 | By Kelly Garrity
LOOK AROUND! THE BEST THE MASS GOP CAN DO IS REGURGITATE DAFFY DON'S PROPAGANDA ABOUT MIGRANTS & PROPOSE AN ILLEGAL SOLUTION THAT VIOLATES AN SJC DECISION
HOMELESSNESS HAS BEEN AN ISSUE THAT MASS GOP WHINES ABOUT BUT OFFERS NO SOLUTIONS! MASS GOP IS A PHOTOCOPY OF MAGA MAGGOTS IN CONGRESS - NO SOLUTIONS!
THANK YOU GOV. HEALEY FOR TAKING THE LEAD & SPEAKING OUT!
| ON THE AIRWAVES — You can’t escape Maura Healey these days. If you’ve tuned in to CNN or MSNBC or a political-focused podcast in the last month, there’s a decent chance you’ve caught the governor warning about China recruiting scientists off Massachusetts’ university campuses, railing against threatened cuts to funding at Harvard or laying into her old foil, President Donald Trump, over his tariffs proposals. This month, she’s done more than half a dozen national media hits, hopping on CNN , MSNBC , CBS, NPR and this week joining the MeidasTouch Network for a Democratic governors town hall . Most of the time, she’s taking aim at Trump — pointing to how White House policies are landing in Massachusetts — while touting her own achievements (The tax relief package she signed her first term regularly gets a mention.). “It's my job as governor to be advocating for our state and to be talking about what actions are good and bad for Massachusetts residents, businesses and our economy,” Healey said Wednesday of the recent media blitz. Healey has changed her tone since the first hours after Trump’s victory last November when she acknowledged the president’s victory at a subdued press conference in her office. Then, Trump had just swept to victory in every swing state, while making gains in Massachusetts and other deep blue states. Now, Democrats are hungry for resistance, and Healey is ready to resume her role as one of his detractors-in-chief. The national hits ragging on Trump don’t just boost her national profile. They’re also a way to get in front of voters at home — and they’re giving her plenty of fodder to cut and post on social media as she eases into reelection mode. Healey still says she’s open to working with the president for the sake of the commonwealth. But it has “become clear to me that this administration is not interested in helping people, and day after day, they seem to be doing the opposite — slashing funds, hurting people, scapegoating, targeting the vulnerable, trying to divide us as Americans," Healey said at an event at the State House Wednesday. GOOD THURSDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS . 2028 is closer than you think. Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget for the Playbook? Drop me a line: kgarrity@politico.com . TODAY — Gov. Maura Healey accepts the Commonwealth Environmental Leadership Award at the Environmental League of Massachusetts 2025 Earth Night celebration at 6:30 p.m. and accepts the Gavin Foundation’s Person of the Year Award at 7:30 p.m. in Boston. Attorney General Andrea Campbell hosts a virtual consumer protection community briefing at 11 a.m. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu hosts a coffee hour at 10 a.m. in Charlestown, speaks at the grand opening of 37 Wales Street at 2 p.m. in Dorchester and attends an event hosted by David Ortiz at 6 p.m. at Fenway Park. Auditor Diana DiZoglio speaks at the We Women United event at 8 p.m. in Lawrence.
|  | EYES ON 2026 |
| MIKE KENNEALY IS PART OF THE PROBLEM!
MIKE KENNEALY IS FULL OF LOTS OF "HOPES" BUT SURROUNDED BY FAILURES & BAGGAGE! LOTS OF RHETORIC THAT IGNORES THE EXPENSIVE FAILURES OF THE WHITE TOOTHED GOVERNOR WHO CREATED THE MESS IN THE MBTA...
LOTS OF TYPICAL MAGA GOP MANURE ABOUT ENERGY...IGNORING THAT CHINA IS PROMOTING CHEAP CLEAN ENERGY & THEIR ECONOMY IS PROSPERING! REPUBLICANS HAVE DONE NOTHING TO SOLVE PROBLEMS BEYOND LIES!
"r" VOTERS ARE CONSPICUOUSLY ILL-INFORMED & REFUSE TO SCRUTINIZE CANDIDATES! IT'S TIME TO IGNORE THE BOSTON HERALD PROPAGANDA RAG & OTHERS, & DO SOME RESEARCH! TRUMP HAS TANKED THE ECONOMY WITH HIS TARIFF LUNACY & OTHER POLICIES THAT HAVE DESTROYED GOVERNMENT FUNCTION - IS THAT WHAT YOU SUPPORT? SUGGEST EVERY VIEWER REVIEW MASSIVE ANTI-TRUMP PROTESTS THAT CORPORATE MEDIA IS IGNORING! BERNIE SANDERS, AOC & OTHERS ARE CONDUCTING "FIGHT THE OLIGARCHS" TOURS...WHO'S GONNA ELECT OLIGARCHS IN MASSACHUSETTS?
