Middleboro Review 2: POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook:

Thursday, July 14, 2022

POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook:

NEW: HITCHING HER WAGON — Salem Mayor Kim Driscoll is endorsing Maura Healey for governor and plans to hit the stump on the attorney general’s behalf while simultaneously running to be her partner in the corner office.

“For a lieutenant governor, there’s nothing more important than having a capable and strong leader in the corner office as governor. That’s Maura Healey. But I’m worried that too many people think that the race for governor is over. We can’t afford that kind of thinking,” Driscoll says in a new selfie-style video. “I’m with her 100 percent and would be honored to serve with her as lieutenant governor. … I’m asking you to join us in getting out the vote.”

It’s a strategic move on Driscoll’s part to align herself with Healey, even if the sole Democrat still running for governor doesn’t reciprocate the endorsement. Driscoll leads Democratic primary polls in the lieutenant governor race but is behind state Sen. Eric Lesser in fundraising. And Lesser has long positioned himself as the geographic and demographic compliment to Healey — the straight male millennial legislator from western Massachusetts who could partner with the openly gay Gen X prosecutor from Boston.

Driscoll brings a different kind of balance to a potential Democratic ticket with Healey as a mayor who understands both the municipal and the executive. And by publicly endorsing Healey, Driscoll can — and in her new video, does — start selling the image to voters that she could be Healey’s running mate come November. It's an association some voters may already be making after Healey and Driscoll nabbed the Democratic Party's endorsements in their respective races last month.

GOOD THURSDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. The GOP primary for governor just got a lot more interesting.

New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu will fundraise for Chris Doughty at an Aug. 3 event in Peabody. Doughty’s campaign told Playbook the two met at a Republican Governors Association event in Tennessee shortly after the MassGOP convention, where they discussed mutual issues facing their states.

It’s a big-name boost for the political newcomer and primary underdog. And it’s especially intriguing because of Sununu’s complicated relationship with former President Donald Trump and his associates, which culminated earlier this year in Corey Lewandowski, Trump’s former campaign manager and a senior adviser to Trump-endorsed Doughty rival Geoff Diehl, calling for Sununu’s ouster in New Hampshire.

But Sununu spokesperson Ben Vihstadt told Playbook this “has nothing to do with the other candidate” and that Doughty asked Sununu to attend a fundraiser for him when the two met in May.

TODAY — Gov. Charlie Baker and your Playbook scribe are in Maine for the National Governors Association summer meeting. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu gives opening remarks at the AFT National Convention at 9 a.m. at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center.

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

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YAHD SIGNS AND BUMPAH STICKAHS

— FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: Former Democratic gubernatorial nominee Jay Gonzalez has endorsed Shannon Liss-Riordan for attorney general over his 2018 running mate, Quentin Palfrey , who was the Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor that year.

“I ran for governor in 2018 because I wanted to help the little guy, to make a meaningful difference in people's lives. I am supporting Shannon Liss-Riordan for attorney general because she has been doing exactly that as a nationally-recognized attorney for the last 20 years,” Gonzalez said in a statement. “Shannon is the candidate in this race who is ready on day one to lead the attorney general’s office.”

— ENDORSEMENT WARS: Former Rep. Barney Frank has endorsed state Rep. Tommy Vitolo for reelection in the 15th Norfolk District, his campaign said. Frank’s endorsement comes days after his MA-04 successor, former Rep. Joe Kennedy III, endorsed Vitolo’s opponent , former Brookline Select Board Vice Chair Raul Fernandez.

— FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: SEIU Local 509 and 1199SEIU have endorsed NAACP Boston Branch President Tanisha Sullivan for secretary of state. The unions, which represent a combined nearly 100,000 health care, home care, human service workers, state workers and childcare providers across the state, cited Sullivan’s commitment to “advancing equity and justice in our voting system.”

— “MA Women for Progress calls on Mayor Joe Petty to apologize for ‘unfounded’ claim of campaign finance violations in state Senate race,” by Kiernan Dunlop, MassLive: “Massachusetts Women for Progress is calling for an apology from Worcester Mayor Joe Petty after his campaign for state Senate accused the PAC of campaign finance violations . … The accusations surround a mailer that the PAC sent out at the beginning of the month. The Petty campaign alleges the PAC worked with his competitor Robyn Kennedy on the mailer, a violation of campaign finance regulations prohibiting coordination between candidates and PACs. … The evidence of violations the Petty campaign provided includes a social media post where the Kennedy campaign refers to the PAC mailer as ‘our mailer.’ The Kennedy campaign said the reference was a mistake made by a first-time aide and was taken down as soon as a senior staffer saw it.”

DATELINE BEACON HILL

— “Mass. House, Senate at odds over later-term abortion law,” by Matt Stout, Boston Globe: “The Massachusetts Senate on Wednesday followed the House in passing a wide-ranging abortion rights bill in the wake of the Supreme Court overturning the landmark Roe v. Wade decision. But Democratic leaders must now wrestle with thorny differences, particularly in what circumstances to allow later-term abortions, a disagreement that could complicate the late-session scramble to expand the state’s already extensive reproductive rights law. … Before passing the bill, 40-0, on Wednesday, the chamber did not include the House later-term abortion language but instead adopted an amendment filed by Senator Patricia Jehlen that attempts to clarify the existing law, which also allows for an abortion after 24 weeks if the physician determines the ‘fetus is incompatible with sustained life outside the uterus.’”

