Middleboro Review 2: POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: Questioning the liberal label

Friday, November 11, 2022

POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: Questioning the liberal label

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SLIM PICKINGS — The narrow margins of victory for two ballot questions championed by progressives and left-leaning labor groups serve as yet another reminder that Massachusetts isn’t as liberal as it's labeled.

Voters upheld the new law granting undocumented immigrants access to driver’s licenses (ballot Question 4), 54 percent to 46 percent.

The margin was even smaller for the so-called millionaires tax: 52 percent of voters approved the constitutional amendment (ballot Question 1) that will add a 4 percent surtax on annual income above $1 million and funnel the revenue toward education and transportation projects, while 48 percent voted against it.

That’s despite proponents of both questions heavily outspending their opponents. Supporters of the millionaires tax had raised more than $28 million and spent nearly as much as of Nov. 1, the most recent data available on OCPF. Opponents raised more than $14 million and had spent more than $13 million of it as of Nov. 1.

“We always knew it would be a tight race,” Andrew Farnitano, a spokesperson for Fair Share for Massachusetts, told Playbook, even as early polling showed wider margins. “That’s why we knocked over 1 million doors from April to Election Day, called more than 2 million people” and spent $15 million on television ads through Tuesday.

Spending was even more lopsided for Question 4. The coalition working to keep the Work and Family Mobility Act raised and spent more than $3 million, while the GOP-led effort to repeal it raised and spent less than $200,000.

Both sides of the driver’s license fight have cited organizing challenges. Proponents, caught off guard by the GOP-led effort to get the question on the ballot, say they had limited time to stand up their operation. Opponents wish they had more money.

But taxes and immigration are also thorny political issues — the exact types that can make voters who filled in their bubble for a Democratic governor spurn policies she openly supported .

“We’re more reliably liberal on some issues than others,” Jonathan Cohn, policy director of Progressive Massachusetts, told Playbook. “In any state, both of those end up being issues that can be difficult. You’re running against a lot of knee-jerk anti-immigrant sentiment that exists with Question 4 and there’s a lot of general anti-tax sentiment. … But at the end of the day, they both did still win.”

GOOD FRIDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS, AND IT'S VETERANS DAY. Here are a couple more notable nuggets to wrap up election week:

— With most results now in , attorney general nominee Jay McMahon won more votes than any Republican running for one of the state’s six constitutional offices, with 894,568 ballots cast in his favor as of Thursday night. GOP auditor nominee Anthony Amore and governor nominee Geoff Diehl followed.

— Treasurer Deb Goldberg led the Democrats with 1,664,526 votes as of Thursday night. Secretary of State Bill Galvin and Governor-elect Maura Healey had the second- and third-highest vote totals, respectively.

TODAY — Gov. Charlie Baker attends Veterans Day ceremonies at 10 a.m. at the State House and at 1 p.m. at the Puerto Rican Veterans Monument Plaza. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu attends the latter, and the Pedro Martinez Foundation’s annual gala at 7:30 p.m. at the Mandarin Oriental in Boston. Reps. Seth Moulton and Jake Auchincloss are on WBUR’s “Radio Boston” at 11 a.m. Moulton hosts his annual veterans’ town hall at noon at Marblehead’s Abbot Hall.

THIS WEEKEND — Rep. Lori Trahan is on WBZ’s “Keller @ Large” at 8:30 a.m. Sunday. AG-elect Andrea Campbell is on WCVB’s “On the Record” at 11 a.m. Sunday. LG-elect Kim Driscoll keynotes the MWPC’s Abigail Adams Celebration at 2 p.m. Sunday at the JFK Library.

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

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DATELINE BEACON HILL

— PARTY POLITICS: We’ve talked in this space already about the perils of one-party rule — exposed intraparty rifts, the exact gridlock and stalemates unilateral control is supposed to avoid — as Democrats prepare for their state government trifecta come January. CommonWealth Magazine’s Michael Jonas got Democratic legislative leaders to weigh in on what’s coming. Senate President Karen Spilka told CommonWealth she and Governor-elect Maura Healey “are aligned with each other on a lot of our values.” House Speaker Ron Mariano said he looks forward to working with the incoming administration. It’s not just the relationship between the governor and the Legislature that will be tested, though, it’ll also be the relationship between chambers.

