| | |  | BY KELLY GARRITY AND LISA KASHINSKY | Presented by McDonald's | SEEING RED — Here’s something you don’t see every day in deep-blue Massachusetts: an election without a Democrat on the ballot. There’s a primary next Tuesday for the state House seat Republican Peter Durant vacated after winning last November's special state Senate election. Dudley Selectman John Marsi and Southbridge Town Councilor David Adams are duking it out to be the GOP nominee. But no Democrat filed to run. That means, barring a write-in campaign (while there's expected to be one, that doesn't mean it'll be successful), next week’s Republican primary winner is all-but guaranteed to be the 6th Worcester District’s next representative. And Democrats are on track to cede two central Massachusetts legislative seats in a row to Republicans. MassDems reached out to several Democrats in the district about running, according to a person familiar with the conversations. But given the tight timeline for the special election, no one stepped forward. There’s little reason for Democrats to throw money at a seat that’s been trending red. The district had been in Democratic hands for more than a decade until Durant eked out a win over incumbent Geraldo Alicea in a 2011 special election, held after the general election between the two ended in a tie. But after Durant defeated Democratic challengers in 2012 and 2014, the party stopped trying to wrest back control of the seat. Plus, letting Republicans keep the district won’t change the balance of power on Beacon Hill, where Democrats hold safe supermajorities in both chambers. But at a time when the state GOP is taking any win as a major morale boost — and as a way to convince donors and potential candidates for other offices that the party is returning to viability — it’s a curious choice to not compete. “Certainly it is unusual in Massachusetts not to see a Democrat file [to run],” MassGOP Chair Amy Carnevale told Playbook. “I wouldn't have considered this race to be one that I would have written off.” Republicans on track to win two consecutive special elections want to make it a hat trick. State Rep. Josh Cutler’s resignation becomes official next month, as he moves into a new role with the Healey administration’s Executive Office of Labor and Workforce Development. House Speaker Ron Mariano has yet to say whether he’ll call a special election to fill the vacancy. But Ken Sweezey, a Hanson Republican who challenged Cutler in 2022, already announced plans to run again , noting that 6th Plymouth was a “historically Republican district prior to the last decade.” Democrat Becky Coletta, an attorney who previously served in municipal roles in Hanson and Pembroke, is also running for the seat. GOOD WEDNESDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS . Happy federal campaign finance deadline day to all who celebrate (and here's looking at all you delegation members who haven't yet filed your year-end reports). TODAY — Gov. Maura Healey , Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll , Boston Mayor Michelle Wu , state Sen. Liz Miranda , state Rep. Chynah Tyler and Boston City Councilor Tania Fernandes Anderson walk through the shelter at the Cass Recreational Complex at 11 a.m. and hold a media availability at 11:30 a.m. Driscoll keynotes MassBio’s Policy Leadership Breakfast at 8:45 a.m. at the Omni Parker House and speaks at a Downtown Framingham Inc. event at 6:15 p.m. Wu speaks at the Urban League of Eastern Massachusetts’ annual meeting at 6 p.m. in Roxbury and heads up the city’s annual homelessness census at 11 p.m. at City Hall Plaza. Tips? Scoops? Running for office? Email us: kgarrity@politico.com and lkashinsky@politico.com .
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| | A message from McDonald's: From 2021 to 2022, the McDonald’s System contributed over $700 million to Massachusetts’ economy, supporting over 14,350 jobs statewide. McDonald’s presence in local communities throughout Massachusetts generated nearly $125 million in federal, state and local tax revenue, providing funding for public schools, infrastructure, parks and more. Learn more about McDonald’s impact on local communities in Massachusetts and nationally by visiting https://www.mcdeconomicimpact.com/state-impacts/ma . | | | |  | MIGRANTS IN MASSACHUSETTS |
| MIGRANT MEETING — Boston Mayor Michelle Wu met with federal Homeland Security officials in Washington Tuesday to discuss the city and state’s worsening migrant and shelter crisis and how the Biden administration can help, from providing grant funding to waiving the fee and reducing the processing time for work authorizations, The Boston Globe's Niki Griswold and Tal Kopan report . But some of the Biden administration’s immigration policy changes — and potentially more funding for Massachusetts — are tied up in a yet-to-be-released border deal that our colleague Burgess Everett reports could disintegrate due to GOP infighting . Meanwhile, the fallout continues from Gov. Maura Healey 's decision to turn the Cass Recreational Complex in Roxbury into a shelter for up to 400 migrants and homeless people. The Globe and Herald dive into how the move is dividing the community.
