 | By Kelly Garrity | PARTY TIME — A trio of Republicans are fighting for the chance to take on Sen. Elizabeth Warren in November today in a race that’ll give a glimpse into where the Republican electorate in the state stands. In the past few years, many of the GOP’s most prominent candidates have abandoned former Gov. Charlie Baker’s brand of bipartisan politicking for pro-Donald Trump rhetoric. But two candidates running for Senate would represent a turn to the more moderate appeal Republicans in the Bay State have historically needed to win statewide general elections in the deep-blue bastion. While Bob Antonellis, an engineer and political newcomer, has taken the conservative – and occasionally conspiratorial – lane, touting his ardent support for Trump, Quincy City Council President Ian Cain and attorney and Marine veteran John Deaton have both kept the former president at arm's length (for the most part ). Cain, a relatively recent convert to the Republican party, has played up his Massachusetts roots and pitched himself as part of a new generation of leadership. And Deaton has the backing of some power players in the crypto world and a campaign operation buoyed by former political aides to Baker. Public polling on the race has been limited – a UMass Amherst/WCVB poll conducted in late May showed Antonellis slightly ahead. A more recent poll paid for by the PAC backing Deaton showed him with a sizable lead, but just over half of GOP voters were still undecided as of mid-August, according to the survey. Whoever wins tonight faces unlikely odds heading into the general election against Warren. Without any Democratic primary opposition, the senator has spent her time and money helping congressional colleagues in swing states while still managing to stash more than $5 million in her campaign coffers. A Republican presidential ticket topped by Trump – plus a Democratic party buzzing with excitement for its new nominee – will make it even more challenging. GOOD TUESDAY MORNING. It’s good to be back in your inbox. Polls open at 7 a.m. and stay open until 8 p.m., and you can find your polling place here . Send your election tips, scoops, predictions and takes my way: kgarrity@politico.com . And keep scrolling for more races to watch today. TODAY — Gov. Maura Healey and Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll hold a press conference celebrating the launch of the MBTA income-eligible reduced fare program at 9:30 a.m. in Malden. Secretary of State Bill Galvin casts his ballot at 9:30 a.m. in Brighton. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu appears on SparkFM’s “Politics & Prosecco” at 1:15 p.m. Rep. Lori Trahan and state and local officials celebrate new affordable housing projects at 10:30 a.m. in Fitchburg and at noon in Clinton. Rep. Ayanna Pressley votes this morning before joining a canvass for Governor’s Council candidate Stacey Borden and SJC clerk candidate Allison Cartwright at 10 a.m. in Jamaica Plain. Sen. Ed Markey holds a press conference with Amazon warehouse workers calling for the passage of the Warehouse Worker Protection Act at 11 a.m. in Revere.
|  | BALLOT BATTLES |
| GRUDGE MATCHES — You’ve probably heard: There’s little competition in legislative races this year. But there are still some matchups drawing outsized intrigue from Boston to Springfield, up and down (and way down) the ballot. The left is duking it out in Cambridge and Somerville in two races that pose big questions about what effective liberal legislating looks like. State Rep. Erika Uyterhoeven, a democratic socialist, is facing a challenge from Kathleen Hornby, a progressive who previously worked as State House staffer, most recently for state Rep. Marjorie Decker. The Somerville Democratic Party , which is backing Hornby, knocked Uyterhoeven for holding “inflexible positions” that blunt progress. But Uyterhoeven has the backing of some of the state's most prominent progressives, including Rep. Ayanna Pressley, who spent the weekend defending the incumbent’s record.
