Middleboro Review 2: POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: Can Republicans grow their ranks?

Monday, June 10, 2024

POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: Can Republicans grow their ranks?

Hi, folks! Kelly here, excited to be in your inbox. A huge, huge congrats to Lisa on an incredible run — I cannot wait to see what she cooks up on the presidential campaign trail. A bit about me: I’m a Northeastern grad, originally from Walpole, Mass. Before teaming up with Lisa on Playbook, I was writing about national politics on POLITICO’s breaking news team. Looking forward to meeting and hanging out with you guys Wednesday at Carrie Nation (Send me an email if you want to be added to the waitlist for the event.). Okay, before you run for the unsubscribe button, let's get to the news:

MASS GOP rallied around a Whack-A-Ding zealot in Jim Lyons and will continue to pay a steep price if they continue to embrace extremists. How many rushed to endorse DeSantis without scrutinizing his record of destruction in FLORIDA? Endorsing and supporting DONNIE PRICE knowing about his ANTI-ASIAN posts? Jim Lyons attacked the woman who unseated him.

NEVER anything of substance!

And now rallying around the MAGA LUNACY?

MASSACHUSETTS voters are well educated and well informed....beyond the MASS GOP base.

GOP GAME PLAN — The MassGOP has overhauled its leadership and paid down (some of) its debts. Party leaders’ next goal in making Republicans relevant in Massachusetts again: regrowing the party’s legislative ranks.

But after a couple of special election wins earlier this election cycle, there are factors working against Republicans who are hoping to not only hold the 29 seats they currently have on Beacon Hill but grow their numbers from there.

Majorities of residents approve of how the Democratic governor (who’s not on the ballot, but has already endorsed in at least one legislative race) and the Democratic-controlled Legislature are doing their jobs, according to a recent UMass Amherst/WCVB poll . And, perhaps more critically, they’re not primarily blaming Gov. Maura Healey state lawmakers for one of the key issues Republicans plan to campaign on in legislative races: the migrant and shelter crisis.

On top of that, Republicans who openly admit their party faces difficulties here in presidential years are set to run with a convicted felon who’s deeply unpopular with the state’s general electorate atop the ticket. And the infighting and money troubles that have plagued the state party for years haven’t fully gone away.

John Milligan, the MassGOP’s executive director, acknowledged the challenges facing the party. “Any Republican is vulnerable in any election in Massachusetts,” he told Playbook.

GOP strategist Wendy Wakeman offered an even franker assessment. “The state party is just in a terrible situation,” Wakeman, a former ally of past party Chair Jim Lyons, told Playbook. “The MassGOP still is a great congregate place for resources for candidates. The [Republican] National Committee helps get great voter files into people's hands. But in terms of direct candidate support, the party is going to be pretty hobbled this cycle because of the way the finances were handled last cycle.”

Still, the GOP sees opportunity in some open-seat races — particularly the districts in the southeastern swath of the state that have either flipped between parties over the years or have been purple on the presidential map.

So far, however, Democrats are outraising Republicans in many of those matchups. Democratic state Rep. Dylan Fernandes, who is running for the open Plymouth and Barnstable Senate seat, had more than $227,000 in his campaign account at the end of May, well over the roughly $57,000 Republican state Rep. Matt Muratore and the just over $2,000 Bourne school board member Kari MacRae had on hand at the end of the month. Democratic candidates also hold cash advantages over Republicans in the open-seat races for the 3rd Bristol and Plymouth Senate seat, and the 6th Plymouth and 10th Bristol seats in the House.

GOOD MONDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS . Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget for the Playbook? Get in touch: kgarrity@politico.com.

TODAY — Gov. Maura Healey and Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll host a ceremonial oath of office for Supreme Judicial Court Justice Gabrielle Wolohojian at 5 p.m. at the John Adams Courthouse in Boston. Driscoll speaks at a Massachusetts Restaurants United conference at 10 a.m. in Boston. Minority Whip Katherine Clark and Rep. Jake Auchincloss join state officials and advocates in unveiling an awareness campaign alerting the public to the potential dangers of crisis pregnancy centers at 11 a.m. in Brookline. Clark attends a grant announcement at an affordable senior living site at 2:30 p.m. in Revere.

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DATELINE BEACON HILL

— “A tax on high-dollar home sales had a clear path on Beacon Hill. Then the real estate industry stepped in,” by Andrew Brinker, The Boston Globe: “It looked like the policy’s supporters had finally gained momentum. Then the real estate industry stepped in, ramping up lobbying against the measure, sending mailers, funding studies, and trying to snuff out pockets of local support. One group vowed to spend whatever it takes to defeat the proposal, worried it would dampen both the housing market and the struggling commercial real estate sector. And when the House unveiled its version of the housing bond bill on June 3, the transfer tax was nowhere to be found — raising doubt it will make it through the Legislature this year.”

STEWARD.....

— “Mayor to Governor: Save Holy Family,” by Mike LaBella, The Eagle-Tribune: “Mayor Melinda Barrett is imploring Gov. Maura Healey to find a way save Holy Family Hospital. In a recent letter to the governor, Barrett stressed how important it is for the community to keep the Haverhill hospital open as an acute care facility. The letter comes as the Healy administration navigates Steward Health Care System’s bankruptcy and the pending auction of its eight hospitals in Massachusetts. … ‘Holy Family Haverhill and the city of Haverhill cannot be collateral damage to Steward’s mismanagement,’ Barrett wrote. ‘The city is home to almost 70,000 people who want and deserve access to care close to home.’”

