POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: BAKER/POLITO’s 10,000 signatures – ROSENBERG’s primary challenger – SPICER stumping for DIEHL
BAKER/POLITO’s 10,000 signatures – ROSENBERG’s primary challenger – SPICER stumping for DIEHL
03/29/2018 07:11 AM EDT
By Lauren Dezenski (ldezenski@politico.com; @LaurenDezenski) with Brent D. Griffiths (bgriffiths@politico.com; @BrentGriffiths)
GOOD MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. Welcome to the Red Sox's opening day.
FIRST IN PLAYBOOK -- BAKER ON THE BALLOT-- Gov. Charlie Baker and Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito have each filed the 10,000 necessary signatures to get onto the November ballot, the Baker/Polito campaign tells me.
Gathered by staff and volunteers, the signatures come in before the secretary of state's May 8 deadline - and nearly a month ahead of the team's signature filing date in 2014, the campaign notes.
HAS THE DYNAMIC DUO DONE ANYTHING OTHER THAN FUND RAISE?
After the Baker/Polito team announced plans to officially run for reelection in November, and facing no significant primary challenge from the right, the campaign has built up quietly and stayed largely under the radar. Baker and Polito have continued to fundraise, too. The duo have a combined more than $10 million in their campaign accounts ($7.5 million for Baker and $3.3 million for Polito, as of March 15).
Meanwhile, three Democrats battle each other, slow fundraising compared to Baker, and their own low name recognition among voters to become the party's nominee to take on the incumbent governor.
Next month's state GOP convention in Worcester will touch off the beginning of a more visible governor and LG on the stump with Republican primary voters - but don't expect any major electioneering to come from the Baker/Polito team until later this summer, as we approach September's primary day.
Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget for the Playbook? Get in touch: ldezenski@politico.com.
TODAY - Gov. Charlie Baker, Secretary of the Department of Veterans Francisco Ureña, Massachusetts National Guard Adjutant General Gary Keefe, state Rep. Harold Naughton Jr., state Rep. Joseph McGonagle, and others will mark the Massachusetts Vietnam War Veterans Day 50th Anniversary Commemoration Ceremony in Worcester - The state Senate meets in formal session -
State Sen. Jamie Eldridge has requested that the state Senate adjourn in memory of Brian Donaghue Simpson on Thursday, March 29. Brian, son of Democratic super volunteer Kate Donaghue, died of a heroin overdose this month. His mother, joined by friends and family, will spend the day lobbying at the State House to bring attention to the issue in Brian's honor
DATELINE BEACON HILL -
- "Mass., utilities cut ties with Northern Pass power line project," by Jon Chesto, Boston Globe: "The Baker administration and three major utilities have severed ties with the controversial Northern Pass transmission project, which would have brought vast amounts of hydropower into Massachusetts through New Hampshire. Governor Charlie Baker's administration, working with the three big electric utilities, will instead try to seal a deal with a competing transmission project from Avangrid that would import the hydropower through Maine."
- "Trump policy threatens Massachusetts' regulation of student loans," by Shira Schoenberg, MassLive.com: "The Trump administration has declared that states cannot regulate student loan servicers, an interpretation of federal law by Education Secretary Betsy DeVos that threatens efforts by Massachusetts lawmakers and the attorney general to regulate the industry. Yet money from a Massachusetts quasi-public agency, the Massachusetts Educational Financing Authority, is going to a national group, the National Council of Higher Education Resources, that is lobbying for the new federal rules."
MOULTON MATTERS -
- "Facing GOP attacks, more Democratic candidates ditch Pelosi," by Alex Seitz-Wald and Jonathan Allen, NBC News: "A growing number of Democratic congressional candidates are bailing out on Nancy Pelosi as they try to inoculate themselves against Republican attacks on the House Minority Leader. Rep. Seth Moulton, D-Mass., a Pelosi critic who canvassed for Lamb, said the issue was on voters' mind in the Western Pennsylvania district [Conor Lamb won]. And hoped other Democrats would take note."
