Middleboro Review 2: POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: What the gov hopefuls won't say about immigration

Thursday, October 13, 2022

POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: What the gov hopefuls won't say about immigration

ASKED, NOT ANSWERED — A flight to Nantucket that initially showed "similarities" to GOP Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ chartered migrant flights to Martha’s Vineyard put local officials on alert before it was determined to be a false alarm.

Newly released records indicate that DeSantis-chartered migrant flights could continue through June. And Republican Texas Gov. Greg Abbott continues to bus migrants north to blue cities.

Playbook asked the governor hopefuls what their plans would be to help any additional migrants sent here through red-state programs. Attorney General Maura Healey's campaign declined comment. Geoff Diehl's didn't respond.

They're both talking about immigration issues, though. Healey — during her weekend appearance on WCVB's "On the Record," which taped before the Nantucket alert and the Florida records release — called for "comprehensive, national immigration reform." Diehl, on WBZ's "NightSide with Dan Rea" on Monday, said "there's a humanitarian crisis at the national borders since Joe Biden took office." Massachusetts is a "magnet state because of sanctuary city policies that some of our city and towns have," he said, and will be "even more of a red carpet" if voters in November keep the new law granting undocumented immigrants access to driver's licenses.

But Healey and her campaign have now twice declined to answer Playbook's questions about what, specifically, the attorney general wants to see change with federal immigration policy. On WCVB, she indicated she wants to see policies that would help grow the state's workforce. Spokespeople for Diehl, who called for "better federal management" of immigration after the DeSantis-backed trips, didn't answer a request for specifics on what that would look like.

Then there's the current governor. Gov. Charlie Baker's administration provided temporary shelter and other emergency aid to the nearly 50 migrants who unexpectedly landed on Martha's Vineyard last month, on top of an outpouring of community support. But Baker's office didn't respond to Playbook's weekend queries about what the state would do if his fellow Republican governors send more migrants this way.

Advocates, however, say immigrants and refugees who arrive in Massachusetts — regardless of where they're from or how they get here — need more housing options, legal resources and medical assistance. Massachusetts Immigrant and Refugee Advocacy Coalition members are calling on the Legislature to fund the $20 million Baker proposed to help resettlement agencies address immigrants and refugees’ needs, including temporary housing, in the supplemental budget bill he filed to close out fiscal 2022. And they're considering asking lawmakers for additional funding to expand emergency housing for new migrants, they said in a briefing last week.

GOOD TUESDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. Speaking of national issues, two NightSide callers asked Diehl whether he would back a federal abortion ban.

Diehl wouldn't say either way. The Republican, who describes himself as "pro-life," kept his responses focused on his issues with state law — he doesn't support allowing minors to access the procedure without parental consent, for instance. But he said as governor, he would have to "respect" state law and "protect people's choices."

There's little incentive for state-level candidates to weigh in on thorny national issues. But it's also noteworthy when they don't respond to direct questions.

TODAY — Baker and Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito attend the groundbreaking ceremony for the new Lawrence police station at 10 a.m. Polito announces grant funding at 1:30 p.m. and visits a MassWorks site at 2:45 p.m., both in Lowell. Rep. Lori Trahan announces federal funding in Hudson at 11:45 a.m. and at the state firefighting academy in Stow at 12:45 p.m. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu attends a Hispanic Heritage Month celebration at 11:30 a.m. in Roxbury, is live on GBH's "Boston Public Radio" at 12:30 p.m. and attends a street sign dedication ceremony at 2 p.m. in Jamaica Plain. Andrew Card, former chief of staff to former President George W. Bush, joins GOP auditor candidate Anthony Amore for a virtual media availability at 10 a.m.

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

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YAHD SIGNS AND BUMPAH STICKAHS

— ABOUT THAT LEGISLATIVE RACE TO WATCH: Hours after asking her Republican opponent to sign an ethics pledge to prevent “intentionally misleading campaigning,” Democratic state Sen. Becca Rausch blasted out a fundraising email and social media posts that included a graphic that appeared to change the headline and a section of text from Friday’s Massachusetts Playbook to directly attack state Rep. Shawn Dooley.

