Middleboro Review 2: POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: Advertising Diehl

Thursday, October 20, 2022

POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: Advertising Diehl

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RIGHT ON (AIR) — Down in the polls less than three weeks before Election Day, Geoff Diehl is going up on the airwaves.

Diehl, who’s relied on radio and social media advertising throughout his year-plus run for governor, will start airing his first television ads later this week, his campaign confirmed to Playbook. One of the ads focuses on the state’s crumbling transportation infrastructure — and it claims Maura Healey, who’s called for a safety chief and increased infrastructure investments in her transportation plan , “isn’t interested” in fixing it. “I’ll fix these bumps in the road once and for all,” Diehl says direct-to-camera.

Transportation is on track to be a big issue for the next governor: 66 percent of likely voters in a MassINC Polling Group survey out today said they want the state’s next chief executive to prioritize improving highways, roads and bridges. Three-quarters of voters rate the state’s current transportation system — including roads, bridges, cycling, walking and various modes of public transportation — as being in fair or poor condition.

The poll also shows that East-West rail service, which both candidates support, is popular — and that Diehl’s plan to repeal the MBTA zoning regulations Gov. Charlie Baker created is not.

Diehl needs a boost. A Suffolk University/Boston Globe/NBC10 Boston/Telemundo poll released this week showed him trailing the Democratic attorney general by 23 percentage points with only 6 percent of voters undecided.

The MassINC poll shows him down by 30 points — 23 percent to 53 percent — with 18 percent of voters undecided. And 28 percent of the 987 likely voters surveyed between Oct. 5-14 hadn’t heard of Diehl, versus 9 percent for Healey. The MassINC poll, sponsored by The Barr Foundation, has a margin of error of 3.2 percentage points.

Those aren’t great odds. And Diehl’s advertising reach could be limited. His campaign had placed $105,000 in reservations as of Wednesday evening, according to ad tracker AdImpact. That's poised to grow: Diehl has been on a fundraising blitz. But Healey, who’s been running TV ads since the primary, is closing in on $3 million.

He’ll get some free airtime tonight: Healey and Diehl square off in their second and final televised debate at 8 p.m. It will air live on WCVB, WBUR and on the Boston Globe's website. Healey heads into the bout having secured the Boston Globe editorial board's endorsement for governor this morning.

GOOD THURSDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. Bill Weld is singing Anthony Amore’s praises — literally. The former governor broke into a modified rendition of “That’s Amore” as he endorsed the Republican for auditor yesterday. Baker chortled alongside him. MassLive’s Alison Kuznitz has more on Weld’s endorsement.

Weld is following the lead of the other two governors who’ve endorsed Amore by pointedly not endorsing any other Republican statewide candidate this cycle.

Baker is taking a similar tack in this year’s congressional races: He and Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito endorsed Jesse Brown, who’s challenging Rep. Bill Keating, yesterday. But Baker told reporters he won’t be aiding any other House hopefuls.

From left: Massachusetts Republican auditor nominee Anthony Amore, former Gov. Bill Weld and Gov. Charlie Baker at an Amore campaign event in Boston on Wednesday, Oct. 19, 2022. | Lisa Kashinsky/POLITICO

TODAY — Baker and Polito attend the Massachusetts State Police 87th Recruit Training Troop graduation at 9 a.m. at the DCU Center in Worcester. Baker joins state Rep. Shawn Dooley at 2:30 p.m. for a business roundtable in support of Dooley’s state Senate bid, per the Sun Chronicle . Polito tours Brockton’s New Heights Charter School at noon and visits Mass Maritime Academy at 2 p.m. Rep. Richard Neal announces federal funding for Agawam at 10 a.m. at town hall. Rep. Ayanna Pressley is on GBH’s “Boston Public Radio” at 11 a.m. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu provides an update on Mass and Cass at 11:30 a.m. at Clifford Playground in Roxbury and speaks at the C40 Summit at 2:15 p.m.

