 | By Kelly Garrity | Presented by Mass General Brigham | HERE, THERE, EVERYWHERE — Michelle Wu's reelection bid is still in the planning stages. But she's hitting the fundraising circuit like her campaign is already up and running. Wu has hosted a handful of fundraisers throughout the city in recent weeks. Last month, she held events in Brighton, Roslindale and Charlestown, per invitations. After her South Boston fête Wednesday, she held another in East Boston last night. Asked about the flurry of fundraisers, Wu’s campaign noted that she’s regularly held similar events across the city since she first won a seat on the City Council in 2013. The $66,923 September campaign haul she posted yesterday was more than she raised in August, but not on par with her biggest months this year (she raised more than $100,000 in January and February). But the fall fundraising blitz does serve to reinforce the depth of Wu’s connections across the city as potential challengers size up the competition. Also listed on all of the invites were local electeds representing each of the neighborhoods: State Sen. William Brownsberger and state Reps. Mike Moran and Kevin Honan on the invite for the Brighton event, and state Sen. Michael Rush and state Reps. Rob Consalvo and Bill MacGregor in Roslindale, to name a few. It’s a sizable roster that includes some key players, and Wu’s potential rivals are likely taking note of who’s on the list. GOOD FRIDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. Wu’s not the only one making money moves. Top surrogates from both Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump’s campaigns will be in the Bay State this weekend to raise money, almost a month out from Election Day. With Ohio Sen. JD Vance on tap to headline a Gloucester luncheon Saturday, Democrats are offering a less than warm welcome to the GOP VP hopeful. House Democratic Whip Katherine Clark is preempting Vance’s swing with a well-worn attack line about Project 2025 (the Heritage Foundation planner for the next Republican administration that Trump has distanced himself from) while also slamming Vance for his voting record on expanding a tax credit for families with children. “Don’t be fooled by J.D. Vance’s lies. Every single Congressional Republican voted against the expanded Child Tax Credit — including J.D. Vance,” Clark, long an advocate for child care relief, said in a statement shared by the Harris campaign. “Donald Trump’s Project 2025 would cut taxes for the wealthiest Americans while leaving children and everyday Americans to pick up the tab,” she said. “Vice President Harris and Governor Walz are the only candidates who have a plan to expand the CTC and cut costs for working families. The stakes of this election couldn’t be higher – and the contrast couldn’t be clearer.” Vance actually didn't vote against the most recent House-approved legislation that would have expanded the child tax credit — he wasn’t present for the vote when Senate Republicans blocked the bill from passing. The Ohio Republican in August said he “would love to see” the child tax credit raised to $5,000 per child, up from the $2,000 per child, and defended his decision to skip the vote by pointing out that there was already enough Republican opposition to quash the effort anyway. Harris has pitched a $6,000 tax credit for parents of newborns , and says she wants to bump up the child tax credit to the $3,600 per child parents earned during the pandemic. When Vance and Walz went back and forth on the topic during Tuesday’s debate, the Minnesota governor said he didn’t think he and Vance were “that far apart” on the issue that both campaigns have tried to embrace. But Democrats clearly want to emphasize the distance. FWIW, some parents and providers in Massachusetts and beyond want to see more from both sides of the aisle when it comes to child care, two recent Globe reports found. TODAY — Gov. Maura Healey swears Geoffrey Noble in as Colonel of the Massachusetts State Police at 10:15 a.m. and meets with British Consul General to New England David Clay at 1:30 p.m. and former president of the Dominican Republic Leonel Antonio Fernández Reyna at 3:30 p.m. at the State House. She also attends the Topsfield fair at 6 p.m. Driscoll attends Korea Day at 12:40 p.m. at the State House and the Massachusetts Design Art & Technology Institute’s fall ball at 7 p.m. in New Bedford. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu and federal, state and other local officials celebrate the completion of soil clean-up at the Lewis Chemical site and progress at nearby sites at 10 a.m. in Hyde Park. THIS WEEKEND — Education Sec. Patrick Tutwiler is on WBZ/s “Keller @ Large” at 8 a.m. Sunday. Secretary of State Bill Galvin is on WCVB’s “On the Record” at 11 a.m. Sunday, talking the state’s election prep one month out. Republican National Committeewoman Janet Fogarty, former MassGOP Chair Jennifer Nassour and Democratic activist Jacquetta van Zandt give an election update on NBC10 Boston’s “@ Issue” at 11:30 a.m. Sunday. Tips? Scoops? Birthdays? Email me: kgarrity@politico.com