THE WARREN REPORT -
- "Vulnerable Senate Democrats feel the heat from 2020 hopefuls," by Leigh Ann Caldwell, NBC News: "In at least three instances over the past 14 months, potential 2020 presidential candidates Sens. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., and Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., have singled out fellow Senate colleagues who didn't support them on policy by naming them in either fundraising pleas or providing fodder to liberal activist groups for their organizing emails. And some Democrats are concerned such tactics are jeopardizing the re-election of some of their most vulnerable senators this fall."
ON THE STUMP -
- "Sean Spicer is coming to town - to raise money for a Warren opponent," by Matt Stout, Boston Herald: "Sean Spicer, the short-lived and often-parodied former White House press secretary, will headline a $250-per-head fund-raiser downtown next month for Diehl's US Senate campaign."
- "Massachusetts Sen. Stan Rosenberg draws Northampton's Chelsea Sunday Kline as Democratic challenger," by Gintautas Dumcius, MassLive.com: "Massachusetts Sen. Stan Rosenberg, D-Amherst, appears likely to face a challenger this fall. Chelsea Sunday Kline, a Northampton resident and Democratic activist, on Wednesday said she is running for the state Senate seat that Rosenberg has held since 1991."
- "In bid for Congress, GOP's Green minimized Trump's influence on race," by Andy Metzger, State House News Service: "He might garner more newspaper ink than anyone in memory, but President Donald Trump takes second-billing to transportation projects in the minds of many Merrimack Valley voters, according to a Republican hoping to represent those same voters in Congress. 'On the campaign trail, people don't talk about the president. Really, what I hear about is roads and bridges: the Concord Rotary, the Rourke Bridge in Lowell,' Rick Green told the News Service on Tuesday."
- "Democratic gubernatorial candidates discuss middle class struggles at Northampton forum," by Lucas Ropek, MassLive.com: "Democratic gubernatorial candidates Jay Gonzalez, Bob Massie, and Setti Warren participated in a forum at Northampton High School Wednesday night. 'The jobs in this state suck,' said Massie at one point, going on to decry the state of opportunity for young people across Massachusetts. Much of the evening's discussions were in that spirit, and centered around struggling middle class families, income inequality, the opioid crisis, the poor state of public transportation and current Gov. Charlie Baker's failure to properly mitigate any of these problems for everyday people."
WOOD WAR - Herald: "DISHING ON HARASSMENT," "HUNT FOR OCTOBER." - Globe: "Prison opioid rules get scrutiny," "Hip hotel trend takes uptown turn," "AN OFFSEASON? NOT FOR THE NEWS," "Trump fires Veterans Affairs chief."
THE LOCAL ANGLE -
- "State's 'supermax' prison in Shirley cited for health violations," by Christian M. Wade, Newburyport News: "The state's maximum security prison has been cited for hundreds of health code violations including filthy walls and toilets, discolored and scalding hot water in bathrooms, and a lack of ventilation in prisoners' cells. Souza-Baranowski Correctional Center in Shirley, a Supermax prison that holds some of the state's most dangerous inmates, was cited for more than 500 violations during a visit earlier this month by the state Department of Public Health, which inspects state prisons annually. "
- "Easthampton City Council approves 'historic' recreational cannabis zoning ordinance," by Mary C. Serreze, MassLive.com: " City councilors soldiered through a three-and-a-half-hour work session Wednesday night, engaged in vigorous debate, and emerged with a recreational marijuana zoning ordinance. After seven months of public hearings, the ordinance passed 7-1-1, with at-large councilor Daniel Carey voting "no" and Precinct 5 councilor Daniel Rist abstaining."
- "Series: Guns in Massachusetts," by Boston University News Service: "The shooting at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School has fostered a new wave of interest and concern about gun-related issues across the nation. The Boston University Statehouse Program set out to learn what's been happening across Massachusetts in schools, businesses and on Beacon Hill."
- "Rapid Response Network to provide ICE updates in Somerville," by Katie Gradowski, Somerville Journal: "The Welcome Project is launching the Somerville Response Network, a text message service providing advanced and immediate notice of federal ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement) raids in Somerville. In his 2018 inaugural address, Mayor Joe Curtatone emphasized Somerville's commitment as a sanctuary city."