NEW THIS MORNING — Republican gubernatorial hopeful Mike Kennealy will report raising $130,000 in his first month as a candidate, according to his campaign. That’s in addition to the $2 million of his own cash he’s dropping on the campaign.
What they're saying: Kennealy's campaign is pitching this as the most any non-incumbent Republican gubernatorial candidate in Massachusetts has raised in their first month over the past 15 years (aka more than former Gov. Charlie Baker before he was in office, and more than the party's 2022 nominee, Geoff Diehl). The competition: The governor had $2,886,578 in her campaign bank account as of the end of March after pulling in more than $400,000 that month.
NOTE TO MAGA CANDIDATES: YOU WERE IN OFFICE WHEN THE WHITE TOOTHED GOVERNER CREATED THE DISASTERS ON THE MBTA...WHERE WERE YOU? CHARLIE BAKER HIRED OVER PAID OUT-OF-STATE HACKS WHO NEVER TRAVELED TO THE COMMONWEALTH TO OVERSEE CONSTRUCTION & MUCH ELSE! CHARLIE BAKER WAS FULLY AWARE THAT NEWLY INSTALLED RAILS WERE DEFECTIVE YET NEVER ADDRESSED IT LEAVING IT TO NEWLY ELECTED GOV. HEALEY... AND THEN THERE'S THE MISSPENT BILLIONS CHARLIE BAKER LEFT THAT WILL BE PAID BACK....WHERE WERE THESE WEALTHY MAGA CANDIDATES WHO WERE IN OFFICE WHEN THIS HAPPENED? Massachusetts owes the federal government $2.1 billion. Here's why.BOSTON - Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey announced Monday that the state has agreed to repay the federal government $2.1 billion because of a mistake made years ago with pandemic-era unemployment benefits.
In an email to supporters Monday, the Massachusetts Democratic Party also took a shot at Kennealy’s eight years working in former Gov. Charlie Baker’s administration as an assistant secretary and then housing and economic development secretary. “He failed to prevent skyrocketing housing costs and failed to cut taxes for hardworking Bay Staters — while Gov. Healey passed tax cuts in her first year in office,” the email said, referring to a package of tax cuts that were first drafted by the Baker administration. “Mike Kennealy is unqualified to address the biggest issues facing Massachusetts. In fact, when he announced his candidacy, he never mentioned the single greatest threat to our state — Donald Trump.”
| | DATELINE BEACON HILL |
| ***HOUSE PASSES STATE BUDGET!***** — Mass. House passes state budget with 6 percent spending boost by Katie Lannan, GBH News: “A state budget proposing more than $61 billion in spending passed the Massachusetts House Wednesday, with six out of the 25 Republicans voting in opposition. The budget is built around a revenue estimate that includes $16 billion in federal funding. Two months before the start of the fiscal year, state lawmakers are still unsure how much of that federal money will ultimately materialize amid Trump administration policy shifts.” excerpts: Republican Reps. Nicholas Boldyga of Southwick, John Gaskey of Carver, Marc Lombardo of Billerica, Alyson Sullivan-Almeida of Abington, Kenneth Sweezey of Duxbury and Justin Thurber of Somerset voted against the budget.
Lombardo said the vote was an “easy 'no’” for him because of the $5 million it dedicates to create an immigration legal assistance fund.
(NOTE: JOHN GASKEY regrettably ran unopposed & has proven to be uninformed on numerous issues.)
Recent ICE ABUSE documented in numerous lawsuits for ILLEGAL DEPORTATIONS, ignoring DUE PROCESS, deporting children et al highlight the need to fund legal assistance. Rather pathetic that LOMBARDO defends UNCONSTITUTIONAL ACTS! EDUCATION & EXPERIENCE: Lombardo earned his B.S. in business administration from Merrimack College, and has attended the MBA program at the University of Massachusetts, Lowell. His professional experience includes working as sales account manager at Saba Software.