Rausch told Playbook on Friday afternoon that she “did not intend to mislead” anyone. She subsequently replaced the graphic on social media with a new one that continues to pull a line from Friday’s newsletter as a direct quote from Rausch — it is not — and includes a new tagline that reads: “Voters deserve the respect of honest, accurate, and ethical campaigning.”

Dooley declined to sign Rausch’s ethics pledge, telling Playbook that he’s “never had a campaign finance violation and to make that accusation is shameful — but to create a false news story and then distort the content of the article to make it seem that the press was asserting this claim is beyond the pale.”

State campaign finance regulators have flagged Dooley this year for numerous missing deposit reports and other issues that have since been taken care of. An outstanding vendor clarification should be resolved shortly, he said. Reporting issues are fairly common among candidates: Rausch was also flagged for one earlier this year.

— FROM THE OPINION PAGES: The Boston Herald editorial board has endorsed Republican Anthony Amore for auditor, calling him the "standout candidate" for "those who favor substance over agenda." The Herald is among the Alden Global Capital newspapers that will no longer be endorsing in presidential, Senate and governor races, but can endorse in local races.

— “Fear over fuel costs behind MassGOP ad attacking Maura Healey,” by Joe Dwinell, Boston Herald: “The MassGOP is launching a blistering attack against Democratic gubernatorial nominee Maura Healey over heating costs as winter fast approaches. The radio and TV spot rolling out this coming week hits as natural gas prices remain volatile and OPEC+ and its allies just announced they are cutting production. The fear over fuel is behind the ad backing Republican Geoff Diehl who is trying to gain ground on Healey in time for the Nov. 8 election.”

— “Civil Rights Attorney Vies to Pick up the Torch of Reform Prosecutors in Massachusetts,” by Alex Burness, Bolts Magazine: “[Rahsaan] Hall is hoping to reignite the reform torch in November by taking over the DA’s office in Plymouth, a county south of Boston of roughly 530,000. He is challenging longtime Republican incumbent Tim Cruz. ‘The voices that would normally push for these types of reforms within the system aren’t there,’ Hall told Bolts. ‘I see it as my responsibility and duty to be, for lack of a better phrase, the voice crying out in the wilderness saying that there is another way,’ he added.”

BALLOT BATTLES

— ON THE AIRWAVES: Proponents of the new law granting undocumented people access to driver’s licenses are dropping half a million dollars on their first television advertisement. “Voting yes on Question 4 protects everyone on the road, by making sure all drivers can be tested, licensed and insured,” a male narrator says in the 30-second spot, “Route to Safer Roads,” which also nods to the 16 states that have passed similar laws and the support from law enforcement officials that helped steer the bill through the State House earlier this year over Gov. Charlie Baker’s veto.

The $500,000 the “Yes on 4 for Safer Roads” campaign is spending across broadcast, streaming and digital platforms to run the ad this week is four times the total amount raised by the GOP-led coalition to repeal the new law, according to its latest campaign finance filing. More from the Boston Globe’s Samantha J. Gross.

— Related: "Tracking the funders of the 2022 Massachusetts ballot questions," by Vince Dixon and Christina Prignano, Boston Globe.

DATELINE BEACON HILL

— “In-person Mass. sports betting to launch in time for Super Bowl, under new timeline,” by Chris Van Buskirk, MassLive: “In-person sports betting at casinos in the state is scheduled to launch in late January and online wagering in early March, leaving open the possibility for Massachusetts residents to place bets on the Super Bowl and the NCAA March Madness tournament next year, under a timeline gaming regulators approved Friday afternoon.”

FROM THE HUB

— “At Suffolk DA’s office, more departures fuel concerns about direction of office,” by Danny McDonald and Ivy Scott, Boston Globe: “Two more high-level departures at the Suffolk district attorney’s office have exacerbated concerns that the office, led by Kevin Hayden, is rolling back progressive reforms made under the previous DA. The director of juvenile diversion, who helped spearhead alternatives to punishment for at-risk youths, and the head of the integrity review bureau, which reviews claims of innocence and wrongful convictions, have both left their positions, the office confirmed Friday.”

PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES

— “The shutdown was supposed to make the Orange Line faster. It’s slower, data show,” by Taylor Dolven, Boston Globe: “Despite repeated promises from the MBTA of faster travel times, the Orange Line has been running slower this week than before the agency shut down the entire line for 30 days to make repairs, data show. Before the repairs, it took about 40 to 45 minutes to travel from one end of the Orange Line to the other, depending on the direction, according to MBTA travel time data analyzed by TransitMatters, a public transportation advocacy group. This week, it took as long as 48 minutes in either direction to cover the same ground.”

ROE FALLOUT

— “Massachusetts has expanded abortion rights. But even in the metro region, clinics can be distant,” by Stephanie Ebbert, Boston Globe: “No one provides routine abortion services on Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard, Plymouth County, or the entire South Coast, which includes two major gateway cities, New Bedford and Fall River. That’s an area that’s home to nearly 1 million people and numerous hospitals and medical centers. Abortion providers are even more scant in Western Massachusetts, which has lower and more dispersed populations and greater distances to reach services. Statewide, only nine hospitals routinely offer the procedure, seven of them in Boston and Cambridge, according to a directory created this year by a leading abortion rights group."

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MIGRANTS IN MASSACHUSETTS

— “Documents indicate Florida had plans for other migrant trips,” by Mike Damiano and Samantha J. Gross, Boston Globe: “Florida Governor Ron DeSantis’ administration told at least one contractor vying for a bid to transport immigrants out of the state that the job involved sending 'criminals' to Massachusetts, according to an interview with the contractor and documents obtained by The Boston Globe.”

— “‘Republicans win on pocketbook issues’: DeSantis’ migrant flights aren’t rousing voters nationally,” by Lisa Kashinsky, POLITICO: “GOP Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ chartered migrant flights to Martha’s Vineyard sparked a national outcry and accusations from Democrats that Republicans were trying to shift the midterms conversation away from abortion. But weeks after the migrants landed on the island, DeSantis and GOP Texas Gov. Greg Abbott’s migrant transports have shown little effect on the midterms beyond pumping up the bases for the two Republican governors who are both running for reelection. Immigration isn’t leapfrogging abortion or the economy on lists of voters’ top concerns in national polls and surveys in key battleground states. Spending on immigration-focused ads is up in Florida, Texas and Arizona — where term-limited Republican Gov. Doug Ducey has also bused migrants to blue cities — but not elsewhere.”

— “Lawsuit accuses DeSantis of withholding records over migrant flights,” by Gary Fineout, POLITICO: “Florida GOP Gov. Ron DeSantis’ much-publicized effort to fly migrants from Texas to Martha’s Vineyard has drawn its third lawsuit. An open government group on Monday asserted in a lawsuit that the DeSantis administration is improperly withholding public records associated with the two charter flights that brought nearly 50 Venezuelan migrants to the resort island in Massachusetts.”

DAY IN COURT

— “SJC to take up online tax dispute,” by Christian M. Wade, Eagle-Tribune: “More than four years after the U.S. Supreme Court’s landmark decision allowing states to collect online sales taxes from out-of-state retailers, Massachusetts is still fighting to get the money from some companies. A lawsuit set to be taken up by the state Supreme Judicial Court, filed by online retailer U.S. Auto Parts Network, Inc., argues that the company shouldn’t be liable for a $60,000 tax bill from 2017 because the charges weren’t required under previous state and federal court decisions on online sales tax collection.”

MARIJUANA IN MASSACHUSETTS

— “Mass. blocks welfare recipients from buying pot,” by Christian M. Wade, Eagle-Tribune: “Welfare recipients are barred from buying recreational cannabis products with their EBT cards, but the state Department of Transitional Assistance says it has ‘blocked’ ATMs and other point-of-sale terminals in or nearly 190 recreational pot shops from being used to take out cash. As of May, state officials had blocked nearly $40,000 in EBT card withdrawals at pot shops — a more than 170% increase over the previous fiscal year’s total, when $14,525 in prohibited transactions were prevented, according to the report.”

