10/17/2017 07:11 AM EDT
By Lauren Dezenski (ldezenski@politico.com; @LaurenDezenski) and Rebecca Morin (rmorin@politico.com; @RebeccaMorin_)
GOOD MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. Sunny with a high in the upper 50s.
THE GILLETTE STADIUM LAND SPECIAL - It's election day in Gillette Stadium Land as voters head to the polls in the three-way special election to replace state Sen. James Timilty. Look for Republican Jacob Ventura and Democrat Paul Feeney to divide the vote in what's expected to be a low-turnout event with strong bases for both Republicans and Democrats in the district.
Expectations aren't high for the third name on the ballot: independent candidate Joe Shortsleeve. The former newscaster has raised only $5,800 compared to Ventura's $39,500 and Feeney's $76,706, and name recognition from his time at WBZ in Boston isn't expected to go far in this Bristol and Norfolk district that's partially inside the Providence media market.
The proxy battle has featured some of each party's heaviest hitters.
On the left, Democrats have trotted out Rep. Joe Kennedy III, Sen. Ed Markey, and on Sunday, Sen. Elizabeth Warren. Feeney, the former campaign manager for Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders in Massachusetts, saw big boosts from unions around the state, as well as Sanders himself, who cut an ad for Feeney in the primary.
Republicans, who see the chance to add to their ranks in the state Senate with Ventura, the 30-year-old lawyer and Aquinnah Wampanoag tribe member, have delivered their own A-team. Gov. Charlie Baker, LG Karyn Polito, Bristol County Sheriff Tom Hodgson, and U.S. Senate candidates Beth Lindstrom, John Kingston, and Geoff Diehl have all been involved.
Warren's involvement has been advantageous for Republicans eager to engage the swing district's red voter base, and they've run targeted digital ads about Warren and Feeney to draw those voters to the polls. "With Elizabeth Warren, there is no better motivator or unifier for Republicans, from our perspective," MassGOP spokesman Terry McCormack told me yesterday.
And MassGOP plans to use Warren as a Democratic boogeyman in other races around the state, McCormack said. They've got their eyes on two more special elections this year: One to fill Rep. Gailanne Cariddi's western Mass seat and the other in the Merrimack Valley's Third Essex district.
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, back from Washington, tours Marlborough High School for an early college program visit - The state Senate rolls out its report on health care cost containment and reform, along with draft legislation - UMass Boston and the Alliance for Business Leadership are co-hosting a panel on DC, Massachusetts and the Future of the Clean Energy Economy with UMass Boston McCormack School Dean David Cash, Greentown Labs CEO Dr. Emily Reichert, and Proper Pipe, U.S.A. Founder and CEO Ruben Mencos - Rep. Joe Kennedy III attends the AFL-CIO convention in Boston, followed by a discussion on community investments with Vertex CEO Dr. Jeffrey Leiden and Mayor Martin J. Walsh downtown.
** A message from New England Clean Power Link: Poised to supply Massachusetts with 1,000 MW of clean, renewable power, the New England Clean Power Link is ready to roll. The only project with a Presidential Permit, full site control and full host state support, the innovative buried project will help Massachusetts meet its legislative requirements for lower carbon emissions. More **
DATELINE BEACON HILL -
- "Yes, Yahoo can give dead man's family members access to his email account, Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court says," by Gintautas Dumcius, Masslive.com: "Yahoo can provide a dead man's family members with access to the man's email account. The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court issued a ruling Monday saying federal law does not block Yahoo from providing the access."
- "Report finds state lab withheld breathalyzer test results," by Aimee Ortiz and Maria Cramer, Boston Globe: "The head of a state crime lab office was fired Monday after investigators found that staff withheld exculpatory evidence from defense lawyers in thousands of drunk-driving cases since 2011, a disclosure that could threaten many convictions. In a report released Monday, state public safety officials concluded that the Office of Alcohol Testing routinely withheld documents from defense lawyers in a lawsuit challenging the reliability of breathalyzer test results due to an 'unwritten policy not to turn these documents over to any requester.'"
- "Sen. Eric Lesser launches website to push for east-west rail," by Shira Schoenberg, Masslive.com: "For UMass Amherst Chemistry Professor Mike Knapp, high-speed rail between Springfield and Boston would let UMass professors connect more easily with the biotech industry in Greater Boston. Maryalice Morin wishes high-speed rail was in place when her husband was traveling from Belchertown to Dana-Farber Cancer Institute for chemotherapy. ... These are among the stories submitted via Facebook to Sen. Eric Lesser, D-Longmeadow, who plans to publish them on a new page on his website dedicated to east-west rail ."
