Middleboro Review et al

‘Vote her in next, Massachusetts’ — $15 minimum wage, paid family leave ballot questions to be dropped — KENNEDY joins hunger strike 06/27/2018 07:17 AM EDT By Lauren Dezenski  (ldezenski@politico.com; @LaurenDezenski) with Brent D. Griffiths (bgriffiths@politico.com; @BrentGriffiths) GOOD MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. NY-14'S MASSACHUSETTS CONNECTION —  A progressive woman of color, facing institutional opposition and a significant fundraising gap, wages a long-shot bid against a 10-term, scandal-free white male incumbent. Sounds a lot like Boston City Councilor  Ayanna Pressley 's campaign to unseat Rep.  Michael Capuano  in Massachusetts' 7th District, right? But those were the contours in New York's 14th District, where 28-year-old  Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez  decisively defeated Rep.  Joe Crowley  in the Democratic primary last night. There's even a Massachusetts connection to the winning campaign — Pressley sent her field dire...

A GRAND BARGAIN show of force – BAKER, TRUMP back WARREN pot bill – MAYORS speak out on trans discrimination ballot question 06/11/2018 07:05 AM EDT By Lauren Dezenski  (ldezenski@politico.com; @LaurenDezenski) with Brent D. Griffiths (bgriffiths@politico.com; @BrentGriffiths) WELCOME TO MONDAY, MASSACHUSETTS. A GRAND BARGAIN SHOW OF FORCE —   Raise Up Massachusetts , the group behind the potential $15 minimum wage and paid family leave ballot measures — and also wrangling with negotiators on Beacon Hill over the so-called "grand bargain" — plans to deliver a public show of force this week. Raise Up is holding a self-described week of action with rallies in and around the State House from Monday to Thursday. The public displays come at a useful time for Raise Up, which is currently locked in negotiations for a potential legislative compromise between their two ballot questions and a sales tax decrease, which is being pushed by the  Retailers Association o...

Sanctuary state politics — ROSENBERG’s parade cameo — MOULTON’s generational claim 05/29/2018 07:07 AM EDT By Lauren Dezenski  (ldezenski@politico.com; @LaurenDezenski) with Brent D. Griffiths (bgriffiths@politico.com; @BrentGriffiths) HAPPY TUESDAY, MASSACHUSETTS. SANCTUARY STATE POLITICS —  The state Senate may have passed a measure that would designate Massachusetts as a sanctuary state last week, but Massachusetts is still far from ever becoming one. The Senate's support for sanctuary state status was never in question. The problem is House Speaker  Robert DeLeo . DeLeo has held longterm opposition to the statewide designation, saying since  2017  that he'd prefer that cities and towns make their own decisions rather than the state using a blanket term. That sentiment stands even after the Senate's vote. "Not a whole lot has changed in terms of the general feelings of the members," DeLeo told reporters last week. "As of right now, there h...