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| | A message from Mass General Brigham: At Mass General Brigham, we harness the collective strength of our healthcare system to provide research-driven cancer care for the patients and communities we serve. Mass General Brigham is number one in hospital medical research. We perform the most cancer surgeries and have the most cancer specialists in New England. We have the region’s only proton therapy center and provide access to more than 1,000 clinical trials annually. We’re one against cancer. Learn more. | | | |  | DATELINE BEACON HILL |
| GNAW-T TODAY — Nibi, the viral , diva beaver, won’t be forced out into the wild, thanks to a special permit Gov. Maura Healey granted the animal yesterday. The two-year-old beaver who’s made (so many) headlines, will stay at Newhouse Wildlife Rescue in Chelmsford as an “educational animal,” Healey’s office announced Thursday. Nibi’s case was set to be heard in Middlesex Superior Court today, after state wildlife officials ordered her release — sparking a firestorm of protest and a petition from her fans. “Nibi has captured the hearts of many of our residents, mine included,” Healey said in a statement. “We’re excited to share that we have issued a permit for Nibi to remain in Newhouse’s care, continuing to educate the public about this important species. — “Tax Revenues Up 5.8 Percent In First Quarter Of FY 2025,” by Colin A. Young, State House News Service (paywall): “The Department of Revenue said Thursday that it collected $4.518 billion in September -- $331 million or 7.9 percent more than what was collected during September 2023, but $29 million or 0.6 percent below the monthly benchmark." — “State's civil legal aid costs skyrocketing,” by Christian M. Wade, Eagle-Tribune. — “Long-stalled gambling data project moves forward,” by Jennifer Smith, CommonWealtth Beacon.
| | FROM THE HUB |
| — “Boston awards $ $2.2M to aid community economic development efforts,” by John L. Micek, MassLive. — “Fed-up Flynn wants his photo taken down, Boston City Council prez says not on her watch,” by Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald.
| | WHAT'S ON CAMPBELL'S DOCKET |
| — “Massachusetts education board violated Open Meeting Law, attorney general says,” by Deanna Pan, The Boston Globe: “The Office of Attorney General Andrea Campbell concluded this week the state’s top education governing body failed to give sufficient notice that a group of five speakers planned to address board members about antisemitic bullying at their Jan. 23 meeting." — “Slaying ‘zombie’ mortgages: AG touts $10M relief in second mortgage settlement,” by Matthew Medsger, Boston Herald: “On Thursday, Attorney General Andrea Joy Campbell announced her office had reached a ‘precedent-setting settlement’ with Franklin Credit Management Corporation over their alleged practice of reanimating long dead second mortgages — typically originating from before the Bush-era housing crisis — and using them to eat away at residents’ finances in violation of state regulation.”
| | PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES |
| — “Green Line service resumes between North Station and Medford/Tufts following derailment, safety investigation,” by Grace Zokovitch, Boston Herald. — “Is a train from Boston to North Adams worth the expense? Proponents say yes, the state isn't so sure,” by Sten Spinella, The Berkshire Eagle.
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| | A message from Mass General Brigham:  
| | | | | YAHD SIGNS AND BUMPAH STICKAHS |
| FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Gov. Maura Healey and Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll have endorsed Mark Sylvia in his bid to fill the 10th Bristol House seat that state Rep. William Straus is vacating at the end of his term, per his campaign. — Sen. Ed Markey has endorsed Josh Tarsky in the race for the open 13th Norfolk District state House seat. TRAIL MARKERS — Gov. Maura Healey and Rep. Jim McGovern meet in Manchester to kick off a canvass for New Hampshire Democrats at 10 a.m. Saturday. — Attorney General Andrea Campbell is in Michigan for the Harris-Walz campaign Saturday. She’s on a panel discussion on the care economy at 9:30 a.m. in Grand Rapids, joins a “Black Voters For Harris” phonebank session at 12:50 p.m. and kicks off a canvass at 1 p.m. in Kalamazoo. — State Auditor Diana DiZoglio embarks on her 141-mile trek across the state to campaign for the ballot question that would let her office audit the Legislature today. She’ll host “Sips and Sunshine” rally mixers at 6 p.m. in Barrington today, in Westfield Saturday and in West Springfield Sunday. — “Threats, requests, and expanded voting: Mass. clerks are gearing up for a daunting election,” by Samantha J. Gross, The Boston Globe: “Burnout and frustration after the 2020 election and the subsequent storm of misinformation sparked massive turnover within the ranks of local elections officials. Those who stayed faced cybersecurity threats and emails sent by bad actors. The threats come on top of new state laws that boosted access to mail ballots and expanded early voting. Taken together, the job has grown even more demanding on clerks, many of whom are just part-time employees.”