— Senate working ‘around the clock’ on spending plans by Alison Kuznitz, State House News Service: “Senate Democrats plan to roll out a surtax-backed spending bill Thursday and vote on it next week, inching the state closer to big education and transportation investments. Senate Ways and Means Chair Michael Rodrigues told the News Service Wednesday that he will unveil the supplemental budget during a Thursday morning press conference in his office, followed by debate next Thursday. Senators will be able to file amendments until 2:30 p.m. Monday, the Westport Democrat said. The House passed its $1.3 billion supplemental budget, fueled by excess income surtax revenues, on April 9.” ***BOSTON HERALD PROPAGANDA RAG WASTED SPACE - NOTHING OF SUBSTANCE! — Indicted Dennis Port Democrat a no-show during multi-day Mass. House budget debate by Chris Van Buskirk, Boston Herald: “Rep. Chris Flanagan, the Dennis Port Democrat facing federal fraud charges, was a no-show during the House’s yearly budget debate, did not participate in recorded votes, and filed no amendments to the chamber’s fiscal year 2026 spending plan. The second-term lawmaker’s decision to skip out on one of the Legislature’s few constitutionally mandated jobs drew mixed reactions from local Cape Cod representatives, with one Republican in the area calling on Flanagan to resign and Democrats largely avoiding the matter.” — Healey: Trump’s fight with Harvard isn’t about protecting student safety by John L. Micek, MassLive.
excerpt: The Trump administration’s efforts to tackle antisemitism on the nation’s college and university campuses, including Harvard, are less about keeping students safe and more about silencing critics, Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey asserted Wednesday. The Republican White House “is not really interested in the safety of students on campus,” Healey, a Harvard alumna, said as she left an unrelated event at the State House on Wednesday. “They’re interested in silencing critics, and the attack on Harvard and other colleges and universities is just in line with a playbook of attacking law firms, attacking companies, weaponizing the [Department of Justice] and continuing to find ways to shut down anyone who disagrees with them or stands in their way,” she continued. | | PARTY POLITICS |
| CROSSING PARTY LINES — State Auditor Diana DiZoglio will headline a New Bedford Republican City Committee meeting next week, where she’s expected to deliver an update on where her efforts to audit the Legislature stand after voters overwhelmingly backed her ballot question last fall. It’s not a shocking move, given Republicans were part of the motley bipartisan crew that helped get the ballot question onto the ballot last year. And DiZoglio support from top electeds within her own party for the audit has ranged from tepid to outright opposition.
| | FROM THE HUB |
| — Boston City Councilor Tania Fernandes Anderson mum on resignation date as plea hearing looms by Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald: “With less than a week before she’s set to plead guilty to two federal corruption charges, City Councilor Tania Fernandes Anderson has given no indication of when she plans to resign from her Roxbury-centric District 7 seat. Fernandes Anderson jumped in and out of the Wednesday City Council meeting. She was present for the outset, but disappeared for a lengthy period about midway through, only popping back in when Councilor Erin Murphy introduced a hearing order directly pertaining to her impending departure from the body.”
| | MIGRANTS IN MASSACHUSETTS |
| — 70-year-old Worcester woman released after being detained at Logan Airport, immigration advocate says by Lisa Creamer and Anthony Brooks, WBUR: “A 70-year-old Worcester woman has been released after being taken into federal custody Tuesday at Logan International Airport in Boston, according to an immigration advocate. The woman was identified as Ruth Mufute by Jonathan Goldman, executive director of the Brown University-affiliated Student Clinic for Immigrant Justice, and federal court records appear to confirm that. In a statement Wednesday, he said Mufute is a permanent U.S. resident and grandmother who had been traveling back to Massachusetts after vacationing with family in Zimbabwe.”
| | THE RACE FOR CITY HALL |
| SIGNED, SEALED, DELIVERED — Next stop: the ballot. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu turned in more than 3,500 signatures Wednesday (the first day candidates could pull nomination papers), according to her campaign, more than the 3,000 mayoral candidates need to get their name on the ballot. — Bettencourt seeking 8th term as Peabody mayor by Caroline Enos, The Salem News.
| | FROM HARVARD YARD |
| — Tenured professors at Harvard pledge 10 percent of pay to fight for ‘academic freedom’ by Tonya Alanez, The Boston Globe: “Dozens of Harvard University’s senior faculty members are pledging 10 percent of their pay to counter the financial consequences the school is facing as it fights attacks from the Trump administration, according to a letter Wednesday from the participating professors. ‘We are heartened by the University’s rejection of the Trump administration’s unlawful demands,” the letter said. ‘We also recognize that the University now faces severe financial damage for its defense of academic freedom.’” — They wanted Harvard to pay more in taxes. But not like this. by Spencer Buell and Catherine Carlock, The Boston Globe.
| | PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES |
| ****CAPE COD TOLLS***** — MassDOT won’t add tolls to Cape Cod bridges: ‘Lifeline to the mainland’ by Lance Reynolds and Chris Van Buskirk, Boston Herald: “Transportation officials, the governor and a state representative all said the Cape Cod bridges will remain toll-free after a town official floated the idea of taxing motorists from outside the region. Healey said Wednesday she does not support tolls on the Sagamore and Bourne bridges and hopes to ‘make continued progress’ on renovating the 90-year-old structures that state officials have deemed ‘functionally obsolete.’”