- "Peruvian immigrant in sanctuary at Springfield church: 'We have gone over all the possible options, but they all end in sadness'," by Elizabeth Roman, MassLive.com: "Gisella] Collazo was scheduled to board a flight for Peru on Tuesday, as directed by U.S Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials, after multiple attempts to become a citizen. In a desperate attempt, Collazo said, she looked into the offer of sanctuary being offered by South Congregational Church on Maple Street."
- "US investigating treatment of addicted prisoners in Mass.," by Felice J. Freyer, Boston Globe: "The US Department of Justice is investigating whether Massachusetts prison officials are violating the Americans with Disabilities Act by forcing incoming inmates who had been taking medications for addiction to stop the drugs once behind bars. US Attorney Andrew E. Lelling revealed the investigation in a letter that was received by state health and public safety officials late Tuesday."
- "Nuclear disaster: With controversial reactor down since storms, tensions run extremely high in Plymouth," by Miriam Wasser, DigBoston.com: "As the Pilgrim Nuclear Power Station in Plymouth remained offline for the 22nd consecutive day, supporters and opponents of the plant gathered about six miles away in the dimly lit ballroom of Hotel 1620 this week for the Nuclear Regulatory Commission's annual assessment meeting. The Pilgrim plant has been plagued by mechanical and operational problems since it began producing power in 1972, and many in the public remain bitterly divided about whether the plant, which is slated to permanently shut down in 2019, poses a significant threat to public safety."
SIGN OF THE TIMES - "Calvin Coolidge's summer White House in Swampscott could be converted into $2 million condos," by Laney Ruckstuhl, Boston Globe: "What would "Silent Cal'' Coolidge have to say? Developers want to convert the seafront Swampscott mansion that served as Coolidge's 1925 summer White House into $2 million condos. But the town's Historical Commission and a foundation that promotes the legacy of the 30th president believe the manor, known as White Court, should be protected because of its historical significance."
-"Record-Low 4.59 Percent of Applicants Accepted to Harvard Class of 2022," by Delano R. Franklin and Samuel W. Zwickel, the Harvard Crimson: "A record-low 4.59 percent of applicants to Harvard College received offers of admission to the Class of 2022 Wednesday, with just 1,962 of 42,749 candidates securing spots in the class. This year marks the first time Harvard's admission rate has ever dipped below 5 percent."
- "In the six months since the Red Sox last played, a different world has emerged," by Mark Arsenault, Boston Globe: "The Red Sox return to the field for Major League Baseball's Opening Day on Thursday, after a relatively quiet six months for the team. The Sox made just one major lineup move - signing slugger J.D. Martinez - since last season ended with an Oct. 9 playoff loss to the Houston Astros. With the start of the season upon us, we've compiled a lineup of nine of the biggest developments since Dustin Pedroia grounded out to end last season, a snapshot of how quickly, and decisively, the world can change."
- HAPPY BIRTHDAY -- to chief innovation officer at The Boston Globe Peter Cherukuri, who is 42 (h/ts Tim Burger, Blain Rethmeier and Gideon Lett) and David King, senior lecturer in public policy at Harvard Kennedy School, and Sanjay Misra, Harvard PhD candidate.
DID THE HOME TEAM WIN? Yes! The Celtics beat the Jazz, 97-94, on a Jaylen Brown 3-pointer with only 0.3 seconds remaining.
NEW THIS MORNING - THE LATEST HORSE RACE PODCAST EPISODE: We're answering your questions on ballots and questions on ballot questions this week on The Horse Race First Pam Wilmot, head of Common Cause Massachusetts, explains Automatic Voter Registration and why it's a big deal. Then political reporter Shira Schoenberg joins us for an update on the final version of the criminal justice reform bill. Finally, Steve and Lauren look at the impending decisions on three big revenue issues: the minimum wage, the "millionaire's tax" and the sales tax ballot questions. Subscribe and listen on iTunesand Sound Cloud
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