Middleboro Review 2: POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: 2024 (sort of) runs on Dunkin'

Friday, May 19, 2023

POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: 2024 (sort of) runs on Dunkin'

KEEPING IT COOL-ATTA — Politicians, they’re just like us. Except for the moments when they’re really not.

Take Mike Pence, the former vice president and likely 2024 GOP presidential contender, who traveled to New Hampshire this week and made a pit stop at one of New England’s most hallowed institutions: Dunkin’.

He tweeted it, of course. Or, his social media manager did. Either way, the vaguely worded caption that accompanied the photo of Pence waiting at the counter caused a stir. Was this Pence’s first Dunkin’ run… ever ?

“I heard New Hampshire and America run on @dunkindonuts, had to check it out for myself,” Pence tweeted.

Former Vice President Mike Pence at a Dunkin' in New Hampshire. | Mike Pence's Twitter/Screenshot

Pence got coffee and Munchkins for his staff and volunteers , his team said. But they didn’t elaborate on whether it was really his first cup of Dunkin’ joe. As of Thursday night, the post had garnered over 1,700 replies, more than 1,000 retweets, around 700 likes and at least three Ben and Casey Affleck memes.

Here in Massachusetts, where we’ve been running on Dunkin’ since 1948 and boast about having a location on almost every corner, it’s impossible to imagine a politician who hasn't stopped in for a lahge iced regulah. Well, maybe Sen. Elizabeth Warren. She drinks tea.

But Pence’s tweet got us thinking — does everyone who wants to be the next president run on Dunkin’?

So we checked. Some of the current and potential 2024 contenders wouldn’t reveal whether or not they’ve tried our beloved Bay State staple (lame). But here’s what we learned from those who did:

— Nikki Haley (R-S.C., 105 Dunkins ): The former South Carolina governor ordered chocolate Munchkins on her last visit to a Dunks, in Rindge, N.H., per her campaign.

— Asa Hutchinson (R-Ark., 9 Dunkins): Despite hailing from a state with just 9 locations (the horror!), the former Arkansas governor does enjoy Dunks, according to his campaign. You can catch him sipping a decaf cappuccino.

— Vivek Ramaswamy (R-Ohio, 249 Dunkins): “He likes powder donut Munchkins and his great regret is that they have discontinued them at many Dunkin locations,” his campaign told us.

— Tim Scott (R-S.C., 105 Dunkins): No word on the senator's previous Dunkin’ experience, but his team said he’s a “big fan” of grits and sweet tea.

— Chris Sununu (R-N.H., 218 Dunkins): “A black iced coffee, no matter how cold it is out. And a strawberry glazed donut,” the governor said. “Always get the donut.”

— Perry Johnson (R-Mich., 106 Dunkins): Johnson takes his coffee black, and is partial to local Michigan chain Biggby. The candidate “is never without a cup" of coffee, and rotates through a collection of his own mugs. His latest pickup is one from the world’s largest truck stop in Iowa, his campaign said.

— Larry Elder (R-Calif., 137 Dunkins): The radio host turned presidential hopeful doesn’t drink coffee, opting for tea (with or without caffeine) instead.

— Joe Biden (D-Del., 67 Dunkins): How the commander in chief takes his cup of joe remains a mystery, though he is a known coffee consumer . Based on the president's predilection for ice cream, might we be so bold as to suggest a butter pecan swirl ?

— Orders unknown: Donald Trump and Ron DeSantis (both R-Fla., 884 Dunkins) Chris Christie (R-N.J., 866 Dunkins), and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. and Marianne Williamson (both D-Calif., 137 Dunkins). Their campaigns either didn't respond to our (repeated) inquiries, or declined to share their boss's Dunkin' receipts. (Maybe they're Starbucks lovers?).

Either way, it's clear some of these White House hopefuls could learn a thing or two from the walking Dunks billboard himself — former Labor Secretary Marty Walsh. Playbook messaged the new NHLPA leader for his order, just for kicks. He responded in 17 minutes: "medium regular."

Then-Labor Secretary Marty Walsh with a Dunkin' coffee in South Korea. | Dan Koh Twitter/Screenshot

GOOD FRIDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. Join us next week for a deep dive into why so many presidential contenders drink tea. Kidding. Or are we?

TODAY — Gov. Maura Healey has no public events. Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll delivers a commencement address at Salem State University at 3 p.m. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu attends Boston’s National Bike to Work Day festival at 8:45 a.m. and a downtown coffee hour at 9:30 a.m., both at City Hall Plaza. Wu also attends a Mayor’s Office for Immigrant Advancement reception at 5:30 p.m. in Back Bay.

THIS WEEKEND — Keri Rodrigues of the National Parents Union is on WBZ's "Keller @ Large" at 8:30 a.m. Sunday. Wu is on WCVB's "On The Record" at 11 a.m. Sunday.

