| | | |  | BY STEPHANIE MURRAY | GOOD MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. MARKEY AND KENNEDY DEBATE FOR THE LAST TIME — We're in the home stretch now. Sen. Ed Markey and Rep. Joe Kennedy III will debate tonight for the last time before the Sept. 1 primary. It's a tight race, though no one can say for certain since a variety of polls released in the last several weeks put the state of the primary all over the map. A UMass Amherst poll last week had Markey up by 15 percentage points, but yesterday a new SurveyUSA poll painted the race as neck-and-neck. With mail-in ballot behavior hard to predict and the postal service under political pressure, the final outcome of this election is tough to predict. With the stakes so high, count on things to get contentious quickly tonight. Kennedy was still fuming about their last debate yesterday. The congressman held a press conference to press Markey on his racial justice record and hammer him for making jabs at the Kennedy family. New reporting could drive some topics of conversation in the debate. A story about Kennedy's college fraternity, Kappa Alpha, was published by the Boston Globe last night. The congressman disaffiliated from the group last year because of its ties to Confederate General Robert E. Lee, though he says his Stanford chapter was diverse and distant from the national organization. And a Bay State father is slamming Markey for being "indifferent" when he approached the lawmaker for help bringing his kidnapped sons back to the United States from Egypt. Markey did not follow up after his meeting, while Kennedy became involved in the case, Colin Bower told WCVB. The story of a father stepping forward to criticize Markey is similar to the family of DJ Henry, who said they felt dismissed by Markey when they asked him for help after their son was killed by police in 2010. Look to Markey and Kennedy to duel over their progressive credentials. Markey was just endorsed by Jamaal Bowman, the Justice Democrats candidate who recently toppled longtime Rep. Eliot Engel in New York, though Markey did not back Bowman in that race. And Georgia Senate candidate Reverend Dr. Raphael Gamaliel Warnock is also endorsing Markey today. Kennedy questioned how progressive Markey is during his press conference yesterday, saying: "I know a progressive movement that demands litmus tests on health care and climate change but not racial justice isn’t progressive at all," referencing Markey's record and the Henry family." FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: AUCHINCLOSS DUMPED BY SUNRISE PLEDGE — Congressional candidate and Newton City Councilor Jake Auchincloss was taken off a campaign pledge by a local affiliate of the Sunrise Movement. It's the second environmental pledge to drop Auchincloss over his contributions — he was removed from the No Fossil Fuel Money Pledge earlier this summer. Auchincloss had pledged to reject campaign contributions over $200 from fossil fuel executives, lobbyists and political action committees, but Sunrise Boston identified three contributions that broke the pledge. Auchincloss took money from the owner of Devaney Energy, and two executives at Global Partners LP, which has 1,600 gas stations in its business network. The pledge also calls on candidates to "champion" the Green New Deal. “Jake supports the Green New Deal, was the first candidate to call for carbon pricing and to release a comprehensive climate plan, and has voted in line with Green Newton’s priorities 100% of the time as a city councilor," said Auchincloss spokesperson Yael Sheinfeld. NEW: BLOOMBERG BOOSTS HOMETOWN LIBRARY — Former New York City Mayor and presidential candidate Mike Bloomberg is supporting the library in his native Medford with a $3 million gift. The new library will be named the Charlotte and William Bloomberg Medford Public Library, in honor of Michael Bloomberg and Marjorie Bloomberg Tiven’s parents, who lived in Medford for 65 years. The gift was given through Bloomberg Philanthropies, and the library will open in fall 2021. Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget for the Playbook? Get in touch: smurray@politico.com. TODAY — The Democratic National Convention continues. Sen. Ed Markey and Rep. Joe Kennedy III debate for the last time. Kennedy campaigns in Revere. Boston Mayor Marty Walsh holds a press conference at City Hall, and appears on WGBH’s “Greater Boston” with Boston Public Schools Superintendent Brenda Cassellius. Rep. Richard Neal holds a press conference at the post office in Pittsfield. The Massachusetts House delegation holds a media call on the USPS. Candidate for congress Jake Auchincloss and state Rep. Pat Haddad highlight the postal service in Taunton. Rep. Seth Moulton, Lynn Mayor Tom McGee, Salem Mayor Kim Driscoll, state Sen. Brendan Crighton and state Reps. Dan Cahill, Peter Capano and Paul Tucker rally for the postal service in Lynn. Rep. Jim McGovern holds a press conference at the Northampton Post Office. Candidate for congress Dr. Natalia Linos highlights the postal service in Franklin. | |