| | FROM THE HUB |
| — “Mayor taps Mass/Cass leader Del Rio as new head of Inspectional Services,” by Seth Daniel, Dorchester Reporter: “Mayor Wu has named Tania Del Rio, the leader of the city’s efforts on addressing the situation at Mass. and Cass and a one-time city council candidate, the next commissioner of the Inspectional Services Department (ISD), the agency that regulates and enforces building, housing, health, sanitation, and safety policies. ... She will be the first female leader of the department, which oversees construction and inspections of all kinds and has mostly been a male-dominated environment.”
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| | CONGRESS OVERDRIVE: Since day one, POLITICO has been laser-focused on Capitol Hill, serving up the juiciest Congress coverage. Now, we’re upping our game to ensure you’re up to speed and in the know on every tasty morsel and newsy nugget from inside the Capitol Dome, around the clock. Wake up, read Playbook AM , get up to speed at midday with our Playbook PM halftime report, and fuel your nightly conversations with Inside Congress in the evening. Plus, never miss a beat with buzzy, real-time updates throughout the day via our Inside Congress Live feature. Learn more and subscribe here. | | | | | | | DAY IN COURT |
| CONSPIRACY CHARGES — Federal prosecutors have charged a state police sergeant, three current and former troopers and two civilians with taking bribes in exchange for granting commercial drivers’ licenses, in the latest scandal to befall the force. Among the gifts prosecutors say the sergeant received: a new snowblower, driveway renovations and bottled water and candy, per The Boston Globe’s Sean Cotter, Laura Crimaldi and Travis Andersen. PROTECTING ACCESS — Healey and 21 other Democratic governors filed an amicus brief Tuesday urging the U.S. Supreme Court to uphold access to the abortion pill mifepristone. The court will hear arguments on March 26 over whether to uphold a lower court’s ruling limiting access to the drug that is one of two used to terminate pregnancies.
| | FROM THE DELEGATION |
| REMEMBER THAT POMPOUS POMPEO negotiated with the TALIBAN to sabotage President Biden in Afghanistan, released + 5,000 terrorists, one of whom is now TALIBAN LEADER, excluded the AFGHAN government, reduced US troops, caused unnecessary deaths, prevented evacuations of AFGHANS...all after working to destroy the State Dept.....how about those meetings he held?
— “Mass. Rep. Auchincloss duels with ex-Trump aide who called Jan. 6 a ‘peaceful transition of power’,” by John L. Micek, MassLive: “‘When the United States degrades its own democracy on the world stage for people all over to witness, it undermines our ability to lead and the power of our example,’ [Rep. Jake] Auchincloss, D-4th District, rebuked former U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, who had previously questioned the legitimacy of President Joe Biden’s 2020 election win.” — “Rally to encourage a ceasefire in Gaza takes place outside Congressman Seth Moulton’s office,” by Jaime Campos, The Salem News.
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| | A message from McDonald's: 
| | | | | FROM THE 413 |
| — “Springfield road clearing is a numbers game and city is losing that with lack of plow drivers,” by Jeanette DeForge, Springfield Republican: “When a snowstorm hits, ideally the city will have 150 plows ready to clear the 444 miles of roadways. … What did that get Springfield for the first major snowstorm of the season? A total of 100 drivers, only 88 of whom showed up for a difficult storm.” — “With Windsor's 'erratic' mail delivery, some residents are wondering if their mail-in primary ballots will make it in time,” by Jane Kaufman, The Berkshire Eagle: “[Town Administrator Madeline] Scully worries that ballots mailed for the presidential primary may not reach the town by the close of polls March 5, the deadline for them to be counted.” — “Springfield CAFO selection picks up speed this week amid other top departures,” by Matt Szafranski, Western Mass Politics & Insight IN MEMORIAM — 'His loss is immeasurable': Remembering longtime Gardner City Councilor Ronald Cormier,” by Stephen Landry, The Gardner News.