Abortion-rights advocates continue to urge lawmakers to pass changes clarifying when later in pregnancy abortions can be performed under the 2020 ROE Act. Rebecca Hart Holder, executive director of Reproductive Equity Now, referenced the House language in a statement saying “we must work with our legislative partners to find the best pathway to clarify the ROE Act and ensure no one is sent out of state for abortion care when faced with a severe fetal anomaly.”

— “Reproductive health care working group to defend rights under threat by the Supreme Court in wake of abortion decision,” by Alison Kuznitz, MassLive: “The Massachusetts Senate has formed a reproductive health care working group to more rigorously tackle the ongoing legal challenges prompted by the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade. The group, which will incorporate feedback from all 40 state senators, will also delve into ‘other substantive rights under threat by the Supreme Court, as well as explore issues regarding data collection and privacy, and later in pregnancy abortions,’ Senate President Karen Spilka announced in an email Wednesday afternoon.”

— “House rejects rebates for lowest-income earners in sweeping economic development package,” by Samantha J. Gross, Boston Globe: “Members of the Massachusetts House Wednesday rejected an effort to include the state’s lowest-income taxpayers as part of a stimulus proposal aimed at soothing the sting of record-breaking inflation by giving out one-time $250 payments. The amendment, filed by progressive Representatives Tami L. Gouveia and Mike Connolly, would have lifted an income requirement for a piece of the chamber’s sweeping economic development bill. … ‘Leadership made it clear earlier this week and again today that they were not open to taking up this type of change,’ [Gouveia] told the Globe in a statement.”

— “Galvin raises concerns about remote notarization plans,” by Christian M. Wade, Daily News of Newburyport: “The proposal, approved by the House and Senate last week, would allow public notaries in Massachusetts to continue remotely certifying wills, trusts, home sales and other major transactions. The law temporarily authorizing remote notarizations is set to expire Friday. In a letter to legislative leaders, Secretary of State Bill Galvin said provisions added to the bill by the House go ‘far beyond extending the virtual notarization provisions during the COVID-19 state of emergency’ to create a costly ‘novel and complex process.’”

— “Environmentalists urge passage of Massachusetts climate bills. 'It's ridiculous they haven't brought this further along',” by Aina de Lapparent Alvarez, Berkshire Eagle: “[F]our climate bills [are] in conference committee in the state Legislature. They deal with air quality (S.1447/H.2230), the Building Justice with Jobs bill (S.2226/H.3365), a measure that would require more community outreach on the siting of energy projects (S.2135/H.3365) and the 100 Percent Clean Energy bill (S.2136/H.3288). … The conference committee charged with reconciling the bills has until July 22 to act. If the measures do not advance into law this year, supporters fear the reforms will have to wait for a new two-year legislative session.”

— “Advocates push for statewide sex-ed standards,” by Christian M. Wade, Eagle-Tribune: “Advocates are pushing for approval of a plan that sets standards for public schools to teach sex education in a ‘medically accurate, age appropriate’ way, but critics say the changes would promote controversial views on the subject. … Rep. Jim O'Day, D-West Boylston, the proposal's primary sponsor, lamented that the measure has languished year after year amid opposition in the House of Representatives.”

— “Altman leaving Health Policy Commission,” by Bruce Mohl, CommonWealth Magazine: “Gov. Charlie Baker on Wednesday appointed retired health care executive Deborah Devaux as chair of the Health Policy Commission, replacing Stuart Altman, who has chaired the agency since its creation 10 years ago."

FROM THE HUB

— “Michael Cox named Boston police commissioner,” by Sean Philip Cotter, Boston Herald: “Mayor Michelle Wu has made her pick for police commissioner: Michael Cox, a veteran of the department who rose up through the ranks after fellow officers who’d confused him with a suspect beat him in the 1990s. Cox, 57, has been the police chief in Ann Arbor, Michigan, since 2019, but he’s returning to his hometown of Boston to start as the city’s new top cop on Aug. 15 — more than a year and a half after the last time the department had an on-the-job police commissioner. ‘It’s time for us to get back out there and reintroduce ourselves to the public,’ Cox said, talking to reporters on Wednesday morning about his priorities that heavily included improving community policing.”

— More: “In the pre-dawn darkness of 1995, Officer Michael Cox became a crime victim — at the hands of fellow Boston police officers,” by John R. Ellement and Ivy Scott, Boston Globe: “Early on a Wednesday morning, amid one of the most violent criminal periods in Boston’s long history, Boston Police Officer Michael A. Cox ran into a dead-end Mattapan street after a murder suspect. Moments later, Cox, dressed in plainclothes, was pummeled by fellow officers who mistook him for the wanted man and beat him unconscious.”

