Middleboro Review 2: POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: Healey’s moneymakers shape LG race

Wednesday, August 24, 2022

POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: Healey’s moneymakers shape LG race

FOLLOW THE MONEY — Maura Healey hasn’t endorsed a lieutenant governor. But the financial architects of the presumptive Democratic gubernatorial nominee’s campaign are signaling who they want on the ticket with her: Salem Mayor Kim Driscoll.

Here’s how: Healey’s finance co-chairs, veteran Democratic fundraisers Bryan Rafanelli and Beth Boland, are both hosting events for Driscoll. Rafanelli held a fundraiser for Driscoll at his Provincetown home last Saturday — notable in part because Rafanelli was an event planner for President Barack Obama, Driscoll rival Eric Lesser’s former boss.

Boland, another Healey veteran, is on the host committee for a virtual “Women for Kim” event on Thursday, along with Healey steering committee member Deborah Benson and Healey finance committee member Georgia Murray, according to invitations obtained by Playbook.

"I’m proud to support Kim in this race," Boland told Playbook. "I have a lot of respect for the work Kim has done as mayor and I have always tried to support talented women candidates, and simply think she would be a great lieutenant governor."

Other Healey finance committee members, including Kate Haffner and Sean Curran, have also donated to Driscoll’s lieutenant governor bid. Longtime Healey donors like Shanti Fry and Elyse Cherry have contributed the maximum donation, $1,000, to Driscoll this year. Barbara Lee, an early Healey supporter, endorsed Driscoll back in May.

Healey’s campaign isn’t directing these key donors and fundraisers Driscoll’s way, according to one donor who requested anonymity to speak freely on the matter. But there are connections between the two campaigns through current and former consultants. Healey’s campaign declined to comment.

It’s not a perfect pipeline. Several people who’ve co-hosted events for Healey have done so for Lesser. Former Ambassador Alan Solomont, who’s on Healey’s fundraising committee, gave $1,000 to Lesser. Another Healey finance committee member, former state Democratic Party Chair Phil Johnston, has fundraised for and is “strongly” supporting the western Massachusetts state senator. Rafanelli’s partner, Mark Walsh, has donated to both Lesser and Driscoll.

But it’s notable that Rafanelli and Boland, the leaders of Healey’s finance committee and major players in donor circles, are throwing their considerable influence behind Driscoll in a race that the attorney general has declined to weigh in on.

GOOD WEDNESDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. State Sen. Diana DiZoglio is joining auditor rival Chris Dempsey on the airwaves.

Massachusetts state Sen. Diana DiZoglio in one of her two television ads for auditor. | Screenshot from DiZoglio campaign video.

FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — DiZoglio is dropping $500,000 on two television ads that will run on broadcast and cable through primary day on Sept. 6. The ads, titled “Stand Up” and “The People’s Auditor,” touch on the Methuen lawmaker’s backstory and her fight against taxpayer-funded non-disclosure agreements.

In a race without a clear frontrunner, endorsements have become key. DiZoglio’s ads feature two prominent female politicians, state Sen. Lydia Edwards and Rep. Lori Trahan, as well as Massachusetts AFL-CIO President Steve Tolman in a nod to DiZoglio’s substantial union support.

Dempsey’s ad likewise touts his support from outgoing Auditor Suzanne Bump and Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, and the state party endorsement he earned at the MassDems’ June convention.

TODAY — Gov. Charlie Baker and Rep. Jake Auchincloss attend a ribbon-cutting ceremony for Thermo Fisher Scientific in Plainville at 10 a.m. Rep. Ayanna Pressley visits the John F. Kennedy Elementary School in Randolph at 10:30 a.m. Sen. Elizabeth Warren hosts a meet-and-greet at 6:15 p.m. at Natick’s Lookout Farm. Rep. Seth Moulton attends a Ukrainian flag raising at 10 a.m. in Salem and then heads to Lynn. Sen. Ed Markey visits Fall River at 10 a.m. and New Bedford’s solar farm at 12:15 p.m. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu is on JavawithJimmy at 9:15 a.m., attends a ribbon-cutting at 11 a.m. in Dorchester and a Ukrainian flag-raising event at noon outside City Hall.

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

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YAHD SIGNS AND BUMPAH STICKAHS

— FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: Senate President Karen Spilka has endorsed former Boston City Councilor Andrea Campbell for attorney general, saying her “lived experience and her fierce drive to deliver real progress is what it will take to meet this historic moment and build on the legacy of Maura Healey.” The two will campaign together at the Framingham Dems BBQ on Saturday, Campbell’s campaign said.