HuffPost: Kelly Ayotte’s Deep Ties To Scandal-Plagued ‘Green’ Energy Firm
excerpt: At different points in 2023, Ayotte owned over 16,000 shares of Blackstone stock and over 7,000 shares of stock in Boston Properties, according to Securities and Exchange Commission filings. In January 2024, she also reported owning over 50,000 shares of News Corp. stock. Ayotte also served in advisory roles for several other companies, like Chubb Insurance, Microsoft and Revision Military.
| | UNION TOWN |
| SHOT — “Firefighters union declines to issue presidential endorsement,” by Nick Niedzwiadek, POLITICO: “Vice President Kamala Harris suffered a blow Thursday as the union representing more than 300,000 career firefighters and emergency responders declined to make a presidential endorsement, two weeks after the International Brotherhood of Teamsters made a similar decision.” CHASER — “Port strike deal ends no-win dilemma for Democrats,” by Ry Rivard, Nick Niedzwiadek and Lauren Egan, POLITICO: “A dockworkers strike that threatened the U.S. supply chain weeks before an election is over just days after it began — a resolution that White House officials credited to weeks of quiet engagement with both sides, punctuated by President Joe Biden’s public efforts to heighten the pressure on shipping companies to reach a deal.”
| | FROM THE DELEGATION |
| — “Sen. Markey tours Berkshire County, meets with local leaders in North Adams, Pittsfield, Great Barrington,” by Josh Landes, WAMC Northeast Public Radio.
| | IT'S NOT EASY BEING GREEN |
| — “ Boston needs billions to protect itself from sea level rise. Can the city find the money? ,” by Erin Douglas, The Boston Globe.
| | FROM THE 413 |
| — “Springfield receives 14 fake threats in 1st 28 days of school, teen arrested in most recent,” by Jeanette DeForge, The Springfield Republican. SPRINGFIELD — A bomb threat flagged on social media early Thursday morning prompted an emergency search of Chestnut Middle School and resulted in the arrest of a 14-year-old student who “didn’t want to go to school.” — “Holyoke School Committee Back to Full Strength with Fresh Appointments, ” by Matt Szafranski, Western Mass Politics & Insight.
| | THE LOCAL ANGLE |
| — “Schools meet $74 million deadline,” by Colin Hogan, The New Bedford Light: “Public bids were received and selected last month for two major construction projects, a school-based health center and HVAC improvements at Gomes Elementary. Any remaining funds were used to defray salary expenses across the district, according to [public schools administrator Jen] Ferland.” — “Gloucester teachers vote to 'work to rule' starting Friday,” by Gloucester Daily Times staff: “Teachers in Gloucester have announced that they will work only contractually obligated hours starting Friday to protest stalled contract negotiations. Under the ‘work to rule’ conditions, teachers will withhold or refuse to perform voluntary activities that are not set forth in their collective bargaining agreement.” — “Teachers and parents say mold continues to spread at Barnstable United, despite cleanup,” by Rachael Devaney, Cape Cod Times. — “City councilor moves to block mayor's plan for senior housing in Highland Park,” by George W. Rhodes, The Sun Chronicle.
| | HEARD ‘ROUND THE BUBBLAH |
| HAPPY BIRTHDAY — to Special Envoy for Northern Ireland and former Rep. Joe Kennedy III; Boston Mayor Michelle Wu communications chief Jessicah Pierre, Max German, Miles Halpine, Eliza Adelson, Alexis Cantor, Will von Meister, Steve Picheny, Jon Tapper, Justin Dynia and DFER’s Mary Tamer. Happy belated to Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance’s Paul Craney, who celebrated Thursday. HAPPY BIRTHWEEKEND — to Teresa Heinz Kerry, who celebrates Saturday; and to Sunday birthday-ers Tara DiJulio, Jonny Levenfeld and Gian DeFilippis.
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| | A message from Mass General Brigham: At Mass General Brigham, we harness the collective strength of our healthcare system to provide research-driven cancer care for the patients and communities we serve. Mass General Brigham is number one in hospital medical research. We perform the most cancer surgeries and have the most cancer specialists in New England. We have the region’s only proton therapy center and provide access to more than 1,000 clinical trials annually.
The vision for Mass General Brigham is to build a world-class center of cancer care, with the patients at the center of everything we do. New collaborations, new treatments, and innovative approaches. Leading to new hope and possibilities. At Mass General Brigham, we’re one against cancer. Learn more. | | | 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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