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DATELINE BEACON HILL

— "With few options, DCF has had children sleep overnight in its offices at times, workers say,” by Elizabeth Koh, Boston Globe: “Three years ago, the Globe reported that DCF offices had become de facto day-care centers, with workers sometimes driving across the state for hours to find a child a bed for the night. Last year, records suggested the agency was preparing for scenarios where kids might have to sleep in an office. In the last several months, that very scenario has begun playing out, according to e-mails and interviews with nearly a dozen current and former workers. When the state has run out of available foster homes or group homes, some children have slept in offices, sometimes for multiple nights, never meant to house them at all.”

— "These companies want to offer online sports betting in Massachusetts,” by Chris Van Buskirk, MassLive: “Some of the largest online betting companies are among a group of 29 businesses that filled out an initial form as part of the application process for a sports wagering license in Massachusetts — including FanDuel, DraftKings, Caesars Sportsbook and Mohegan Digital. But also among the group are smaller companies and new startups like Jake Paul’s Betr and Great Meadowbrook Farm, the latter of which is a Hardwick-based group seeking to bring thoroughbred racing, sports betting, and a one-mile track that can seat 5,000 to the area.”

— "Massachusetts’ little state dinosaur, a ‘tough, spunky underdog from Holyoke,’ gets a big welcome,” by Spencer Buell, Boston Globe: “For such a small creature, it was a big day for the official dinosaur of Massachusetts, the shin-high Podokesaurus Holyokensis. State officials, paleontologists, and museum leaders gathered at the Museum of Science on Wednesday in recognition of the cat-sized reptile, which roamed the region around 195 million years ago, for a bill-signing ceremony. The formal recognition was the handiwork of State Representative Jack Lewis, who began pushing for the designation last year as part of a civics lesson for his den of 8-year-old Cub Scouts so they could earn their ‘Digging in the Past’ adventure badges.” Gov. Charlie Baker is six-and-a-half Podokesauruses tall.

FROM THE HUB

— "Homeless gathering moved off Southampton Street in Mass. and Cass area after traffic complaints, Mayor Wu says,” by Travis Andersen and Danny McDonald, Boston Globe: “Boston authorities moved hundreds of people from one part of Mass. and Cass, the center of the area’s drug crisis, to another on Wednesday, with officials citing road safety as the chief impetus. … Police estimate that about 200 people gather each day to use, buy, and sell drugs on Southampton Street, a multilane thoroughfare that runs into the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue and Melnea Cass Boulevard.”

— Related: "How a nonprofit moved 150 people from 'Mass. and Cass' into permanent housing, and is helping them stay there,” by Lynn Jolicoeur and Lisa Mullins, WBUR.

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YAHD SIGNS AND BUMPAH STICKAHS

— FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: Attorney General Maura Healey has endorsed Democrat Dawne Shand for First Essex state representative. Shand won a write-in campaign to appear on the November ballot opposite Republican C.J. Fitzwater , who also won his primary write-in campaign for the seat vacated by GOP state Rep. Jim Kelcourse. Healey’s endorsement of Shand pits her against GOP Gov. Charlie Baker in yet another race; Baker and Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito endorsed Fitzwater earlier this month.

— Rep. Ayanna Pressley is endorsing Democrat Christopher Worrell for 5th Suffolk state representative. Worrell, the brother of Boston City Councilor Brian Worrell, doesn’t have a Republican opponent. But perennial candidate Roy Owens is on the ballot as an independent.

— NO COMPETITION: GBH’s Katie Lannan reported last month that nearly two-thirds of the state’s legislative races are uncontested in November. Now Ballotpedia says Massachusetts has the least competitive legislative races of any state with seats up for grabs — for the fourth cycle in a row.

— "Women are poised to decide key races in Massachusetts, and potentially break centuries-old glass ceilings,” by Matt Stout, Boston Globe: “The huge margins Democratic candidates such as Maura Healey, the party’s gubernatorial nominee, and Andrea Campbell, who’s vying to be attorney general, have weeks ahead of Nov. 8 owe largely to the advantage they have with women, including those not enrolled in any party, according to a Suffolk University/Boston Globe/NBC10 Boston/Telemundo poll released this week. The dynamic is similar with several ballot questions: support for Question 1, which would raise taxes on the state’s wealthiest, and for Question 4, to keep a law allowing undocumented immigrants to get driver’s licenses, rests heavily on the backing of women, according to polling.”