— Healey has endorsed Lawrence City Councilor Pavel Payano for First Essex state senator.

THIS IS THE BEST THE MASS GOP & DIEHL CAN DO?

— NO-WIN SITUATION: Republicans have long bashed Healey for the speech she gave after George Floyd’s 2020 murder in which she said “America is burning, but that’s how forests grow.” Now they’re seizing on the governor hopeful’s comment to CommonWealth Magazine that she “would not have used that phrase” if given a do-over.

“Not so fast, Maura,” GOP gubernatorial candidate Geoff Diehl said in an email to supporters fundraising for his latest radio ad. “Your words now, two years later, are too little too late.” MassGOP Chair Jim Lyons also issued a press release disparaging Healey's walkback.

REPUBLICANS SUPPORTING KIM DRISCOLL? WHY?

— “Springfield lieutenant governor fundraiser backs Salem Mayor Kim Driscoll — not Western Mass. state Sen. Eric Lesser,” by Alison Kuznitz, MassLive: “A powerful Republican lobbyist and former Springfield city councilor has helped coordinate a fundraiser for Salem Mayor Kim Driscoll, a Democratic candidate for lieutenant governor, in the frenzied lead-up to the Sept. 6 primary — forging a prominent breach from state Sen. Eric Lesser, a Longmeadow Democrat running for the post, too. The fundraiser next Wednesday evening in downtown Springfield is meant to ‘deliver a great Western Mass. victory to our good friend and next Lt. Governor of the Commonwealth, Salem Mayor Kim Driscoll,’ according to an emailed invitation sent to hundreds of potential supporters Tuesday afternoon from Tony Ravosa.”

— “Mail-in voting, election security, and the census: Here’s what the Dem. Secretary of State candidates said,” by Clara McCourt, Boston.com.

DATELINE BEACON HILL

— “I-Team: Former head of Massachusetts Veterans' Services off state payroll, but has another job,” by Cheryl Fiandaca, WBZ: “Weeks after an I-Team investigation revealed former Veterans Affairs Secretary Francisco Urena was back on the state payroll, we are now learning he is off the job. … He was hired in April as the Deputy Director of Military Initiatives at Mass Development, a quasi-state agency, and was earning $100,000 a year. The I-Team first reported Urena's new job last month. … Urena now has a new job: just last week, the mayor of Lawrence appointed Urena to be the provisional manager at the Lawrence Municipal Airport.”

— "Mass. effort to certify police officers delayed. Boston has yet to submit key data," by Walter Wuthmann, WBUR: "The state agency charged with certifying police officers is edging closer to finishing its first round of full reviews, but the Boston Police Department appears to be holding up the process. Massachusetts Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission Executive Director Enrique Zuniga said in an interview Tuesday that every police department in the state has sent in the required paperwork, except for Boston."

VAX-ACHUSETTS

— “Boston health officials ‘exploring options’ to monitor for polio in wake of New York case, wastewater detection,” by Rick Sobey, Boston Herald: “Boston public health officials are ‘exploring options’ to monitor for polio after a case of the life-threatening disease was confirmed in New York and wastewater surveillance detected poliovirus in 31 positive samples.”

FROM THE HUB

— “Suffolk DA candidate Ricardo Arroyo was twice investigated in possible sexual assaults. He says he was never informed,” by Andrew Ryan, Andrea Estes and Evan Allen, Boston Globe: “A high school student told police in 2005 that she was sexually assaulted by her then-classmate Ricardo Arroyo, now a candidate for Suffolk district attorney, according to police and school records obtained by the Globe. Two years later, a second teenage girl reported to police that she believed Arroyo may have raped her after she got inebriated at a party, records show. The two cases were investigated separately by police and neither led to charges, according to a Boston Police Department spokesman. Arroyo, a city councilor currently locked in a heated campaign to be the district attorney in the jurisdiction that includes Boston, said in an interview that he only learned of the accusations and the investigations when he was questioned by the Globe.”

— "Crowds return to 'Mass. and Cass' area in Boston, months after city dismantles encampment," by Deborah Becker, WBUR: "Back in January, city officials cleared out a large tent encampment in Boston, near the intersection of Mass. Ave. and Melnea Cass Boulevard. But over the last few months of warmer weather, dozens of people have returned to the area. Officials recently counted more than 160 people congregated on a two block stretch of Southampton Street, near the center of where the encampment had been."

PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES

— “Baker, Neal Eye Transforming Springfield Into ‘National Intersection,’” by Colin A. Young, State House News Service (paywall): “Federal and state officials agreed Tuesday that Springfield can play an important role in the revitalization of passenger rail service in America, and Gov. Charlie Baker pledged to use his remaining time in office to put the long-discussed East-West Rail expansion project in position to benefit from the new federal infrastructure law.”

— “Two Orange Line construction vehicles derailed. The incidents won’t slow shutdown project, T says,” by Taylor Dolven, Boston Globe: “Two pieces of Orange Line construction equipment came off the rails Monday evening and Tuesday morning during the first full week of the subway line’s 30-day shutdown for track replacement, MBTA spokesman Joe Pesaturo confirmed.”

— “Buses in Lawrence move to 30-minute frequency,” by Bruce Mohl, CommonWealth Magazine: “Buses in Lawrence will operate every 30 minutes all day long on weekdays starting September 6 in a bid to provide more consistency for riders and reflect changing usage patterns. The greater frequency comes on the heels of a decision in March by the Merrimack Valley Regional Transit Authority to go fare free across the system for two years.”

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THE LOCAL ELECTIONS ROUNDUP

— “DA candidates differ on dangerousness law,” by Christian M. Wade, Gloucester Daily Times: “State Rep. Paul Tucker, D-Salem, said he backs many of [Gov. Charlie] Baker’s proposed changes to bail laws — including expanding the offenses eligible for a dangerousness hearing, also known as a 58A petition — and would continue to push for them if elected to the DA’s job. … His rival, Middleton attorney James O’Shea, argues that the dangerousness law is being overused by DAs to keep too many people locked up ahead of trial, which is disproportionately impacting communities of color.”

— “Meet the two Republicans running to represent the Cape and Islands in Congress,” by Zane Razzaq, Cape Cod Times.

— “Hometown rapper Joyner Lucas to host rally with state Senate candidate Joseph Petty Sunday,” by Marco Cartolano, Telegram & Gazette.

FROM THE DELEGATION

— “Ed Markey returns from Taiwan, says peace, not conflict, is the goal,” by Matthew Medsger, Boston Herald: “The U.S. must continue to walk a fine line between supporting the ruling authority of Taiwan while not tip-toeing into a conflict with Beijing, says U.S. Sen. Ed Markey. … Markey, who sits on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and chairs its East Asia, Pacific, and International Cybersecurity Subcommittee, said his delegation was well received in Taiwan, despite a reported increase of military activity by the Chinese Navy surrounding his visit.”

THE LOCAL ANGLE

— “Dry rivers and wildfires worsen as drought continues in Massachusetts,” by Craig LeMoult, GBH News: “Despite a wet start to the week, there hasn't been nearly enough rain to make up for months of dry weather in Massachusetts. The rain from mid-April to now is the lowest the state has ever recorded, going back to 1872.”

MEANWHILE IN NEW HAMPSHIRE

— “Maggie Hassan barely won her Senate seat New Hampshire in 2016. Could a few lucky breaks help her keep it?” by Tal Kopan, Boston Globe: “[I]n a year when Democrats were supposed to get drubbed across the country in the midterms, [Sen. Maggie] Hassan is a prime example of a surprisingly positive turnaround for her party in Senate races. A series of fortunate-for-her events have put her in a much stronger position for November than her approval numbers, which are underwater, alone would predict.”

HEARD ‘ROUND THE BUBBLAH

WEDDING BELLS — UMass President Marty Meehan married Jennifer Maguire Hanson , director of development at Lowell General Hospital, in a small celebration in Dublin with their children, family and close friends from both the U.S. and Ireland on July 8. They were married at the historic Shelbourne Hotel and vacationed in the west of Ireland following the wedding with their children Bobby (22); Daniel (20); Caroline (17) and Ella (14). The couple met through mutual friends prior to the pandemic. They will reside in Boston and Lowell. Pic.

HAPPY GUMDROP DAY — to all who celebrate (here’s looking at you, Katie Lannan). It’s been six years now since Massachusetts met #mapoliwithanimals star Gumdrop, the pitbull-type puppy who became the (adorable) face of the pet protection bill that allows first responders and civilians to break a car window to rescue an animal from extreme temperatures.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY — to Lawrence Bacow, Emily Cherniack and Sarah Heinonen.

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