THE LOCAL ANGLE

— "Hundreds of Massachusetts residents joined the extremist Oath Keepers. Today, many are distancing themselves," by Danny McDonald, Boston Globe: "At least 530 Massachusetts residents signed up for the organization at the heart of the Jan. 6, 2021, insurrection between the group’s inception in 2009 and 2018, according to documents provided to the Globe by the nonprofit journalist collective Distributed Denial of Secrets, or DDoSecrets. The state list includes police officers, military veterans, and a couple of politicians; some hinted at their military skills when they signed up. But with the Oath Keepers’ founder Stewart Rhodes on trial for seditious conspiracy to overthrow the government, local members of the group are distancing themselves from the group’s extremism. Some said they thought it was little more than a patriotic club and they turned against the group when it became clear it was extremist."

— “Justice Department digs into ‘competition concerns’ in New England fishing industry,” by Will Sennott, New Bedford Light: “The U.S. Department of Justice has begun looking at possible antitrust issues in the New England fishing industry, amid growing concern about consolidation and market dominance by private equity investors. Representatives of two fishing industry groups said that two DOJ lawyers interviewed them in September."

— “Attleboro area election officials faced with fielding out-of-state requests for information,” by Tom Reilly, The Sun Chronicle: “Administrators in several local communities report they are experiencing the same phenomenon seen by election officials around the country: a deluge of demands for voting machine information, election data and even copies of every ballot cast in 2020. Patricia Dolan, election coordinator in North Attleboro, says she tries to respond to all the requests, including those for large volumes of paper results. ‘I tell them, ‘OK, if you want to pay 5 cents a page.’ So far, no one has taken me up on it.’”

MEANWHILE IN RHODE ISLAND

— "Republican Fung holds 8-point lead over Democrat Magaziner in R.I. congressional race, Globe/Suffolk poll finds," by Dan McGowan, Boston Globe: "Republican Allan Fung has jumped out to an eight-point lead over Democratic state Treasurer Seth Magaziner in the race for Rhode Island’s 2nd Congressional District, a new Boston Globe/Suffolk University poll found, once again confirming the GOP’s belief that it has a credible opportunity to pick up a seat in one of the bluest states in America."

— "Chris Christie once again stumps for Allan Fung on Federal Hill," by Edward Fitzpatrick, Boston Globe: "Amid the aroma of Italian sausage and fried dough, former New Jersey governor Chris Christie campaigned for Republican congressional candidate Allan W. Fung on Federal Hill Monday, saying he might run for president again in 2024 even if former President Donald Trump is in the race."

HEARD ‘ROUND THE BUBBLAH

WEEKEND WEDDING — Adam Stahl, chief of staff for the corporate security office of Avangrid and an alum of DHS, Senate Commerce and Bob Corker, married Brittany Barre, senior manager at Pfizer, on Sunday at Chatham Bars Inn in Chatham, Mass. They met in 2015 through mutual friends and had their first kiss at Penn Station. Pic ... Another pic

ANOTHER WEEKEND WEDDING — Laura Howard, a VP of development at political consulting firm Sentinel Strategic Advisors, on Saturday married Matt Kilfoyle, a VP of strategy and planning at Fidelity Investments. The couple, who met in 2012 in Boston working on Mitt Romney’s presidential campaign, wed in St. Tropez, France, at Domaine de la Croix vineyard. Pic ... Pic of Romney alums. SPOTTED: Jill Barclay, Annie Starke Lange, Ally Schmeiser, Magan Munson Hutchens, Owen Dorney, Kaitlyn Raymond, Chris McMillan, Lexi Longwell and Muireann Mageras.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY — to David Halbert and Conor Yunits. Happy belated birthday to Conor Glasheen of Gov. Charlie Baker’s office, who celebrated Monday, and to Monica Hinojos-Capes, who celebrated Sunday.

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