— “Baker again clashes with lawmakers on abortion-related law,” by Shira Schoenberg, CommonWealth Magazine: “Gov. Charlie Baker on Thursday signed a $3.76 billion economic development bill. But Baker, a Republican, once again entered into a controversy with the Democratic-led Legislature over reproductive rights by vetoing an education campaign about crisis pregnancy centers. … The Legislature, as part of its economic development bill, appropriated $17.5 million for organizations that provide reproductive health care, including abortion care, to spend on hiring, security, and education. That money included a $1 million education campaign regarding crisis pregnancy centers. Baker left the $16.5 million earmarked for reproductive health organizations but vetoed the $1 million public awareness campaign as well as language requiring the state to publish a list of providers that offer ‘legitimate’ family planning services. The state already maintains such a list.”

— “Regulators offer clarity on sports betting applications for horse tracks, simulcast centers,” by Chris Van Buskirk, MassLive: “Massachusetts gaming regulators unanimously voted Thursday afternoon to accept sports betting applications from horse racing and simulcasting centers on a rolling basis, a split from the upcoming deadline casinos and online operators face later this month.”

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FROM THE HUB

— “Boston City Council president restores committee chairmanship to Arroyo,” by Saraya Wintersmith, GBH News: “Boston City Council President Ed Flynn has quietly restored chairmanship of the Government Operations committee to Councilor Ricardo Arroyo, cooling a flashpoint that split the council, mostly along racial lines, months earlier. Neither Arroyo nor Flynn would comment on the decision, but the move appears to close the book on the controversy that arose during the Suffolk County district attorney's race when the Boston Globe reported that Arroyo, as a teenager, was investigated by the Boston Police in two cases of alleged sexual assault. No charges were ever filed in connection with either incident.”

— “East Boston substation gets a ‘tentative’ go-ahead to bypass state and local environmental permits,” by Miriam Wasser, WBUR: “The state body in charge of approving energy projects looks poised to allow the utility Eversource to bypass the 14 remaining environmental permits it needs for a controversial substation in East Boston. … But while substations are ubiquitous and necessary, this one in East Boston has garnered a lot of opposition and become one of the most controversial energy projects in the state. Those trying to stop the facility have long argued that it violates the state’s environmental justice policy, questioned whether it’s actually needed for electric reliability, and asserted that building it near the flood-prone banks of Chelsea Creek and across the street from a popular playground is a public safety hazard.”

BALLOT BATTLES

— “The ‘millionaires tax’ passed. What does that mean for your taxes?” by Dana Gerber, Boston Globe: “Here’s how the new tax works: If your annual taxable income (comprising salaries and wages, some retirement withdrawals, capital gains on the sales of home and businesses, etc) is more than $1 million, you’ll pay the existing flat 5 percent rate on the first million, and a new 9 percent rate on all income in excess of that. Let’s say you bring home $1.5 million in a year. You would be taxed 5 percent on the first million ($50,000) plus 9 percent on the rest ($45,000) for a total of $95,000 in state taxes (up from $75,000 under the current 5 percent rate).”

— More: “Hiking taxes, protecting abortion and other issues voters greenlighted in the midterms,” by Shia Kapos, POLITICO.

A message from Delta Dental of Massachusetts:

HEALEY WATCH

— “LGBTQ leaders reflect on Maura Healey’s historic win,” by Katie Lannan, GBH News: “Maura Healey’s election as the first openly gay governor of Massachusetts was part of a ‘rainbow wave’ in the 2022 midterms, one with several historic milestones and a new high-water mark of successful LGBTQ candidates.”

