 | BY LISA KASHINSKY AND KELLY GARRITY | AT LEAST VERMONT KEPT IT INTERESTING — Donald Trump stormed to his third straight Bay State GOP primary win on Tuesday, in an outcome so predictable that the few dozen supporters who showed up at a watch party in Quincy didn’t even react when The Associated Press called the race. A few miles north at a bar in downtown Boston , Joe Biden’s resounding victory barely registered among the roughly 30 Democrats watching Dorchester native John King call races on CNN. Nikki Haley delivered a surprise upset in Vermont. But even that isn't delaying what's now all but inevitable — the general-election rematch between Trump and Biden that few voters want but that both men and their supporters have already pivoted to. Haley is expected to end her campaign later this morning . “We’re taking America back, community by community,” Tom Hodgson, the former Bristol County sheriff chairing Trump’s campaign in Massachusetts, declared to reporters down in Quincy.
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Donald Trump still holds sway over Massachusetts' Republican base. | Joseph Prezioso/AFP via Getty Images | With a semi-open primary and a large percentage of independent voters, Massachusetts was precisely the type of state Haley’s campaign was targeting — if not for a win, at least for a good showing. Instead she got blown out in a low-interest, lower-turnout contest that one Somerville poll worker described simply as “slow.” Haley won’t win any delegates here — she would have needed to hold Trump under 50 percent of the vote for that. And unofficial results show she’s on track to finish far behind the 43 percent she posted in neighboring New Hampshire and repeatedly touted in the weeks since as a sign to continue on. At least she did better here than in Maine . Biden won’t get a clean Super Tuesday sweep either , after a surprise loss in American Samoa to a virtual unknown . But he’s still walking away from the Bay State with more than 80 percent of the vote despite a last-ditch effort to get Democratic primary voters to select “no preference” on their ballots to protest his handling of the Israel-Hamas war. “No preference” has racked up 54,000 votes and counting. That's well above the 10,000-vote “internal goal” organizers set and good for more than 9 percent of the vote, but below the numbers posted after similar efforts in other states. Still, the discontent among some Democratic voters is clear. And Merrie Najimy, the former Massachusetts Teachers Association president who helped organize the protest vote here, said the effort has “ignited an important conversation about what voters value.” Now here’s what happened down the ballot:
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At the polls in Attleboro. | Steven Senne/AP | GOP POWER STRUGGLE — Amy Carnevale will keep control of the state GOP, at least for another day. Slow returns across the state left the balance of power on the Republican State Committee uncertain through the night. Carnevale expects to keep her committee seat based on unofficial tallies. So do Geoff Diehl and his wife, KathyJo Boss — the de facto leaders of the slate of conservative candidates looking to wrest back power from Carnevale and her crew. Carnevale-aligned candidates claimed victory in a few bellwether races. Judy and Will Crocker said they had won reelection to their Cape and Islands seats , as did state Rep. Paul Frost and Mindy McKenzie in the Second Worcester District. Baker administration alum Sean Powers and Alex Hagerty also claimed victory over members of the Diehl-backed “Massachusetts Freedom Slate.” But Anthony Ventresca, another member of the “Freedom Slate” and a key ally of former Chair Jim Lyons, posted on Facebook that he was reelected to his seat. FRACTURED FRAMINGHAM — Deeply divided Framingham Democrats fielded two slates of candidates for the party’s city committee. All 34 members of “Group 1” — which included the committee’s co-chairs and state Rep. Jack Patrick Lewis — won seats, according to results from the city. NEW KID IN THE HOUSE — Dudley Selectman John Marsi can now call himself state representative-elect for the 6th Worcester seat left open by now-state Sen. Peter Durant. Marsi handed Republicans their second straight win in special legislative elections. But he — and the MassGOP — won’t have much time to celebrate if they want to keep the seat red in November. Jeanne Costello, the vice chair of the Dudley-Charlton Regional School Committee, filed to run for the seat last week after scrapping plans for a write-in campaign in the special election. NOT-SO GOLDEN STATE OF MIND — Massachusetts-backed candidates were shut out of California’s U.S. Senate race Tuesday night, ending a brief proxy battle between Sen. Elizabeth Warren (who supported Rep. Katie Porter) and Rep. Ayanna Pressley (who endorsed Rep. Barbara Lee) before the general election even began. GOOD WEDNESDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. Catch up on all the Super Tuesday action across the country here . TODAY — Gov. Maura Healey reads to Revere elementary school students at 10 a.m. for National Read Across America Week. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu is on “Java with Jimmy” at 9 a.m. Email us your race results: lkashinsky@politico.com and kgarrity@politico.com .
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| SHELTER REFORMS — The House will vote today on a supplemental budget that would limit how long people can stay in the state’s overburdened emergency shelter system and expend another $245 million to cover its costs through June. Most families would see their time in the shelter system capped at nine consecutive months under the House plan. People who are employed or in job-training programs would be able to stay an extra three months. Pregnant women and people with certain disabilities would also be eligible for a full year of shelter. The clock would start on April 1 for all families, regardless of how long they’ve already been in the shelter system. Companies offering workforce training to people in the emergency assistance program would be offered a tax credit of $2,500 per trainee, with the total amount of credits capped at $10 million per year. Top House Democrats also want more detailed reporting from the Healey administration on the number of families in the program and at each shelter site, how long they’ve been receiving shelter and services and how many people are enrolled in the job-training program. And they’re calling on Healey to seek federal approvals for waivers to expedite migrants’ work authorizations. It’s a rapid turnaround for House leaders who warned just last week that they would have to look at making changes to the emergency assistance program to ensure its longer-term viability. In a statement on Tuesday, House Speaker Ron Mariano said the “temporary reforms” they’re proposing are “essential for the shelter program’s long-term survival.” Healey wouldn’t say whether she agreed with the House proposal. But she reiterated at an unrelated event that “we need to be open to the way our system is working right now” and that her team has “talked about limits in the past.”
