

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ON THE STUMP

— FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: Secretary of state hopeful Tanisha Sullivan is staffing up. Mehreen Butt , an attorney, former legislative staffer and Wakefield town councilor who was the first American Muslim woman to serve as a municipal elected official in Massachusetts, is Sullivan’s campaign manager. Nate Roberts, who worked as a field organizer on Sen. Ed Markey’s 2020 reelection campaign and most recently on DPH’s vaccine equity initiative in Fall River and New Bedford, is Sullivan’s field director.

— FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: Northwestern District Attorney David Sullivan has endorsed labor attorney Shannon Liss-Riordan for state attorney general, calling her the best candidate to “carry on the great work of AG Maura Healey.”

— GETTING IN: Swampscott Democrat Doug Thompson, a former MassHealth CFO who helped manage the early years of the state’s health care expansion, is running to represent the 8th Essex House district that former state Rep. Lori Ehrlich left to serve as FEMA’s regional administrator in New England.

— GAS RELIEF: The state’s record-high gas price is spurring calls for tax relief from Republican gubernatorial hopefuls Chris Doughty and Geoff Diehl. Doughty called for the state to put a “holiday” on the state’s 24-cent gas tax “during the current crisis.” Diehl said in a statement that he’s “particularly focused on the opportunity for our state to suspend gas tax collections.”

— "In a historic race for Massachusetts governor, misogyny and racism swirl around Democratic hopefuls," by Alison Kuznitz, MassLive: "Long-accustomed to the onslaught of xenophobic and misogynistic speech that permeates social media, state Sen. Sonia Chang-Díaz didn’t feel surprised when a Twitter user hurled a death wish toward her last month. ... But now, as Massachusetts grapples with its own racial reckoning and is poised to make Beacon Hill history with a slate of bold female leaders, there’s a newfound responsibility among women and allies to 'lift up into the sunlight' instances of violent rhetoric, Chang-Díaz said."

— “A grassroots resurgence in ward caucuses,” by Yawu Miller, Bay State Banner: “[The late Mayor Tom] Menino and [former Mayor Marty] Walsh converted their campaign organizations into political machines, often leaning on city employees to maintain control over ward committees, ensuring a share of delegates they could allot to their preferred statewide candidates. [Boston Mayor Michelle] Wu, on the other hand, said she held a training in January for her campaign volunteers and staff on the delegate process, but has not sought control over any committees.”

THE LATEST NUMBERS

— “Massachusetts coronavirus hospitalizations fall again over the weekend, lowest total in 7 months,” by Rick Sobey, Boston Herald: “State health officials reported 1,694 new coronavirus cases over the weekend, a plateau from last weekend as COVID-19 hospitalizations keep falling across the region. The daily average of 565 virus cases over the weekend was similar to the daily rate of 544 infections from the previous weekend.”

DATELINE BEACON HILL

— “Harmony Montgomery case: Massachusetts seeks to strengthen child welfare protections across state lines,” by Alison Kuznitz, MassLive: “New England states, including Massachusetts and New Hampshire, may strengthen their collaborative welfare efforts that exceed the parameters of the Interstate Compact on the Placement of Children, an agreement that’s come under scrutiny with the disappearance of 7-year-old Harmony Montgomery. But Massachusetts should not enter into any interstate agreement that lacks parental assessment requirements, said Department of Children and Families Commissioner Linda Spears during a virtual hearing Monday afternoon.”

— “Old COVID Rules Still In Place In House, Senate,” by Chris Lisinski, State House News Service (paywall): “Speaker Ronald Mariano's office said Monday that the mandate requiring staff and House lawmakers to submit proof of vaccination or seek a reasonable accommodation is still in effect for access to the House chamber, even as access to the State House itself is no longer contingent on COVID-19 vaccination or test status. On the Senate side, the vaccine mandate dictating how members and staff can access the chamber ‘remains in place but is currently under review,’ a spokesperson for Senate President Karen Spilka said Monday.”

VAX-ACHUSETTS

— MASK DOWN: Worcester and Lowell schools are the latest to drop their mask mandates. Lowell also dropped its mask requirement for city buildings, the Lowell Sun’s Jacob Vitali reports.

— “Boston hospitals to participate in national study of long COVID,” by Felice J. Freyer, Boston Globe: “A consortium of Boston area hospitals has joined an ambitious national effort to solve the puzzle of ‘long COVID,’ an often-debilitating syndrome in which symptoms such as fatigue and brain fog persist long after COVID-19 infection. The Researching COVID to Enhance Recovery, or RECOVER study, aims to understand the prevalence, risk factors, biological mechanisms, and possible causes of what doctors refer to as PASC, or Post-Acute Sequelae of SARS-CoV2.”