FROM THE HUB

— “Boston Mayor Wu plans to veto City Council budget cuts to police, fire,” by Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald: “Boston Mayor Michelle Wu said she plans to veto cuts the City Council voted to make to her recommended spending plan for public safety, vowing to “fully” restore funding allocated for the police and fire budgets, the Herald has learned. Wu said she plans to file documents vetoing City Council amendments to her $4.6 billion fiscal year 2025 budget on Monday while speaking at the Boston Fire Department’s annual memorial ceremony, which honors fallen firefighters, on Sunday, according to three people who heard her public remarks.”

— “Boston city councilor in the hot seat for handling of Back Bay bike lanes meeting,” by Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald: “Councilor Ed Flynn hosted a chaotic virtual listening session Wednesday, where residents — most of whom were bicyclists — in support of the mayor’s plan to add bus and bike lanes to Boylston Street clashed with the councilor over what they felt were his attempts to drown out their voices, in favor of other residents and civic leaders who oppose the changes. Many pro-bike lane participants repeatedly chose to unmute themselves and interrupt the councilor while he was attempting to select speakers who live or do business in the Back Bay, saying that it was ‘reductive’ to only get input from the neighborhood since Boylston Street is a main thoroughfare used by people throughout the city.”

BLEEDING GREEN — The Celtics’ finals run is good news for fans and the city’s finances. Meet Boston, formerly the Greater Boston Convention & Visitors Bureau, is estimating the C’s are having a “$6 million per game impact” thanks to spending on hotels, restaurants and travel to the city, Boston’s chief of economic opportunity and inclusion, Segun Idowu, said on WCVB’s “On the Record.”

DAY IN COURT

BAMBOOZLED — The U.S. government is suing to recover more than $5.3 million stolen from a Massachusetts union through an email scam, reports for SecurityWeek’s Eduard Kovacs .

JOIN US ON 6/13 FOR A TALK ON THE FUTURE OF HEALTH CARE : As Congress and the White House work to strengthen health care affordability and access, innovative technologies and treatments are increasingly important for patient health and lower costs. What barriers are appearing as new tech emerges? Is the Medicare payment process keeping up with new technologies and procedures? Join us on June 13 as POLITICO convenes a panel of lawmakers, officials and experts to discuss what policy solutions could expand access to innovative therapies and tech. REGISTER HERE .

THE LOCAL ANGLE

— “Feds hand out more than $3.5M in disaster aid to residents hit by fall storms,” by Chris Van Buskirk, Boston Herald: “The Federal Emergency Management Agency said 601 survivors of storms that took place between Sept. 11-13, 2023 had been approved for $3.5 million in assistance, including $2.1 million in housing aid and $1.4 million for ‘other needs.’... After FEMA initially denied a major disaster declaration, President Joe Biden overturned the ruling and issued an order for Bristol and Worcester counties, a move that opened up aid for residents. The declaration came after Healey appealed the denial, arguing the storms ‘were devastating for our communities.’”

— “Brockton's sewer rates, unchanged since 2008, could rise 18%,” by Chris Helms, The Brockton Enterprise.

— “Could manufactured homes help solve affordability crisis in Taunton and beyond?,” by Daniel Schemer, Taunton Daily Gazette.

WHAT ELSE YOU SHOULD BE READING

— “Greater Boston’s last remaining salt marsh is in danger. Again,” by Emilia Wisniewski, The Boston Globe: “Belle Isle Marsh, in the shadow of Logan Airport, is a place for nature lovers to stroll through trails and grasslands, cross over streams, and look for osprey, egrets, and the endangered saltmarsh sparrow, along with some 260 other species of birds. The marsh also serves a valuable protective function — a place to absorb rainwater to help prevent East Boston and neighboring Revere and Winthrop from flooding. But the marsh is now facing a dual threat: the impact of climate change and lack of public awareness about the vital role this patch of nature plays. As sea levels rise and more intense and frequent storms hit the marsh, the critical habitat for birds such as the saltmarsh sparrow is also shrinking, pushing the species dangerously close to extinction.”

— “There’s a secret for Mass. cities and towns to win big bucks from Washington: Invest in sustainability,” by Sabrina Shankman, The Boston Globe.

— “Rayla Campbell works to be a conservative African American voice in politics,” by Juliet Schulman-Hall, MassLive.

— “Business groups battle over the spirit of downtown New Bedford,” by Ben Berke, The Public’s Radio.

HEARD ‘ROUND THE BUBBLAH

TRANSITIONS — Andrew C. Bartholomew has joined Seder & Chandler as an Associate to the law firm’s Litigation Practice Group.

Alexandra Valdez will serve as the Director of the Office of Cultural Affairs for the City of Boston.

CONGRATULATIONS — to Anna Baker (formerly Anna Duffy), former communications director for Rep. Jim O’Day and current highway deputy chief of staff at MassDot, and Casey Baker, who were married Saturday at Lakeview Pavilion in Foxboro.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY — to Edward M. Kennedy Institute CEO and former state Sen. Adam Hinds, James Rockas and David Ball, president and founder of Ball Consulting Group. Happy belated to Ray Salazar of House Minority Whip Katherine Clark’s (D-Mass.) office, who celebrated Sunday.

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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