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| | YOUR GUIDE TO EMPIRE STATE POLITICS : From the newsroom that doesn’t sleep, POLITICO's New York Playbook is the ultimate guide for power players navigating the intricate landscape of Empire State politics. Stay ahead of the curve with the latest and most important stories from Albany, New York City and around the state, with in-depth, original reporting to stay ahead of policy trends and political developments. Subscribe now to keep up with the daily hustle and bustle of NY politics. | | | | | | | THE LOCAL ANGLE |
| STILL STRIKING — Classrooms are closed for a ninth day in Newton as school officials and striking teachers make progress on contract negotiations but remain apart on key issues like cost-of-living raises. WCVB reports a second family has gone to court to try and stop what’s become the longest teacher strike in the state since the 1990s . And the union repping the law-breaking Newton educators has now racked up more than $500,000 in fines. The battle over whether to legalize teachers’ strikes could briefly return to Beacon Hill next week. Next Wednesday is what’s known as Joint Rule 10 day — the deadline for joint committees to report out their bills. But the outgoing co-chair of the Labor and Workforce Development Committee, state Rep. Josh Cutler , told the State House News Service that lawmakers might give themselves an extension on that one. — “There are even fewer affordable apartments in Massachusetts than we thought, according to new data,” by Craig LeMoult, GBH News: “A new, publicly-available database is backing up what many frustrated Massachusetts residents already know: the state's shortage of affordable housing is even worse than previously known. The data dashboard was released Tuesday by the nonprofit group Housing Navigator Massachusetts … [and shows] that the state has tens of thousands fewer affordable homes than reflected in its official inventory. And the data suggests that some higher-income communities are using affordable housing policies in racially and economically exclusionary ways.” — "Harvard mega donor Ken Griffin has halted donations to school," by Svea Herbst-Bayliss, Reuters: "Billionaire investor Kenneth Griffin, who has donated more than half a billion dollars to Harvard University, has halted his giving to the school over how it handled antisemitism on campus and a broader leadership crisis involving its president." — “Gilman chairs statewide Women Elected Municipal Officials steering committee,” by Ethan Forman, Gloucester Daily Times: “Gloucester Councilor at-Large Valerie Gilman has been appointed to serve as the chairperson of the Women Elected Municipal Officials steering committee, an organization that falls under the umbrella of the Massachusetts Municipal Association and supports women in their roles as elected officials statewide.” — “Reardon hires firm to look into Whittier act,” by Jim Sullivan, Newburyport Daily News: “Less than a week after plans to build a new Whittier Tech High School crashed and burned at the ballot box, Mayor Sean Reardon has brought in a Boston-based law firm to get a closer look at the Haverhill school’s agreement with the 11 towns and cities that send students there.”
| | MEANWHILE IN MAINE |
| — “Gov. Janet Mills proposes background checks on private guns sales, 'yellow flag' law tweaks,” by Kevin Miller, Maine Public: “Gov. Janet Mills has proposed expanding Maine’s background check requirements to private gun sales and giving police an additional tool to take someone into ‘protective custody’ under the state’s ‘yellow flag’ law. … The Democratic governor said her gun safety proposals were shaped by the events of Oct. 25 — when a gunman killed 18 people in Lewiston in the worst mass shooting in state history — and by the conversations she has had with Maine residents since then.”
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| | A message from McDonald's: McDonald’s is an economic engine for the state of Massachusetts, contributing over $700 million to our state’s economy, directly employing nearly 11,600 Massachusettsans and supporting an additional 2,750 jobs statewide. It’s also an engine of opportunity: 1 in 4 independent McDonald’s operators in Massachusetts began their careers as restaurant crew members, generating wealth for their families and local communities. We are proud to support Massachusetts through public schools, parks and more from the nearly $125 million in federal, state and local tax revenue generated by the McDonald’s System’s activities. And thanks to the generosity of McDonald’s customers and owner/operators, the $700,000 raised through Ronald McDonald House Charities in 2022 provided over 7,000 overnight stays for families with children receiving medical care in Massachusetts. Learn more about McDonald’s impact on local communities in Massachusetts and nationally by visiting https://www.mcdeconomicimpact.com/state-impacts/ma . | | | | | HEARD ‘ROUND THE BUBBLAH |
| TRANSITIONS — Niki Griswold is now covering Boston City Hall for The Boston Globe. — Jon Latino is now manager of city and civic relations at Boston Children’s Hospital. HAPPY BIRTHDAY — to Steven Boozang, Orit Gadiesh, Eli Nachmany, Robert Norris and Andrew Smith. 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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