FROM THE BOSTON HERALD PROPAGANDA RAG:
(includes analyis)
Massachusetts town official floats idea of tolls at Cape Cod bridges
BOSTON HERALD PROPAGANDA RAG
| | FROM THE DELEGATION |
| — Congress seeks limits on sale of chemical used in suicides by Christian M. Wade, The Eagle-Tribune: “Congressional lawmakers are taking steps to restrict consumer access to a commonly available chemical compound that has been used by dozens of young people to kill themselves. The bipartisan bill, filed by U.S. Rep. Lori Trahan, would limit the sale of any product with greater than 10 percent sodium nitrite by mass or volume. Only commercial businesses with a “verified” need could buy the higher concentrations.”
PAY WALL | | TRUMPACHUSETTS |
| ****WORTH READING!**** — 100(ish) changes in Mass. during Trump's whirlwind (second) first 100 days via WBUR.
****OTHER NATIONS ARE RECRUITING RESEARCHERS FROM THE US! SHORT-SIGHTED BUDGET CUTS!**** — $533 million and counting: Tracking canceled research grants across New England by Liz Kowalczyk, Neena Hagen and Yoohyun Jung, The Boston Globe.
| | FROM THE 413 |
| — Northampton superintendent: No layoffs for schools next year, but service reductions coming by Alexander MacDougall, Daily Hampshire Gazette: “Although the Mayor Gina-Louise Sciarra’s planned $43.8 million budget for the schools falls below what Bonner had previously indicated the district would need for a ‘level services budget’ — a budget that avoids staff cuts — [Superintendent Portia Bonner] said that she met this week with school principals and other administrative staff to come up with a plan that would prevent layoffs.”
| | THE LOCAL ANGLE |
| — Facing criticism, Worcester police chief says many aspects of DOJ report are accurate by Sam Turken, GBH News: “After some Worcester city councilors on Tuesday criticized the police department for repeatedly disputing aspects of a damning federal probe into officer misconduct, Worcester Police Chief Paul Saucier clarified that he agrees with many of the findings. Earlier in April, Worcester police issued a nearly 4,000-word press release accusing the U.S. Department of Justice of making numerous ‘mistakes and mischaracterizations’ in its inquiry. It was the latest instance of the police department slamming the DOJ’s final report on the investigation released in December.” — Quincy clergy call for Koch to reconsider saint statues by Peter Blandino, The Patriot Ledger: “Local religious leaders have urged Quincy Mayor Tom Koch not to erect two large bronze statues depicting Roman Catholic saints on the façade of the new public safety headquarters, which is scheduled to open in October.” — Mayor Mitchell to seek a full inflation-adjusted raise by Colin Hogan, The New Bedford Light: “Mayor Jon Mitchell sent a letter to the City Council Wednesday morning to inform them that he will seek a full inflation-adjusted raise, which would put his new salary at $167,768. The council must approve the mayor’s salary as part of the annual budget process. This will be only the second time the mayor’s salary has increased since 2013.” — Overdoses in New Bedford drop sharply, police numbers show by Arthur Hirsch, The New Bedford Light. — How these Massachusetts communities are pushing forward to meet state climate goals by Bhaamati Borkhetaria, CommonWealth Beacon.
| | MEANWHILE IN RHODE ISLAND |
| — Whitehouse saves Trump from rebuke on tariffs by missing vote for South Korea trip by Ted Nesi, WPRI: “Rhode Island U.S. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse wound up as an inadvertent ally of President Donald Trump on Wednesday, and Democrats aren’t happy about it. The Senate deadlocked 49-49 on a joint resolution to end Trump’s tariffs, protecting the administration from a bipartisan rebuke of the controversial policy. Three Republican senators joined Democrats in supporting the measure. Whitehouse could have provided the crucial final vote to pass the resolution, but he wasn’t in attendance.”
| | HEARD ‘ROUND THE BUBBLAH |
| SPOTTED — Boston Celtics guard Jrue Holiday and some very excited state representatives at the State House Wednesday. WELCOME TO THE WORLD — KG Consulting Principal Kevin B. Gilnack and Corinne S. Tobias, a civil engineering project manager at Green International Affiliates, welcomed their daughter, Eleanor Caroline Gilnack, to the world on Sunday. HAPPY BIRTHDAY — to state Rep. Daniel Donahue, John Olds, Abbie Ruzicka and Gary Uter. 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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