| | HAPPENING TODAY AT 1:30 p.m. EDT – A SPECIAL CONVENTION PLAYBOOK INTERVIEW WITH SPEAKER NANCY PELOSI SPONSORED BY AMERICAN INSTITUTE OF ARCHITECTS: A global pandemic. An economic crisis. Stalled negotiations on the latest Covid relief package. And a historic election amidst it all. Join POLITICO Playbook Co-authors Anna Palmer and Jake Sherman as the 2020 Democratic National Convention kicks off for a virtual interview with House Speaker Nancy Pelosi to get a behind-the-scenes look at what is happening on and off the stage. REGISTER HERE. | | | | | |  | THE LATEST NUMBERS |
| – “Massachusetts reports 4 new coronavirus deaths, 213 cases on Monday as new infections start to level-off,” by Tanner Stening, MassLive.com: “Massachusetts health officials announced another four coronavirus deaths on Monday, bringing the statewide death count to 8,611 since the pandemic began. Officials also confirmed another 213 cases of COVID-19, for a total now of at least 114,611 cases.” | | DATELINE BEACON HILL |
| – “Federal funds sought for Holyoke Soldiers’ Home renovations,” by Shira Schoenberg, CommonWealth Magazine: “The Baker administration has hired a company to begin an “expedited” process to renovate the Holyoke Soldiers’ Home. The exact timing of construction remains uncertain, but the administration’s goal is to apply to the US Department of Veterans Affairs by an April 15, 2021, deadline for a federal construction grant.” – “Casino revenues, amid constraints, do fairly well in July,” by Bruce Mohl, CommonWealth Magazine: “The state’s three casinos performed fairly well in July, bringing in 56 percent of the revenue they did in July 2019 despite operating far fewer games and slot machines for fewer days. The Massachusetts Gaming Commission said on Monday that Encore Boston Harbor in Everett, MGM Springfield, and Plainridge Park Casino in Plainville brought in nearly $45.4 million in gross gaming revenue between July 10 (July 8 for Plainridge) and July 31.” | | WHAT CITY HALL IS READING |
| – “Boston Lawmaker, Eying A Mayoral Run, Maps Out A Nordic-Style Climate Haven,” by Alexander C. Kaufman, HuffPost: “Michelle Wu was fuming. The late afternoon June sun roasted the elementary school basketball court in Boston’s Chinatown. There was hardly a tree in sight. But car exhaust seeped down like mist from the towering concrete canopy of a traffic-clogged highway overhead. This, the Boston city councilwoman thought, was a place where kids were supposed to exercise and play. Instead, it’s where they became statistics.” | | FROM THE HUB |
| – “Change, Or Checking The Box? Mass. Companies Are On A Diversity Exec Hiring Spree,” by Zeninjor Enwemeka, WBUR: “Just take a look at LinkedIn, and you'll see plenty of job listings with titles like these: Diversity and Inclusion Manager; Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Manager; Diversity, Inclusion and Belonging Program Manager; Head of Belonging; Vice President, Inclusion and Diversity; Chief Diversity Officer.” – “Bricks thrown through two Beacon Hill windows displaying Black Lives Matter signs,” by Abigail Feldman, Boston Globe: “Two Beacon Hill apartments, located less than two blocks apart, were reported vandalized on Saturday after residents found bricks thrown through windows that displayed Black Lives Matter signs. A resident at 53 Garden St. heard a commotion over night and awoke the next day to find a brick smashed through the apartment window where the sign was visible, Boston police said.” – “Mass General Brigham extends work-from-home through June,” by Larry Edelman, Boston Globe: “Saying the coronavirus crisis has taken a ‘heavy toll’ on its staff, Mass General Brigham has extended remote work through June 2021 for nearly 20,000 employees, or a quarter of its workforce, and expanded child-care benefits available to all workers.” | | THE SENATE SHOWDOWN |
