YOU DON’T SEE THAT EVERY CYCLE — It’s not just Boston anymore. Super PACs are proliferating in municipal races across the state. FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: 1866 Action Fund is rolling out eight endorsements in city council and school committee elections across the state. The PAC launched in February with a goal of electing Black candidates in down-ballot races. Now it’s preparing to put money behind media campaigns for Haverhill City Council candidate Katrina Hobbs Everett and School Committee hopeful Yonnie Collins; Quincy City Councilor Ian Cain; Springfield City Council candidate Willie Naylor; Somerville City Councilor Willie Burnley Jr.; Brockton City Council candidate Gary Keith Sr. and school committee candidates Caroline Hunter in Cambridge and Jamie Hodges in Brockton. The support comes as PACs ramp up their spending in races from Boston to Springfield with Election Day around the corner. PACS are flooding the Hub's City Council races with cash. Forward Boston, which is being bankrolled in large part by New Balance chairman and GOP donor Jim Davis, has spent more than $100,000 on digital advertising and text banking to boost newcomers Jose Ruiz in District 5, William King in District 6, John FitzGerald in District 3 and at-large hopeful Bridget Nee-Walsh, as well as incumbent Councilors Erin Murphy and Council President Ed Flynn. Meanwhile, a union-backed PAC aligned with Boston Mayor Michelle Wu is promoting three of her endorsed candidates: Enrique Pepén in District 5, Ben Weber in District 6 and at-large candidate Henry Santana. Bold Boston PAC spent $93,432 between Oct. 24 and 31 — the vast majority of it on mailers supporting Santana. Opposing PACs are also duking it out in Worcester’s mayoral and council races. The Worcester Working Families PAC, which is backing more progressive candidates, has spent $11,146 since August on behalf of nearly a dozen candidates — and in opposition to others, including incumbent Mayor Joe Petty. On the other side is Progress Worcester PAC — an effort backed by the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce, its leader, former Lt. Gov. Tim Murray, and others with ties to the business group — that has spent $21,511 since late July backing Petty and a handful of council candidates. "Broadly speaking we don’t see a lot of PACs in municipal elections — certainly not in Worcester. When we had that election for [state] Senate [last year], that was the first time we saw some real PAC action in a while. And that’s now carried over into this cycle," said Kate Norton, who worked for Petty during his Senate race against Robyn Kennedy but is no longer with him. In that election, Massachusetts Women for Progress spent thousands of dollars to boost Kennedy, who ultimately won the seat vacated by Harriette Chandler. Now, PACs are back for another round “because it’s worked,“ Cara Berg Powers, who chairs both Massachusetts Women for Progress and Worcester Working Families, told Playbook. “We actually did have a big impact," she said, "whether it was us personally or just the raising of the attention." Springfield is also seeing a rise in PAC action. The Hispanic Latinos Leaders Now PAC emerged late in the mayoral primary, flush with cash from home-care executive Cesar Ruiz and with a stated goal of putting more Hispanic and Latino candidates in office. The PAC backed state Rep. Orlando Ramos in a hotly contested race against incumbent Mayor Domenic Sarno and City Councilors Justin Hurst and Jesse Lederman. It also boosted Boston City Councilors Ricardo Arroyo and Kendra Lara late in their preliminary elections. Ramos, Arroyo and Lara all lost. But the PAC continues to back Springfield City Council candidates and has spent more than $10,000 to support Chicopee City Councilor Delmarina López, who’s challenging incumbent John Vieau for mayor. It’s all setting a precedent for further PAC play going forward, Springfield Democratic consultant Tony Cignoli told Playbook. “There's an understanding that the game has changed greatly,” Cignoli said. GOOD THURSDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. Tips? Scoops? Thinking of starting a PAC? Email us: kgarrity@politico.com and lkashinsky@politico.com. TODAY — Gov. Maura Healey is at the Greentown Labs Climatetech Summit at 9:30 a.m. in Somerville, a Climate Jobs Massachusetts event at 10:30 a.m., announces legislation to rename the Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission at 11 a.m. at the State House, keynotes the Massachusetts Investor Conference at 12:30 p.m. at the BCEC and swears in judges at 2 p.m. at the State House. Wu provides an update on Mass and Cass at 11 a.m.
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