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Rep. Ayanna Pressley joined state Rep. Erika Uyterhoeven at a campaign event Sunday. | Kelly Garrity/POLITICO | Decker, meanwhile, is facing a challenge of her own from democratic socialist candidate Evan MacKay, who has made inaction and the lack of transparency on Beacon Hill central to their campaign. Decker boasts support from several of the state's top electeds, including Gov. Maura Healey, who is featured in a Decker ad that’s popped up on Facebook. More on that matchup from CommonWealth Beacon’s Gintautas Dumcius. In Springfield, state Rep. Bud Williams and state Sen. Adam Gomez are both facing Democratic challengers, in what local election officials predict will be a low-turnout election day, per The Springfield Republican’s Jeanette DeForge . In somewhat of a rarity for a state legislative race, Gomez and challenger Springfield City Councilor Malo Brown have both hit the airwaves with ads ahead of today’s vote, per Matt Szafranski of Western Mass. Politics & Insight . Down the ballot, Boston’s political class has its eyes on a race for a position so obscure it has people asking why it’s even an elected office (CommonWealth Beacon's Michael Jonas has the answer ). Boston City Councilor Erin Murphy is competing against Allison Cartwright , a longtime public defender, to become the next clerk of the Supreme Judicial Court in Suffolk County. Cartwright has leveraged the support of some of the city and state’s most prominent progressives – Pressley, state Sen. Lydia Edwards , Boston Mayor Michelle Wu , and Sen. Ed Markey , to name a few – as well as more than half of the current members of the city council. Several showed out over the weekend to get out the vote for Cartwright, who is running on her resume as a longtime lawyer. “It is a no brainer. She is the best, the most qualified, in this race,” Attorney General Andrea Campbell, one of Cartwright’s earliest endorsers, said ahead of a canvass in Jamaica Plain Sunday.
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Several Boston-based politicians joined longtime attorney Allison Cartwright for a canvass in Jamaica Plain over Labor Day weekend. | Kelly Garrity/POLITICO | Murphy has support from Boston’s moderate wing, including Rep. Stephen Lynch , state Sen. Nick Collins and Councilors Ed Flynn and John FitzGerald , and argues her experience as citywide elected in Boston and her past as a teacher qualify her for the role. But she’s faced heat for touting some endorsements from unions who backed her in her council bid but who aren’t playing in this race,– and for using a Boston EMS logo in a graphic highlighting her supporters. “I am currently a citywide elected official who has 70 endorsements for the race I have now. Some of the unions didn't want to weigh in [on the clerk’s race] because it's a race they've never weighed in on,” Murphy told Playbook over the weekend. “They in no way don't want to continue supporting me in my role as Councilor.” “People will be haters,” she added. “How can you lie about an endorsement?” If she loses, Murphy does intend to stay on the council and run for reelection for her seat next year, she said, though added that “I’m going to win.”More on the SJC clerk’s race from WBUR’s Walter Wuthmann. Another down-ballot bare-knuckle battle that will be decided tonight: the Governor’s Council rematch between Mara Dolan , a public defender, and incumbent Marilyn Devaney . Dolan lost to Devaney by a slim margin last cycle, and is back with a slew of endorsements from members of Massachusetts' congressional delegation and several of Devaney’s colleagues on the council, which is responsible for vetting judicial nominees. The Boston Globe’s Matt Stout has more on that race and the other Governor’s Council competitions that have been heating up. OPEN SEASON — A handful of candidates will effectively earn their spots in the incoming legislative class tonight. It’s only Democrats running to fill the voids left by state Reps. Dylan Fernandes , Ruth Balser , and Peter Capano and state Sen. Walter Timilty , so whoever wins in those districts should sail through November’s general election. And in the Cape and to the west, Hadley Luddy and Easthampton City Council President Homar Gomez already appear to have their seats locked down – neither is facing an opponent in their races today to replace state Reps. Sarah Peake and Daniel Carey respectively. IT ALL COMES DOWN TO TURNOUT — Secretary of State Bill Galvin expected turnout to exceed primaries in 2012 and 2016, per the Boston Herald’s Chris Van Buskirk.
| | WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW TODAY |
| *****STEWARD***** WHILE WE WERE OFF — Steward Health Care finalized deals to sell four of its hospitals in Massachusetts. Two other Steward hospitals, Carney Hospital in Dorchester and Nashoba Valley Medical Center in Ayer, closed their doors despite pushback from local officials. Here’s what you missed: — A Cape Cod gun store owner is racing to collect signatures for a ballot question that would overturn the state's new gun laws, the Boston Herald’s Chris Van Buskirk reports. — A bill backed by state Rep. Dylan Fernandes that would allow a handful of Martha’s Vineyard towns to impose a real estate transfer tax is on the move in the House, per State House New Service’s Sam Drysdale , just in time for general election campaigning. — Marty Walsh misses being mayor. "I miss the challenges of the job ... but the biggest piece is missing seeing the people in the streets, going to the housing developments, doing the peace walks, going to the events. You miss that. You miss the action of talking to everyday people,” he told WBUR’s Anthony Brooks in an interview focused on his role in helping vet vice presidential candidates for Vice President Kamala Harris. — Break out the bug repellent. The deadly EEE virus has Massachusetts on high alert, Massachusetts Public Health Commissioner Dr. Robbie Goldstein tells GBH News.
| | ON THE STUMP |
| JOB BOARD — Gov. Maura Healey's name is popping up in conversations about who could serve as U.S. Attorney General in a hypothetical future Kamala Harris adminstration. But after sidestepping a question about her interest in a role in a Harris administration during an interview on CBS' "Face the Nation" Sunday, Healey told reporters Monday she's "not interested in any job other than being governor." But she did deliver a passionate pitch for the Democratic ticket during a speech at Boston's annual Labor Day breakfast Monday, urging Bay Staters to lend a hand in New Hampshire. — “Top Trump volunteer in Mass. no longer with campaign after warning New Hampshire is ‘no longer a battleground state’,” by Emma Platoff, The Boston Globe. — “RFK Jr.’s faithful in Mass. say national media ‘warped’ his message,” by Greg Kerstetter, Masslive.
| | DATELINE BEACON HILL |
| — “State Rep. Bill Straus reflects on 32 years on Beacon Hill,” by Grace Ferguson, The New Bedford Light.
| | MIGRANTS IN MASSACHUSETTS |
| — “Mass. schools spend $27M on migrant costs,” by Christian M. Wade, The Salem News: “Massachusetts school districts have spent more than $27 million to provide classroom instruction and food for migrant students, according to newly released state data. A report by the state Executive Office of Administration and Finance detailed some of the costs to communities from absorbing new students by breaking down how much each school district has received from the state in emergency aid payments.”
| | IT'S NOT EASY BEING GREEN |
| — “Massachusetts has received billions in federal clean-energy dollars, and is on track for more. What if Trump is elected?,” by Sabrina Shankman, The Boston Globe.
| | FROM THE 413 |
| — “Massachusetts thinks building ADUs will help unlock housing opportunities. But what does that mean for Berkshire County zoning laws?,” by Claire O'Callahan, The Berkshire Eagle: “Massachusetts lawmakers say accessory dwelling units can unlock the state's housing crisis one in-law suite at a time. But cities and towns need to move quickly, and zoning rarely does. … Some face one or two tweaks to their bylaws. Others will grapple with extensive changes. The deadline is challenging, too, because communities, planners and lawyers have questions and see gray areas in the law that the state has yet to clarify.” — “Chicopee Housing Authority, former director accused in civil suit of neglect that led to slaying of elder resident,” by Jeanette DeForge, The Springfield Republican: “Family and friends of a man who was stabbed to death by his neighbor are suing the Chicopee Housing Authority and its former director for neglect and discrimination, saying they put tenants in danger by failing to follow their own rules.”
| | THE LOCAL ANGLE |
| — “Chelsea residents angry over handling of Tobin Bridge construction project ,” by Bhaamati Borkhetaria, CommonWealth Beacon: “More than a year after Chelsea residents sounded the alarm over lead paint chips falling from Tobin Bridge, the state has stepped in with a new mitigation plan to help address the problem, but some residents and environmental advocates say it’s not enough.”
| | HEARD ‘ROUND THE BUBBLAH |
| HAPPY BIRTHDAY — to state Rep. Andy Vargas, state Rep. Dawne Shand, state Sen. Jo Comerford, The Boston Globe’s Dan McGowan, former Boston City Councilor Kendra Lara, Scott Bosworth, Leo Stella, Caroline Lehman, and Nick Andersen. 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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