Middleboro Review 2: POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: High stakes for special Senate race

Wednesday, October 11, 2023

POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: High stakes for special Senate race

BATTLE OF THE STATE REPS — Two representatives will duke it out for the Senate seat last held by Democrat Anne Gobi in a special election that stands as a crucial test for the struggling state GOP.

State Rep. Peter Durant (R-Spencer) will square off against state Rep. Jon Zlotnik (D-Gardner) in the Nov. 7 general election. Durant claimed victory over Bruce Chester in Tuesday’s GOP primary. Zlotnik was unopposed on the Democratic side.

Both parties are bullish on their chances in this unusually competitive district that covers a swath of central and western Massachusetts. Democrats held the seat for decades until Gobi left this spring to become Gov. Maura Healey's rural affairs director. But the district voted for then-President Donald Trump in 2020 (before shedding several red towns in redistricting and picking up others that voted for President Joe Biden).

Behind both candidates are new state party chairs who are looking to show activists and donors that they can win.

But the stakes are far higher for the GOP as its new leaders look to not just flip a blue seat but save the party from insolvency and irrelevancy.

MassGOP Chair Amy Carnevale told Playbook the party is sending out a fundraising solicitation for its new nominee today and is joining a Senate Republican Caucus “unity event” with both Durant and Chester tonight in Holden. (Chester told Playbook he's "committed to moving forward as a unified front.") The MassGOP is also planning an event with Scott Brown and The Diplomats, former Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito and other prominent Republicans on Nov. 2 in Worcester to help drum up support for Durant.

And Durant enters the general election riding a wave of free press from inserting himself into debates over the shelter crisis that's straining communities across Massachusetts and the immigration issues that are contributing to it.

“Nobody likes a primary, it takes effort, it takes money. But it also makes you work harder at getting your message out,” Durant told Playbook. “It’s kind of like my Democratic opponent is starting the game at halftime.”

But Zlotnik’s not starting from zero. He entered October with $20,000 more in cash on hand than Durant. Activists at the MassDems convention last month sent 7,000 texts encouraging Democrats in the district to vote for Zlotnik. And they sent another 10,000 encouraging super Democrats to sign up for volunteer shifts for his campaign and others.

MassDems Chair Steve Kerrigan told Playbook the party is doing “all we can” for Zlotnik, including phone banking and canvassing. “We are all in,” he said.

And the MassGOP’s ability to help Durant may be limited by its still-dire financial straits — even though a win in this race is exactly what the party needs to start turning its fortunes around.

“If we didn’t have the debt, certainly we would be able to do more in this race,” Carnevale said. “But we certainly are confident in our chances.”

GOOD WEDNESDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS . Even if Republicans win this race, it will barely dent Democrats’ supermajority in the Senate. More candidate reactions from the Boston Herald .

TODAY — Healey meets with Japanese Ambassador Koji Tomita at 3 p.m. in her ceremonial office. Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll chairs a Governor’s Council meeting at noon. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu speaks at the Climate Beacon Conference at 8:45 a.m. at the New England Aquarium. Treasurer Deb Goldberg addresses the Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce at 9:45 a.m. Sen. Elizabeth Warren discusses private equity issues at 11 a.m. at a mobile home park in Attleboro. Auditor Diana DiZoglio speaks at the New England Chinese American Alliance Gala at 5 p.m. at City Hall Plaza in Boston.

Tips? Scoops? Email us: lkashinsky@politico.com and kgarrity@politico.com .

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DATELINE BEACON HILL

TALKING TRANSFER FEES — Talk of real-estate transfer fees is returning to Beacon Hill as lawmakers and housing advocates grow increasingly bullish that the Healey administration will include some form of the tax in its upcoming housing bond bill.

The Joint Revenue Committee is hearing arguments today on a slew of bills seeking to impose a tax on real-estate transactions to raise revenue for affordable housing. Cities and towns from Boston to Cape Cod are petitioning lawmakers to let them levy transfer fees. (Boston Mayor Michelle Wu , for instance, is testifying on a proposal to let the city charge up to 2 percent on real-estate sales over $2 million).

Meanwhile, state Sen. Jo Comerford and state Rep. Mike Connolly refiled legislation that would let communities decide whether to adopt a transfer fee of 0.5 percent to 2 percent on real-estate transactions over $1 million, with some carve-outs.

“This is the moment to go big on housing, and this is one tool that would allow localities to have a stake in the work to go big,” Comerford told Playbook.

Gov. Maura Healey has signaled she’s open to transfer fees, which have been opposed by real estate industry groups. And advocates are hopeful, based on conversations with members of her administration, that she’ll include some version of the tax in the sweeping housing plan that's expected in the coming days. “Fingers crossed,” Comerford said.

Lawmakers hear testimony on House legislation to tighten gun regulations on Tuesday, Oct. 10, 2023 at the Massachusetts State House. | Lisa Kashinsky/POLITICO

— “Proposal to tighten state’s gun laws draws pushback, praise at State House hearing,” by Katie Lannan, GBH News: “State representatives heard from gun violence survivors and violence-prevention advocates, representatives of the Catholic Church, members of the Massachusetts Black and Latino Legislative Caucus and the top prosecutor in Hampden County, all voicing their support for the latest update to the state’s firearm regulations. Meanwhile, gun owners raised concerns that the proposal infringes on their Second Amendment rights and argued that legislative efforts are better targeted toward issues like domestic violence, mental health and reforming the criminal justice system.”

— “Mass. police chiefs group come out against House’s gun bill,” by Samantha J. Gross, Boston Globe.