— “Boston Mayor Michelle Wu responds to alleged 24-hour police shifts, calling them ‘not safe or healthy’,” by Chris Van Buskirk, MassLive: “Boston Mayor Michelle Wu said Wednesday that an alleged situation where police officers worked for 24 hours straight over the weekend due to multiple large-scale events in the city was ‘not safe or healthy’ for law enforcement.”

— “Boston City Council approves $367M in federal pandemic relief funding — with Dorchester field-house amendment,” by Sean Philip Cotter, Boston Herald: “The City Council has passed Mayor Michelle Wu’s sweeping $367 million package allocating federal pandemic recovery money — but including an amendment for a Dorchester field house that the mayor says doesn’t fit in the bill.”

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BIDEN TIME

— NOT POTUS, BUT FLOTUS: Jill Biden lands in Boston at 12:15 p.m. today, the start of a three-day swing through Massachusetts that will see the first lady visit with servicemembers and veterans at Boston’s Home Base, attend a Democratic National Committee finance event in Andover, speak on Friday at the American Federation of Teachers convention in Boston and join Labor Secretary Marty Walsh for an event highlighting a job training program before jetting off to Nantucket for another DNC finance event on Saturday.

— “Biden nominates Judge Guzman for Mass. federal court; would be first Hispanic judge,” by Nick Stoico, Boston Globe: “President Joe Biden plans to nominate Ayer District Court Judge Margaret R. Guzman to the US District Court for Massachusetts, the White House announced Wednesday. Guzman would be the first Hispanic judge to serve on the Massachusetts court if she is confirmed, the White House said in a statement.”

FROM THE DELEGATION

— #EXPANDTHECOURT: Rep. Jim McGovern is the latest co-sponsor of legislation that would add four seats to the Supreme Court. The House version of the bill now has the support of 59 representatives, including Rep. Ayanna Pressley. The Senate version, filed by Sen. Ed Markey, is still stalled at two: Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Tina Smith (D-Minn.).

— “Mass. lawmakers want Beverly Hospital to hit pause on plan to close North Shore Birth Center,” by Cassie McGrath, Boston Business Journal: “Three Massachusetts lawmakers are asking Beverly Hospital to delay the closure of its holistic maternity care center, saying the hospital is more focused on padding its profits than caring for patients and staff. ‘We urge you to prioritize the livelihoods and expertise of your nurses and midwives, and the care and well-being of your patients, and, at minimum, to delay the closure of the Birth Center while you carefully consider other alternatives,’ U.S. Sens. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass. and Ed Markey, D-Mass.; and U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass., wrote in a letter sent to Beverly Hospital President Tom Sands.”

FROM THE 413

— “Holyoke woman tapped for task force to explore creation of a baby bonds program in Massachusetts,” by Bera Dunau, Daily Hampshire Gazette: “The state treasurer’s office is exploring the creation of a baby bonds program that would set up government trust funds for qualifying infants to use when they get older, and is turning to an expert from Holyoke to help analyze the idea.”

— “Why a North Adams man is walking from Williamstown to Provincetown,” by Greta Jochem, Berkshire Eagle: “Wearing a canvas backpack filled with homemade granola bars a friend gave him, Andrew Fitch set out from Williamstown for a 300-mile walk. His destination: The opposite end of Massachusetts, where he hopes to have raised $1,000 for the National Network of Abortion Funds.”

THE LOCAL ANGLE

— “When the Oath Keepers came to Lexington: a look at the extremist militia’s ties to Massachusetts,” by Travis Andersen, Boston Globe: “Founder Elmer Stewart Rhodes III, indicted for seditious conspiracy for allegedly organizing a plot to storm the Capitol on Jan. 6, 2021, graduated from Yale Law School in 2004. And the group chose Lexington Common as the site of its formal launch in 2009, according to the [Southern Poverty Law Center].”

— “Danvers latest town to find propaganda from neo-Nazi group,” by Alexander Newman, Boston 25 News: “A neo-Nazi group is continuing to spread its propaganda across the North Shore. The Danvers Police Department said the Nationalist Social Club has left literature advertising their message at several homes.”

— “Mass. awarded millions in grants to address racial wealth gap, fill life science jobs,” by Tori Bedford, GBH News: “Former Mayor Marty Walsh touted millions in U.S. Labor Department grants that will be used to beef up apprenticeships and entry-level job opportunities in life sciences and other growth industries in Greater Boston."

HEARD ‘ROUND THE BUBBLAH

— MAHTY'S MISHAP: Labor Secretary Marty Walsh tripped over his own Cabinet title during Tuesday’s workforce summit with Vice President Kamala Harris and a number of governors and local officials, POLITICO's Nick Niedzwiadek reports.

Walsh began accidentally calling himself secretary of education before catching it mid-syllable, only to repeat the slip-up by switching to “transportat—" before finally correcting it to labor on the third try.

“Don’t tell the other secretaries I said that, because they’ll get mad and think I want to jump ship. I don’t,” he said.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY — to Rick Jakious, Rep. Seth Moulton’s district director; former state Attorney General Martha Coakley; former Rep. Patrick Kennedy, Nate Bermel, Laurily Epstein and David Emil Reich.

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