| – “New poll finds Markey with margin-of-error lead as Kennedy hits back over attacks on family,” by Victoria McGrane, Boston Globe: “As a new poll from an outside group found the Democratic primary race for Senate neck-and-neck, Representative Joseph P. Kennedy III on Monday rebuked his opponent, incumbent Senator Edward J. Markey, for invoking and at times attacking the Kennedy family in an ever-more-contentious battle.” – “Another Massachusetts father criticizes Sen. Ed Markey for lack of help with personal plea,” by Sharman Sacchetti, WCVB: “A Massachusetts man is criticizing Sen. Ed Markey for a lack of help in bringing his kidnapped sons back home from a foreign country, as the junior senator is in the middle of a reelection campaign. Colin Bower says his ex-wife, Mirvat El Nady, took their two young sons, 8-year-old Noor and 6-year-old Ramsay, to Egypt after he had been granted sole custody of both children.” – “What’s this ‘racist frat’ Joe Kennedy belonged to in college?” by Zoe Greenberg, Boston Globe: “A month before launching his Senate campaign last year, Joe Kennedy III revisited one element of his mostly unimpeachable college career. At Stanford University in the early 2000s, he had lived in the Kappa Alpha fraternity house, and he wanted to formally disaffiliate because of the national organization’s ‘racist record,’ he and a group of former members wrote in a joint letter to the fraternity.” – “Kennedy criticizes gas safety bill,” by Christian M. Wade, CNHI News: “A gas pipeline safety proposal, named after a Lawrence teenager killed during the Merrimack Valley disaster, has become a flashpoint in the contentious U.S. Senate race. The measure named after Leonel Rondon calls for safety measures such as increased monitoring of gas work, improved public communications and devices that monitor gas pressure so that utility workers can quickly shut off gas flow in an emergency.” | | PRIMARY SOURCES |
| – FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: “Wellesley State Representative Alice Peisch Endorses Becky Grossman,” from the Grossman campaign: “Today, Becky Grossman’s campaign announced the endorsement of State Representative Alice Peisch. Becky leads the pack in in-district state legislative endorsements, with Peisch joining five other current state representatives and two state senators representing 4th District communities.” – FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: “Khazei Campaign Announces Endorsements From 29 Leaders From Across The Fourth District,” from the Khazei campaign: “Alan Khazei, City Year Co-Founder announced 29 local endorsements from over 10 towns and cities in the 4th Congressional District. These endorsers join numerous other local leaders who have endorsed Khazei’ campaign, such as Massachusetts Senator Marc Pacheco, Massachusetts Representatives Jeff Roy and Smitty Pignatelli, and Newton City Councilor and LGBTQ+ activist Holly Ryan.” – “Ayanna Pressley and Jesse Mermell Want to Take Their Friendship—And Their Fight—To Congress,” by Michelle Ruiz, Vogue: “Representative Ayanna Pressley and former Brookline, Massachusetts, selectwoman Jesse Mermell can’t pinpoint the exact moment they met. They’ve been best friends for so long now that their lives seem like they’ve always been intertwined. But after running in concentric social circles in early-aughts Boston, both seem to remember one night circa 2004.” – “New TV ad from congressional candidate has voters seeing quadruple,” by Matt Stout, Boston Globe: “Add one more Democrat to the Fourth Congressional District airwaves. Or, more accurately, four of her. Jesse Mermell, a former Brookline selectwoman vying in the congested primary for the seat held by Representative Joseph P. Kennedy III, is plowing at least $133,500 into a new — and unusual — television ad, according to her campaign.” | | THE WILD WEST |
| – “Massachusetts State Party Leader Told College Democrats To Destroy Communication Records,” Eoin Higgins, Ryan Grim, Daniel Boguslaw, The Intercept: “The executive director of the Massachusetts Democratic Party, as the scandal around congressional candidate Alex Morse began to implode, told student leaders to delete records of communications between themselves and the state party, according to five sources with knowledge of the matter. The executive director, Veronica Martinez, had personally coordinated with College Democrats ahead of the release of allegations of sexual impropriety against the Holyoke mayor.” – “Ready for a fight, Morse goes to battle on the doorstep,” by Jack Lyons, The Berkshire Eagle: “While Pittsfield residents might have been impressed by Morse's appearance in the heat, in a way, he was forged by it: During his first campaign, he spent his summer on the doorsteps of Holyoke to defeat an incumbent with decades of experience in city politics. Now, Morse is challenging the best-funded Democrat in Congress, but his tactic is the same.” – “Poll shows Holyoke Mayor Alex Morse within 5 points of Rep. Richard Neal in House