— “Two days after a historic win at the polls, Gov.-elect Maura Healey visited the Berkshires. Here's what she had to say,” by Meg Britton-Mehlisch, Berkshire Eagle: “Governor-elect Maura Healey made her way to Pittsfield’s Colonial Theatre on Thursday in a show of dedication to Berkshire County roughly 48 hours after her historic success at the polls Tuesday. … ‘This is very intentional because I wanted to make clear to people that we meant what we said when we said we were going to be a team and an administration that is here in the Berkshires, that is here in Western Mass.,’ Healey said.”

TRANSITION TIME

— "MBTA will have new leader before Maura Healey takes office, gov-elect says," by Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald: "There will be no interim period for leadership at the MBTA, according to Gov.-elect Maura Healey, who said she plans to appoint a new general manager before she takes office. 'There will be a GM in place,' Healey told reporters after an unrelated press event Thursday. 'We’re going to continue to look at that. And as I’ve said, I think it’s really important that the right leadership be in place, also that the workforce be supported.' Healey’s first day as governor is Jan. 5, two days after MBTA General Manager Steve Poftak, who resigned last week, plans to step down from his position."

— JOBS BOARD: A day after Maura Healey and Kim Driscoll launched their transition website, Andrea Campbell added a similar section to her website soliciting resumes for roles in the attorney general office she’ll take over on Jan. 18.

— DEPARTURES: Massachusetts Health Connector Executive Director Louis Gutierrez will retire on Jan. 3, two days before Healey is sworn in as governor, the state said. He’s served in the role since February 2015.

DON’T MISS POLITICO’S 2nd ANNUAL DEFENSE SUMMIT ON 11/16: The United States is facing a defining moment in the future of its defense, national security and democratic ideals. The current conflicts and developments around the world are pushing Washington to reshape its defense strategy and how it cooperates with allies. Join POLITICO for our second annual defense summit, “At a Crossroads: America’s Defense Strategy” on November 16 in person at the Schuyler DC or join online to hear keynote interviews and panels discussing the road ahead for America’s national security. REGISTER HERE .

FROM THE 413

— “Majority of 1st Franklin, 1st Hampshire district voters support carbon tax,” by Bella Levavi, Daily Hampshire Gazette: “A nonbinding question on Tuesday’s ballot shows that voters in the 1st Franklin District and 1st Hampshire District would largely support the idea of adding a statewide fee based on the carbon content of fossil fuels — otherwise known as a carbon tax — to compensate for the environmental damage caused by their use.”

THE LOCAL ANGLE

— “Encore Boston Harbor missed target for hiring women; Gets high marks for hiring local, people of color,” by Chris Van Buskirk, MassLive: “New hires at Encore Boston Harbor between 2019 and 2021 were primarily people of color and local to Massachusetts, though the casino just missed the mark for bringing in women in its initial cohort of workers, according to a new report from researchers at the University of Massachusetts. Regulators with the Massachusetts Gaming Commission expressed some concern Thursday morning with gender balance at the casino but praised Encore Boston Harbor for creating new jobs that largely offered better pay to a local workforce.”

THE NATIONAL TAKE

— “Republicans thought they could make gains in New England. A blue wave hit instead,” by Joanna Slater, Washington Post: “Heading into Tuesday's midterms, New England was considered a region where Republicans might make crucial inroads, potentially picking up key seats in a Democratic stronghold on the road to a broader nationwide victory. Instead, the result here looked more like a blue wave. Republicans lost three House races that were considered competitive in Rhode Island, Connecticut and New Hampshire, as well as a Senate race in New Hampshire.”

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HEARD ‘ROUND THE BUBBLAH

HAPPY BIRTHDAY — to Alec MacGillis, Will Boscow, Jesse Adams, Shelly Tsirulik and The New York Times’ Eric Athas, a UMass Amherst alum.

HAPPY BIRTHWEEKEND — to Seekonk state Rep. Steven Howitt, Haven Orecchio-Egresitz, MassINC alum Winthrop Roosevelt, Tim Urban, Devra First and Playbook superfan Laura Kashinsky, who celebrate Saturday; and to Sunday birthday-ers Gov. Charlie Baker, who turns 66, NECN’s Sue O’Connell; Sudbury state Rep. Carmine Gentile, Monica Scalpato Burke and POLITICO alum Jonathan Topaz.

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