— "Campaign regulators flag Palmer’s finance violations,” by Gintautas Dumcius, Dorchester Reporter: “[Former Boston City Council candidate Donnie Palmer is] on the Nov. 8 ballot as a Republican running against Ayanna Pressley, a Boston Democrat. But state campaign finance regulators would like a word with Palmer about last year’s Council run. In an Oct. 4 letter, regulators at the state Office of Campaign and Political Finance (OCPF) said they had reviewed his campaign activity and concluded that he broke state law. The law requires political committees to file finance reports, and all contributions over $50 must be itemized with the name and address of contributors, in addition to disclosures of vendors and expenditures over $50. … The regulators added that if Palmer did not file the reports within 30 days of the letter, OCPF may start legal proceedings to ‘prevent your name from appearing on a state or local ballot in Massachusetts.’”

BALLOT BATTLES

— POLL POSITION: The MassINC poll shows 59 percent of likely voters support ballot Question 1, which would impose a 4 percent surtax on annual earnings above $1 million, while 31 percent oppose it. That’s similar to the Suffolk University poll released this week, which showed 58 percent support for the constitutional amendment and 37 percent opposition.

The polls diverge a bit on Question 4, which asks voters whether to keep the state’s new law granting undocumented immigrants access to driver’s licenses beginning next July. The MassINC survey shows 49 percent of likely voters would keep the law, while 37 percent would repeal it. The Suffolk poll showed 56 percent would keep the law and 39 percent would vote to repeal it. The new MassINC numbers are actually more in line with Suffolk’s September poll .

FROM BEACON HILL TO THE BELTWAY

— TURNING UP THE CHARM: The Coalition for Health Advances & Research in Massachusetts is ramping up its efforts to win the headquarters of the new Advanced Research Projects Agency for Health. ARPA-H is tasked with delivering breakthrough treatments for Alzheimer’s, diabetes, cancer and other diseases. Now some 80 lawmakers, scientists, academics, researchers and health care leaders have signed an open letter to the nascent agency’s director, Renee Wegrzyn of Boston-based Ginkgo Bioworks, Massachusetts delegation members and Health and Human Services Sec. Xavier Becerra, saying the Bay State “has the density of resources necessary for ARPA-H to thrive.” Coalitions in several states are vying for ARPA-H’s HQ.

A message from Delta Dental of Massachusetts:

PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES

— OUT WITH THE OLD: Sen. Elizabeth Warren reiterated on GBH’s “Boston Public Radio” yesterday that she wants the next governor to clean house at the MBTA . Pluralities of likely voters think the next governor should replace senior leadership at the T (47 percent) and at the state Department of Transportation (44 percent), according to the MassINC survey. No pressure on the next governor…

FROM THE DELEGATION

— THE CLARK CAUCUS: Assistant House Speaker Katherine Clark is acknowledging that Republicans “have structural advantages going into the midterms.” If they win control of Congress — POLITICO’s chief forecaster, Steve Shepard , rates the Senate as a “toss-up” and the House as “likely Republican” — Clark told WBUR that Democrats “are going to keep up the fight.” Clark, who violated the STOCK Act , also said she supports a House draft of a stock ban bill.

— “As over-the-counter hearing aids are finally available, Senator Elizabeth Warren celebrates a long-sought victory,” by Shannon Coan, Boston Globe.

MIGRANTS IN MASSACHUSETTS

— “DeSantis administration agrees to release Martha's Vineyard records by December,” by Gary Fineout, POLITICO: “Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis’ administration this week pushed back against a lawsuit seeking the immediate release of all records related to the flights of migrants from Texas to Massachusetts but agreed to provide them no later than Dec. 1."

— “National Guard officer who chased Cape tour bus summonsed to court on multiple charges,” by Sarah Carlon, Cape Cod Times: “An off-duty officer with the Massachusetts National Guard who chased a tour bus he thought was bringing migrants to Cape Cod last month has been summonsed to appear in Falmouth District Court on multiple charges, Falmouth police Lt. Michael Simoneau said.”