Tips? Scoops? Dunkin’ orders? Kelly gets a medium iced caramel swirl with almond milk. Lisa takes her medium iced black. Our editor Willa Plank gets a small iced with a splash of whole milk and a chocolate donut with sprinkles. Shockingly, one editor here, Darius Dixon , doesn't drink coffee. Email us your usual: kgarrity@politico.com and lkashinsky@politico.com .

LOOK WHAT YOU MADE HER DO

A governor's citation for Taylor Swift | Courtesy Gov. Maura Healey's office

— NO SURPRISE (SONG) HERE: Maura Healey is as enchanted by Taylor Swift as the rest of us. The governor won’t be shaking it off in the midnight rain at Gillette. But she did issue Swift a citation (Maura’s Version) in honor of another sold-out run of shows at the stadium. And she left a blank space for Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll to write her name, too.

Healey’s not on her own, kid. Government officials across the country have been welcoming Swift in style, starting with the mastermind who renamed Glendale, Arizona, to “Swift City” to help the singer kick off her Eras Tour. Just one question... are you ready for it? (Don't forget to send your concert SPOTTEDs for Monday's Playbook!)

THE LATEST NUMBERS

— “Boston COVID wastewater data drops, Massachusetts virus cases down 21%,” by Rick Sobey: “On Thursday, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health reported 774 virus cases over the last week. The daily average of 111 COVID cases from the last week was a 21% drop from the daily rate of 140 virus infections during the previous week.”

DATELINE BEACON HILL

— "House leaders pushing majority rule in joint committees," by Bruce Mohl, CommonWealth Magazine: "House leaders appear to be pushing majority rule in most of the Legislature’s joint committees, but the effort has had little impact so far except in the badly divided Telecommunications, Utilities, and Energy Committee. The energy committee literally split in two on Thursday — House members heard testimony on bills with no senators present and senators plan to take testimony on Friday with no House members present. ...

Senate President Karen Spilka weighed in publicly on the issue for the first time Thursday, noting the policies of the Legislature are clear. ‘As long as I have been a legislator, the joint committees have operated under the joint cooperation of the chairs on fundamental matters of order, such as scheduling hearings and votes,’ Spilka said in a statement."

— “Healey chips away at housing crisis with $250M in awards,” by Matthew Medsger, Boston Herald: “Gov. Maura Healey added a drop into the state’s nearly empty affordable home bucket Thursday during a trip to Lowell where she announced about $250 million in direct subsidies, state and federal housing tax credits aimed at addressing the statewide shortage of homes.”

— “Senators load up budget with local earmarks,” by Christian M. Wade, Eagle-Tribune: “Money for school buildings, food pantries, nonprofits and drug counseling programs are among the many requests from lawmakers angling to bring home a piece of the nearly $56 billion Senate budget.”

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ROLLINS REPORT

— “Rollins’s ‘extraordinary abuse’ of power is ripe for Mass. bar investigation, experts say,” by Matt Stout, Boston Globe: “US Attorney Rachael Rollins appears unlikely to face federal prosecution for her ‘extraordinary abuse’ of power, even though investigators determined she lied under oath and violated a federal ethics law multiple times, two government watchdog agencies disclosed in scathing reports this week. But she could still face great legal exposure before the Massachusetts Board of Bar Overseers, according to experts and legal analysts, who say the state regulators have wide leeway to investigate and bring sanctions, up to revoking her law license.”

— “Two Boston city councilors blast Arroyo for Rollins election tampering connection,” by Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald: “Two Boston city councilors are blasting Ricardo Arroyo for ‘eagerly’ welcoming U.S. Attorney Rachael Rollins’ attempts to influence the outcome of last year’s election for Suffolk District Attorney, while another councilor is calling the attacks politically motivated. … In a letter to the Office of Campaign and Political Finance, MassFiscal requested an investigation into the report’s findings, to determine if Arroyo ‘broke state campaign finance regulations by coordinating his attacks against his political opponent leading up to an election’ with Rollins."

— “DOJ officials mum about plans to replace outgoing U.S. Attorney Rachael Rollins,” by Stephanie Barry, Springfield Republican: “Some DOJ insiders have privately speculated that an acting U.S. Attorney from within Rollins’s office may be appointed and the administration may run the clock until the next presidential election. Others disagree. U.S. Rep. Richard E. Neal, D-Springfield, for instance, is of the latter opinion. ‘I would recommend they execute the process to select her replacement quickly and transparently,’ Neal said during an interview Thursday.”

— “Rollins’s troubles blow back on Warren and Markey, who pushed her nomination,” by Tal Kopan and Jim Puzzanghera, Boston Globe.

FROM THE HUB

— “Boston city employees get green light to use AI,” by Hiawatha Bray, Boston Globe: “On Thursday, Boston’s chief information officer, Santiago Garces, issued guidelines that encourage city workers to try out these AI systems in a variety of tasks, such as writing e-mails, summarizing lengthy documents, or creating original images, videos, and audio tracks.”