Meanwhile... House Speaker Ron Mariano and state Rep. Mike Day , who crafted the gun bill, penned a WBUR op-ed in support of the legislation.

— “State senator among National Guard members activated in response to state’s shelter crisis,” by Matt Stout, Boston Globe: “State Senator John Velis, a Westfield Democrat and National Guard member, is among those who have been deployed to buttress the state’s overwhelmed emergency shelter system, where more than 3,000 families are currently living in state-subsidized hotels or motels.”

— “Legislators override two dozen Healey vetoes,” by Jennifer Smith, CommonWealth Magazine.

— “State's legal aid costs up 130% over 2019,” by Christian M. Wade, Eagle-Tribune.

BALLOT BATTLES

ANOTHER ONE — Progressive and good governance advocacy group Act on Mass has endorsed Auditor Diana DiZoglio ’s ballot question to conduct regular reviews of the Legislature and plans to help collect signatures for it.

Meanwhile… “Boston Mayor Michelle Wu says she is ‘concerned’ about rent control ballot initiative,” by Trea Lavery, MassLive: “Despite Boston Mayor Michelle Wu’s efforts to pass rent control in the city, she said Tuesday that she isn’t sure she supports an initiative that would put rent control on the statewide ballot. ... [She told GBH's 'Boston Public Radio' that] her worries rest not with the proposal itself but the process."

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FROM THE HUB

— “Wu says unresolved Boston police union contracts weigh heavy on her conscience,” by Zoe Mathews, GBH News: “Boston Mayor Michelle Wu told Boston Public Radio on Tuesday she hopes 'with every fiber of [her] being' to have Boston Police union contracts negotiated and resolved by the end of the year or early into 2024. … Wu said the sticking points remain around medical leave, overtime, and disciplining and firing officers determined to have committed a crime or offense that makes them incompatible to be a police officer.”

FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Boston District 8 City Councilor Sharon Durkan is endorsing Enrique Pepén for District 5 councilor. The two are both backed by Wu and have both worked for her in the past.

Pepén’s opponent, Jose Ruiz , is being endorsed by Plumbers Local 12 and Laborers Local 223 .

THE RACE FOR CITY HALL

FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Gov. Maura Healey and Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll are endorsing Melrose City Councilor Jennifer Grigoraitis for mayor, adding to their slate of supported candidates in this fall’s municipal elections. Grigoraitis finished first in the city’s preliminary election last month.

THE RESULTS ARE IN — Gardner Mayor Michael Nicholson will face Kimberly Blake in the city’s November general election, according to unofficial results from yesterday's preliminary election.

City councilors will battle each other for open mayoral seats in two other cities. Christopher Johnson faces Cecilia Calabrese in Agawam, per unofficial results . In Marlborough, unofficial results show Samantha Perlman and J. Christian Dumais advancing to November.

ISRAEL-HAMAS WAR

HARVARD IN THE HOT SEAT — Harvard leadership continues to face criticism for its initial response to Hamas’ weekend attack on Israel and for initially ignoring a controversial statement from 30-plus student groups blaming Israel for the incursion.

The university’s new president, Claudine Gay , and other senior school officials on Monday said they were “heartbroken by the death and destruction” caused by the attack. That response drew backlash from several prominent alumni — including members of Massachusetts’ congressional delegation — for failing to forcefully condemn Hamas and for not directly addressing the student statement.

“The statement from the student groups is morally depraved. The statement from Harvard’s leadership is moral cowardice. And I was appalled by both,” Rep. Jake Auchincloss told POLITICO’s Kierra Frazier . Former Harvard professor and independent presidential candidate Cornel West told POLITICO’s Holly Otterbein that the students’ statement lacked nuance .

Gay issued a new statement on Tuesday, this one condemning “the terrorist atrocities perpetrated by Hamas” and emphasizing that no student group “speaks for Harvard University or its leadership.” Auchincloss, for one, is still dissatisfied.

LETTER-WRITING CAMPAIGN — Auchincloss and Reps. Ayanna Pressley and Lori Trahan are among the nearly 150 lawmakers who signed onto a letter urging Secretary of State Antony Blinken to “use all tools at your disposal to return all U.S. nationals in Israel home who wish to do so.”

— “Islamic group calls for investigation of ‘Nazis’ spray painted on Boston Islamic Seminary sign,” by Maeve Lawler, Boston Globe.

— “Tufts Students for Justice in Palestine group is ripped for ‘obscene’ comments about Hamas’ terrorist attacks on Israel,” by Rick Sobey, Boston Herald.

IT'S NOT EASY BEING GREEN

— “Barnstable Town Council reins in offshore wind projects, pausing further action for now,” by Heather McCarron, Cape Cod Times: “ With the future of Avangrid's Park City Wind and Commonwealth Wind projects in limbo after the offshore wind developer backed out of previously negotiated power purchase agreements in two states, members of the Barnstable Town Council are reining in further action related to the projects, for now.”

HEARD ‘ROUND THE BUBBLAH

SPOTTED — Gabe Amo , the Democratic nominee for Rhode Island’s open congressional seat, in Boston with House Democratic Whip Katherine Clark and Reps. Ayanna Pressley and Lori Trahan ( h/t WPRI’s Ted Nesi ) .

TRANSITIONS — EMPath president and former Boston Acting Mayor Kim Janey has been named one of the Aspen Institute’s 2023 Ascend Fellows.

— Matt Noyes is the next director of public policy for the Citizens’ Housing and Planning Association.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY — to David Halbert and Conor Yunits .

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