DAY IN COURT

— "In case involving daughter of judge, state Ethics Commission clears DA Joseph Early,” by Brad Petrishen, Telegram & Gazette: “The state Ethics Commission Wednesday dismissed allegations that Worcester County District Attorney Joseph D. Early Jr. and several others broke civil ethics laws in their handling of a police report regarding the 2017 arrest of a judge's daughter.”

IT'S NOT EASY BEING GREEN

— "Ten-Town Energy Pilot Will Straddle Administrations,” by Colin A. Young, State House News Service (paywall): “It will ultimately be up to the next administration to decide how a new program allowing a group of cities and towns to restrict fossil fuel infrastructure buildings will operate, the Baker administration's top energy and climate official acknowledged Wednesday, but she added that the outgoing Baker team will propose its own plan all the same.”

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THE LOCAL ANGLE

— “Haverhill teachers contract talks close to being finalized,” by Mike LaBella, Eagle-Tribune: “An agreement was reached Wednesday evening between the School Committee negotiation team and the Haverhill Education Association on a new teachers contract totaling about $25 million, however, language in the pact must still be finalized during negotiations Thursday. Classes were canceled again for Thursday — the fourth straight day that students missed school.”

— Related: "Following one-day strike, Malden teachers ratify new contract,” by Deanna Pan, Boston Globe.

— “Methuen mayor: ‘Multiple families’ from South America, Haiti placed by state at hotel without notice,” by Jonathan Hall and Lisa Gresci, 7 News: “‘Multiple families’ from South America and Haiti arrived at a hotel in Methuen last week, sent by the state without any advance notice, according to the city’s mayor, Neil Perry. … In an interview, Perry said he was not happy with the Baker administration after some 55 families, including up to 75 children, were dropped off without notice at the Days Inn on Friday.”

— "Women chair more than half of prominent state boards and commissions, new study finds,” by Shirley Leung, Boston Globe: “The good news first: Women now chair more than half of the 50 most prominent state boards and commissions, up from about a third in 2019, according to the latest study from the Eos Foundation. The bad news: There is a lot more work to be done elevating people of color to lead those boards.”

— ICYMI THE BUZZ: "Hadley woman accused of releasing bees on police serving eviction notice,” by Stephanie Barry, Springfield Republican: “A Hadley woman faces multiple assault charges after allegedly unleashing a swarm of bees onto Hampden County Sheriff’s Department deputies attempting to serve an eviction notice in Longmeadow. Rorie S. Woods had more than one bee in her bonnet when she rolled into the driveway of 49 Memery Lane on the morning of Oct. 12, according to court records. Instead of a standard eviction notice, deputies found themselves targets of a sting operation.”

A message from Delta Dental of Massachusetts:

Delta Dental of Massachusetts connects with communities statewide to highlight the importance of oral health. Your oral health is a key predictor of overall health — with direct links to diabetes, heart disease, mental health, and other medical conditions. So, this fall, remind your loved ones – and yourself – to show your mouth some love. Get back to the dentist and remember to practice at-home preventive oral health habits like brushing and flossing regularly. Because the key to good health is right under your nose. Discover the connection between oral and overall health at ExpressYourHealthMA.org.

HEARD ‘ROUND THE BUBBLAH

NEW HORSE RACE ALERT: BALLOT QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS, PART III — State Sen. Lydia Edwards and Federation for American Immigration Reform's Shari Rendall walk hosts Jennifer Smith, Steve Koczela and Lisa Kashinsky through the “yes” and “no” sides of ballot Question 4. MassINC Polling Group’s Rich Parr breaks down his group’s latest poll on the governor’s race and transportation. Subscribe and listen on iTunes and SoundCloud .

HAPPY BIRTHDAY — to Steve Gaertner, Deputy British Consul General Tom Nickalls and Michael Clark, former senior adviser to state Sen. Eric Lesser and current New England progressive outreach director for AIPAC.

Want to make an impact? POLITICO Massachusetts has a variety of solutions available for partners looking to reach and activate the most influential people in the Bay State. Have a petition you want signed? A cause you’re promoting? Seeking to increase brand awareness among this key audience? Share your message with our influential readers to foster engagement and drive action. Contact Jesse Shapiro to find out how: jshapiro@politico.com .

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