| | DATELINE BEACON HILL |
| ALSO ON THE MENU — The supp would make permanent several pandemic-era policies set to expire at the end of the month, including to-go alcoholic beverages and expanded outdoor dining. REVENUE SLUMP CONTINUES — Tax collections again fell short of benchmarks in February. While the state brought in $27 million more in revenue this February than it did last February, preliminary collections were still $11 million, or 0.6 percent, below benchmark. Year-to-date revenues are running $186 million, or 0.8 percent, behind collections during the same time period in the last fiscal year and are $275 million or 1.2 percent less than the year-to-date benchmark. Healey’s number crunchers say they’re not planning any additional budget moves at the moment, the State House News Service reports . ENDORSEMENT CORNER — Boston DSA is backing Evan MacKay against progressive state Rep. Marjorie Decker in her Cambridge-based district. — “Report: MassHealth overbilled by $17.3M,” by Christian M. Wade, The Eagle-Tribune: “Service providers who work with children diagnosed with autism ‘overbilled’ the state’s Medicaid program by nearly $17.3 million in the previous fiscal year, according to a new report by the Inspector General’s office.”
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| | On the ground in Albany. Get critical policy news and analysis inside New York State. Track how power brokers are driving change across legislation and budget and impacting lobbying efforts. Learn more . | | | | | | | FROM THE DELEGATION |
| STATE OF THE GUEST LIST — Sen. Ed Markey is bringing IBEW Local 103 business manager Lou Antonellis as his guest to President Joe Biden ’s State of the Union address on Thursday. Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris have both staged events at the union’s Dorchester headquarters during their administration. Markey’s also letting bygones be bygones in taking Antonellis to Biden’s big speech. IBEW Local 103 endorsed then-Rep. Joe Kennedy III against Markey in their 2020 Senate primary and campaigned hard on his behalf. Kennedy even held his primary-eve rally in the parking lot of the Local’s HQ — right under the union’s iconic I-93 billboard that was, of course, lit up with his campaign logo. Meanwhile, Rep. Jake Auchincloss is bringing Myrieme Nadri-Churchill , the executive director of Parents for Peace, a nonprofit that runs a confidential hotline to help families experiencing extremism. He’s also introducing the “Verifying Kids’ Online Privacy Act” that would raise the age for increased online protections for children to 16 from 13. Sen. Elizabeth Warren is bringing a student who had her loans canceled through Biden’s Public Service Loan Forgiveness program. And Rep. Stephen Lynch is planning to have one of his staffers join him. “I like to give them an opportunity. They work really, really hard for me,” he told Playbook.
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Rep. Stephen Lynch is shutting down rumors about his future. | Carolyn Kaster/AP | TO THOSE EYEING MA-08 — Lynch isn’t going anywhere, and he’s trying to put that unending rumor that he wants to be postmaster general to bed. “No, no, no, no, no. No. I've got a good job right now and I’m really 100 percent focused on that. I’m running for reelection, and there’s just so much that needs to be done,” he told Playbook when asked if he was interested in Postmaster General Louis DeJoy ’s job. Lynch also said he’ll serve out his full two-year term if he’s reelected. The South Boston congressman praised Biden for nominating his former Labor secretary, Marty Walsh , to the Postal Service’s Board of Governors, calling the former Boston mayor a “great choice.” “He brings a whole different vision there,” Lynch said of Walsh, a former union head who now leads the NHL Players’ Association. “It’s great to have someone there who has the view as a laborer and someone who can really identify with the letter carriers or the mail handlers or the clerks.”
| | WHAT ELSE YOU SHOULD BE READING |
| COLLECTING IN CRYPTO — Crypto advocate John Deaton said he's now taking campaign contributions made in cryptocurrency in his bid against Warren. — “Amherst Town Council calls for Gaza cease-fire after tussle over blame,” by Scott Merzbach, Daily Hampshire Gazette: “The Town Council is calling for a cease-fire in the Israel-Hamas war, approving a controversial resolution Monday that demands an end to the Israeli military siege in the Gaza Strip, the release of hostages and detainees on both sides, and for humanitarian aid to reach the residents of Gaza. The decision to adopt the resolution — about a week after Northampton approved its own cease-fire call — came after five hours of discussion, and it nearly didn’t happen after some councilors made amendments to the text that appeared to soften criticism of Israel by adding the mention of the role of Hamas in the conflict.” — “Worcester Board of Health votes to support opening safe injection site,” by Henry Schwan, Telegram & Gazette: “The Board of Health voted 4-0 Monday night to approve creation of such a center as a pilot program, pending state approval. It’s unclear what the next legal and political steps will be to bring a center to the city.” — “Greater Boston cities, towns team up to address homelessness amid housing, migrant crisis,” by Lance Reynolds, Boston Herald. — “Tufts University investigating after ‘vile antisemitism’ reported at student meeting, Jewish students reportedly spat on,” by Rick Sobey, Boston Herald.
| | HEARD ‘ROUND THE BUBBLAH |
| HAPPY BIRTHDAY — to UMass Journalism’s Steve Fox, Blake Gottesman, Jenn Queally and Lauren Young. Happy belated to Michael Sandel , who celebrated Tuesday. 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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