WHAT'S ON CAMPBELL'S DOCKET

— “Campbell joins coalition of fellow AGs in federal effort to protect trans student athletes,” by Samantha J. Gross, Boston Globe: “[AG Andrea] Campbell announced Thursday that she was part of a coalition of a dozen Democratic attorneys general that submitted public comment Monday in support of the proposed changes to Title IX, a federal law that prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex in schools. They also suggest the federal government should go even further to protect the safety and privacy of transgender student athletes.”

DATELINE D.C.

— “Markey to Biden: Invoke 14th Amendment to save climate agenda,” by Kelly Garrity, POLITICO: “Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) called on President Joe Biden to invoke the 14th Amendment to end the standoff over raising the debt limit, calling it crucial to defusing Republicans’ efforts to block the president’s policies.”

— “Controversial judicial pick asks Biden to withdraw after failing to win Dem support,” by Burgess Everett, POLITICO: “Appellate court nominee Michael Delaney asked President Joe Biden to withdraw his nomination Thursday, a rare failure of a judicial nominee with Democrats controlling the Senate and White House. … While it had become evident in recent weeks that Delaney did not have strong support to win confirmation, New Hampshire Democratic Sens. Maggie Hassan and Jeanne Shaheen continued pushing for his confirmation.”

THE LOCAL ANGLE

— “Mass. economy at a crawl in first quarter, but job market remains bright,” by Jim Kinney, Springfield Republican: “The state’s economy slowed in the first three months of 2023, growing its statewide domestic product at just 0.1%. That’s a tiny growth rate considering the U.S. gross domestic product increased at a 1.1% rate according to the U.S. Bureau of Economic Analysis."

— “Election-day fire threatens results in Hull, court says voters likely 'disenfranchised',” by Peter Blandino, Patriot Ledger: “The state has said it will not count nearly 100 ballots cast between 8 and 10 p.m. Monday and has called into question the validity of the entire town election after a large house fire prevented potential voters from accessing the polls.”

GET READY FOR GLOBAL TECH DAY: Join POLITICO Live as we launch our first Global Tech Day alongside London Tech Week on Thursday, June 15. Register now for continuing updates and to be a part of this momentous and program-packed day! From the blockchain, to AI, and autonomous vehicles, technology is changing how power is exercised around the world, so who will write the rules? REGISTER HERE .

MEANWHILE IN NEW HAMPSHIRE

— PRESIDENTIAL CALCULUS: New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu told Puck News’ Tara Palmeri that there’s a “61 percent chance” he runs for president , a 39 percent chance he doesn’t and a 50 percent chance he runs for reelection as governor. That doesn’t quite add up, but that’s where things stand.

Meanwhile, former New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie is planning to focus on New Hampshire in his anticipated presidential bid, per NH Today’s Chris Ryan . A pro-Vivek Ramaswamy super PAC has scooped up veteran New Hampshire operative Michael Biundo as a senior adviser, my colleague Adam Wren first reported. And Robert F. Kennedy Jr. has tapped former Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio) as his campaign manager.

— “Bill to force schools to inform inquiring parents about transgender children fails in New Hampshire,” by Holly Ramer, The Associated Press.

MEANWHILE IN RHODE ISLAND

— “Equality in Abortion Coverage Act signed into law,” by Edward Fitzpatrick, Boston Globe: “With a series of swift votes and the stroke of a pen, legislation expanding abortion coverage in Rhode Island to Medicaid recipients and state employees became law on Thursday.”

HEARD ‘ROUND THE BUBBLAH

TRANSITIONS — Alan D. Solomont has been named to the United States Holocaust Memorial Council.

— Katie Creedon is now chief strategic projects officer at Wolf Greenfield. She most recently was chief legal talent and inclusion officer at Fish & Richardson.

— Courtney Retzky Wolf has been promoted to VP of marketing at real-estate firm West Shore.

— Marwa Alnaal is now regional advocacy director for Tech Goes Home, based in Worcester.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY — to GBH’s Katie Lannan , Raul Fernandez , Sydney Simon of Rep. Seth Moulton’s office; NBC10/NECN alum Alison King , NBC10/NECN’s Sean Colahan and Stephanie Nigro .

HAPPY BIRTHWEEKEND — to UMass journalism’s Kathy Roberts Forde , CTP Boston’s Corey Welford , HUD regional administrator and former state Rep. Juana Matias, Allison Goldberg , Kathy Giles , Matt Solberg , Charlotte Zanecchia , Bill Broadway, Boston City Councilor Erin Murphy and Joe Schatz (father of his namesake and POLITICO executive editor down in D.C.), who celebrate Saturday; and to Sunday birthday-ers Seth Klarman , Edelman’s Amy Larkin Long , Beth Dozoretz and Lacey Rose .

NEW HORSE RACE ALERT: ROLLINS REPORTS — Hosts Steve Koczela , Jennifer Smith and Lisa Kashinsky unpack the federal ethics probes that prompted U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts Rachael Rollins to resign. Plus, there’s joint committee drama on Beacon Hill. Subscribe and listen on iTunes and Sound Cloud .

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