— “Massachusetts vows to maintain rapid COVID test stockpile as virus reaches ‘endemic’ stage,” by Alison Kuznitz, MassLive: “The supply should tally around 3.5 million rapid antigen tests, which is half of the commonwealth’s population, Health and Human Services Secretary Marylou Sudders testified during a virtual fiscal 2023 budget hearing Monday morning.”

— “Massachusetts no longer will provide free COVID testing in the Berkshires. State lawmakers say there needs to be regional equity,” by Danny Jin and Francesca Paris, Berkshire Eagle: “Massachusetts no longer will cover free, asymptomatic COVID-19 testing at Berkshire Health Systems sites in Pittsfield, Great Barrington and North Adams, as the state downsizes its Stop the Spread program. Berkshire Health Systems will continue to provide testing at those locations, hospital spokesperson Michael Leary said in a Monday email, as it has done throughout the coronavirus pandemic.”

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FROM THE HUB

— “Boston activist is under scrutiny by federal grand jury,” by Andrea Estes and Shelley Murphy, Boston Globe: “A Boston community organizer who rose to prominence after rallying thousands to protest the killing of George Floyd is under federal investigation for possible misuse of donations to her nonprofit, Violence in Boston Inc., according to three people briefed on the probe. Monica Cannon-Grant, 41, who started her charity with $1,000 in 2017 and now operates out of a 4,000-square-foot headquarters in Hyde Park, has come under scrutiny as part of an investigation by the US Attorney’s office that led to the October arrest of her husband, Clark Grant, and the raid of their Taunton home.”

— “MetroLEC says it’s no longer supporting Boston police at planned events. A city councilor called the move ‘unreasonable,’” by Christopher Gavin, Boston.com: “The regional law enforcement network known as MetroLEC says it is no longer providing support to Boston police at planned events, pointing to a city law passed last year restricting when authorities can use crowd control agents such as tear gas, rubber bullets, and pepper spray.”

— “Union defends Boston Public Schools teachers’ six-figure salaries,” by Marie Szaniszlo, Boston Herald: “The Boston Teachers Union on Monday slammed critics of teacher salaries, saying pay is less in the city than in many suburban districts and in other states.”

DAY IN COURT

— “US Supreme Court won’t hear appeal opposing return of stolen Alexander Hamilton letter to Mass.,” by Madison Mercado, Boston Globe: “The United States Supreme Court on Monday declined to reconsider a lower court’s ruling that ordered the return of a stolen letter written by Alexander Hamilton to the Massachusetts Archives, ending an almost four-year legal battle, officials said.”

— “'I wish I never laid eyes on him': Jasiel Correia's ex-aide Gen Andrade gets hefty fine,” by Dan Medeiros, Linda Murphy and Lynne Sullivan, Herald News: “Genoveva Andrade, the former chief of staff of convicted ex-mayor Jasiel Correia II, was spared prison time, but she will pay for her crime in the form of a hefty $50,000 fine, to be paid in one lump sum.”

RUSSIA-UKRAINE

— “Sen. Ed Markey’s push to block $20 billion in Russian oil imports picks up bipartisan steam,” by Benjamin Kail, MassLive: “‘We must empty the tanks of American vehicles of Russia’s dirty oil and gas — the same energy sources that fuel Russia’s convoy of tanks and armored vehicles in Ukraine,’ Markey said in a statement Monday, after announcing support from Rep. Ro Khanna, a California Democrat and Rep. Nancy Mace, a South Carolina Republican.”

— More: “Biden warms to a Russian oil ban. Congress may not give him a choice,” by Andrew Desiderio, Burgess Everett and Jonathan Lemire, POLITICO: “The White House’s posture this week amounts to an about-face for an administration that just days ago feared an import ban would send gas prices skyrocketing. At the very least, officials were hopeful to enact a ban in lockstep with European allies. But they are adjusting to what has become an overwhelming bipartisan interest on Capitol Hill — and within corners of the administration — in ridding American markets of Russian oil as Vladimir Putin continues his bloody assault on Ukraine.”

THE CLARK CAUCUS

— “Katherine Clark's Melrose Home Sells After Price Cut,” by Mike Carraggi, Patch: “Congresswoman Katherine Clark's former Melrose home sold for $1.935 million, making it the most expensive home sale in the city in two years, according to real estate site Redfin. The 11-room, 4,118-square foot residence at 64 Prospect St. sold on the last day of February. It went for $10,000 more than asking — but that was only after the initial asking price of $2.1 million was slashed two months after it listed.”