race,” by Michelle Williams, MassLive.com: “A new internal poll shows Holyoke Mayor Alex B. Morse trailing U.S. Rep. Richard E. Neal by single digits just 15 days ahead of the election. A sample of just under 400 registered voters was conducted over the weekend by Beacon Research, a Boston-based polling firm.” – “Holyoke Mayor Alex Morse’s relationships with college students features minimally in first debate with U.S. Rep. Richard Neal,” by Stephanie Barry, Springfield Republican: “The elephant in the room turned out to be a blip during an hour-long joust between Holyoke Mayor Alex B. Morse and incumbent U.S. Rep. Richard E. Neal, D-Springfield, on Monday. In their first televised debate, the controversy over Morse’s sex life that has dominated recent headlines was raised, but not the focus of the entire event.” | | PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES |
| – “With low ridership, MBTA is staring at $400 million budget shortfall next year, study says,” by Adam Vaccaro, Boston Globe: “With mostly empty trains still rumbling through Boston, an emergency influx of federal funding is helping the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority paper over massive declines in fares and other revenue. But without that aid, the agency is heading toward a severe budget crisis next summer, raising concerns that officials will be forced to reduce service to bridge a gap that could surpass $400 million.” | | YOU'VE GOT MAIL |
| – “At Least A Dozen Mail Sorting Machines Have Already Been Removed In Massachusetts, Postal Union Officials Say,” by Saraya Wintersmith, WGBH News: “Democrats in Congress are preparing to vote on legislation to prevent President Donald Trump from scaling back operations at the U.S. Postal Service, but at least a dozen high-capacity mail sorting machines have already been removed from Massachusetts as part of a USPS reduction plan, two officials with the American Postal Workers Union told WGBH News Monday.” | | DAY IN COURT |
| – “Boston Bar Association urges Attorney General Barr to drop pursuit of death penalty for Dzhokhar Tsarnaev,” by Travis Andersen, Boston Globe: “The Boston Bar Association on Monday urged Attorney General William Barr to let Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev spend the rest of his life behind bars after an appellate court overturned his death sentence .” – “Souza-Baranowski Correctional Center accused by defense lawyers of denying inmates access to legal aid despite judge’s 6-month-old order,” by Jackson Cote, MassLive.com: “Massachusetts’ sole maximum-security prison may face contempt of court charges over renewed accusations it is denying inmates access to legal aid in defiance of a judge’s orders issued six months ago.” | | ABOVE THE FOLD |
| — Herald: “BUBBLE BEATER," "HEADS IN THE SAND,” — Globe: “Michelle Obama delivers pointed rebuke of Trump as convention opens," "Warren, lawmakers urge USPS to reverse course.” | | BALLOT WARS |
| – “Here’s where the Massachusetts delegation stands on the state’s ranked choice voting ballot measure,” by Nik DeCosta-Klipa, Boston.com: “Massachusetts voters may currently be split on the upcoming ranked choice voting ballot measure. But the majority of the state’s congressional delegation has already decided how they’ll vote on Question 2.” | | THE LOCAL ANGLE |
| – “Cape Cod businesses cope with ever-changing restrictions,” by Beth Treffeisen, Cape Cod Times: “Throughout the summer, the taproom has had to improvise and rework how it operates, Russell said. Instead of opening the doors to its recently renovated new space, tables have been set up outdoors in the back of the building. The most recent change requires patrons to order food before they order a beer, Russell said. The change is subtle, changing the procedure by which staff take orders. But for the person visiting, it is a significant change from what they are used to, he said.” | | MEDIA MATTERS |
| – “What Historical Moment Is Leon Neyfakh Learning From Now?” by Jonah Engel Bromwich, The New York Times: “The current season of their new podcast, ‘Fiasco,’ looks at the yearslong fight over school desegregation in Boston, which intensified in 1974 after a federal judge ruled that the city’s public schools must be integrated. Thousands of white parents pulled their children out of class, and violence erupted in the city’s streets, stoked in part by the mobster Whitey Bulger, who torched an elementary school.” HAPPY BIRTHDAY – to Jason Furman, professor at Harvard Kennedy School, who is 5-0; and Oscar Hallig. 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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