FROM THE 413

— “In Springfield, some people are losing their homes to a program intended to fix blighted property,” by Jenifer B. McKim, Grace Ferguson, Mia Khatib and Luwa Yin, GBH News: “In 2012, city inspectors walked into Michael Gedeon’s home and declared it a health hazard. Saying the property was littered with old cars, trash and giant fuel tanks, officials asked a judge to appoint a private company, called a receiver, to clean it up and bill Gedeon for the costs. But Gedeon wasn’t able to pay off the $63,000 in repair costs the receiver incurred and three years later the St. Lucian immigrant lost the home in a foreclosure auction. The receiver became the home’s new owner and sold it a year later for nearly $80,000.”

— “Register of Deeds Cheryl Coakley-Rivera pulls remaining staff from mold-infested Springfield courthouse,” by Jim Kinney, Springfield Republican: “Hampden County Register of Deeds Cheryl Coakley-Rivera ordered her remaining staff to leave the Roderick L. Ireland Courthouse Monday after a lab report released by lawyers suing to close the courthouse found toxic, cancer-causing, mold living in the building’s air vents, surfaces, between its walls and in its dust.”

— “Holyoke mayor nixes charter change that would limit his appointment authority,” by Dennis Hohenberger, MassLive: “A Home Rule Petition granting the City Council confirmation authority on certain mayoral [appointments] is all but dead. Mayor Joshua A. Garcia said on Monday he would not sign the petition to amend the City Charter. … While not opposed to modernizing and reforming municipal government, the mayor failed to see how the charter change would improve city services.”

THE LOCAL ANGLE

— SHOT: “Malden Ranks Fifth In United States For Best Wordle Scores,” by Jay Willett, WBZ NewsRadio: “According to WordTips, an online word finder, Malden is fifth in the United States for the best Wordle scores, averaging 3.62 guesses a puzzle.”

— CHASER: “‘Everyone is cheating on Wordle,’ especially New England residents, Google data indicates,” by Will Katcher, MassLive: “Massachusetts had the fifth-highest rate of cheating in the country, with the state’s most Google searches for the answer coming on Feb. 18, when the word was ‘dodge.’ But residents still searched less often than those in New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont and Washington, D.C. Maine residents closely followed the group.”

— “‘Tercentennial is about togetherness’: Worcester city manager responds to NAACP pulling out of anniversary celebration,” by Kiernan Dunlop, MassLive: “On Monday, Worcester’s city manager said he hopes the NAACP will reconsider pulling out of the city’s 300th anniversary celebration. Worcester branch president Fred Taylor Sr. announced on Sunday that the NAACP will not be participating in the city’s Tercentenary committee after the city announced the departure of its chief diversity officer on Friday afternoon.”

— “Survey says what employers know: Hiring is tough,” by Christian M. Wade, Newburyport Daily News: “Employers are still struggling to find workers amid a prolonged hiring crunch, according to a new report by a national business group. … Business leaders in Massachusetts say the latest data shows the labor shortage is continuing to drag on the state’s economic recovery.”

— “Family remembers Massachusetts State Trooper Tamar Bucci, who was killed in crash,” by WCVB: “The family of Massachusetts State Trooper Tamar Bucci is remembering her as an ‘unbreakable’ spirit who always dreamed of a career in law enforcement. Bucci, 34, was killed when a tanker truck collided with her cruiser on Interstate 93 in Stoneham late Thursday night. The trooper was changing lanes to help a disabled vehicle at the time of the crash.”

MEANWHILE IN NEW HAMPSHIRE

— “New Hampshire House Democratic Leader Cushing dies of cancer,” by Adam Sexton and Jason King, WMUR: “House Democratic Leader Renny Cushing died Monday, shortly after stepping down from his position as he was treated for stage 4 prostate cancer.”

TRANSITIONS — Drew Douglas-Steele has joined Casner & Edwards as an associate in the firm’s nonprofit organizations group.

— Billy Hennessy, a former Rep. Seth Moulton press aide, has joined United Public Affairs. The firm’s founder, Erick Sanchez, jokingly apologized to Moulton in a press release, saying, “My bad, dude.”

HAPPY BIRTHDAY — to Emma Brodie.

WELCOME TO THE WORLD — Haverhill state Rep. Andy Vargas and Rikelma Vargas welcomed Rubén Andrés Vargas on March 3; mami and baby are both healthy. Pic. Tweet.

AND WELCOME TO THE WORLD — Crystal and Juan Pablo Jaramillo, ELM’s political director, welcomed their first born, Lucas Maximiliano Jaramillo, on Feb. 28 at Tufts Medical Center. The newest Jaramillo, a member of the infant Democrats of Massachusetts, said “Reveah” when he was born, per his dad. Pic. Tweet.

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