TRUMPACHUSETTS -
- "Trump's Army pick has lavished Congress with campaign cash," by Christopher Rowland, Boston Globe: "When Raytheon's top lobbyist faces senators for his confirmation to become secretary of the Army, the hearing may answer a crucial question: How much good will does half a million dollars buy in Congress?"
- Dave Ratner: I was duped by the White House. I do not support Trump's executive order on health care (Letters)," by Masslive.com: "As a longtime small business owner, nothing is more important to me than supporting local businesses, their employees and our community. You may have seen a picture of me at the White House recently while President Donald Trump signed his executive order on health care. I want to say strongly and clearly: I do not support this executive order. I had absolutely no clue he was adding all the onerous changes. I was duped, I am an idiot."
- "Taking on Trump is good for Massachusetts - and for Maura Healey," by Joan Vennochi, Boston Globe: "Still, if anti-Trump litigation benefits Massachusetts citizens, as Healey argues, it's fair to point out it also helps Healey. Taking on a president puts Healey in the national spotlight, generating favorable headlines. Her high profile actions against Trump are also renewing questions about her long-term political ambitions."
THE WARREN REPORT -
- "Senator Elizabeth Warren: Attacks on Birth Control Access Are Attacks on Women's Economic Freedom," by Elizabeth Warren, Glamour: "Despite this progress, near-constant attacks on safe and cost-effective women's health care have become a regular part of our political debates. The latest front in this battle? Access to contraception. The Affordable Care Act required employer-sponsored health insurance policies to cover birth control without additional costs. On October 6, in one of his series of reckless attacks on health insurance in America, President Trump ended that protection."
- "Black leaders irked with Liz Warren," by Antonio Planas and Matt Stout, Boston Herald: "Black community leaders say U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren should have stayed out of Boston's mayoral race instead of endorsing Mayor Martin J. Walsh in a decision they say is a snub to minority neighborhoods."
MOULTON MATTERS -
- "Seth Moulton is Focused on 2018, But What's Next?" by Hannah Trudo, National Journal: "Seth Moulton's mind is on the midterms. But if he wants to explore beyond that, he's got the right Rolodex."
ON THE STUMP -
- "Robo call during Pats game annoys fans, Feeney," by Jim Hand, Attleboro Sun Chronicle: "If you got an annoying automated telephone call from state Senate candidate Paul Feeney during Sunday's Patriots game, Feeney wants you to know he is annoyed, too. ... That's because he said neither he, his campaign, nor anyone associated with him put out the call. It was actually a call from someone pretending to be Feeney."
TSONGAS ARENA -
- "First FEC financial reports out in 3rd Congressional District race," by Chris Lisinski, Lowell Sun: "The election for U.S. Rep. Niki Tsongas' seat is more than a year away, but the race's first financial reports available Monday indicate that, in the words of one expert, candidates are 'playing to their strengths.' Andover Democrat Daniel Arrigg Koh tops the growing list of 3rd Congressional District candidates in money raised so far. Between July 1 and Sept. 30, the former chief of staff to Boston Mayor Marty Walsh brought in $805,834.18. Westford Democrat Lori Trahan, a consulting firm CEO who served as chief of staff to former U.S. Rep. Marty Meehan,raised $241,953 between Sept. 15 and Sept. 30."
WOOD WAR - Herald: "NEW CELTS FIRE IT UP" - Globe: "Tax overhaul bill uncertain for '17," "When stars collide," "Vertex pledges $500M over 10 years for charity," "A COSMIC BLAST THAT SHAKES SCIENCE CIRCLES," "Receive and consent," "Millions of harassment victims say #metoo."
THE LOCAL ANGLE -
- "Ashland unveils veteran-only parking signs," by Alison Bosma, MetroWest Daily News: "Military veterans visiting Town Hall can now take advantage of closer parking. 'We cannot do enough helping our (veterans), it's as simple as that,' state Sen. Karen Spilka, D-Ashland, said, at an unveiling ceremony for newly designated veteran-only parking spaces Friday. 'This is something seemingly little, but it's a great show of support.'"
- "4 acres of state land deeded to Truro," by Mary Ann Bragg, Cape Cod Times: "After two years of planning and negotiations, the state Department of Transportation has handed over 4 acres of an old highway cloverleaf in North Truro to the town for affordable housing. 'It's an incredible opportunity,' said Truro Housing Authority member Carl Brotman."
- "Woods Hole aquarium ready for new resident seals," by Christine Legere, Cape Cod Times: "The tanks inside the Woods Hole Science Aquarium continue to bubble with marine life under study by NOAA Fisheries Service scientists. But the outdoor pool that was the longtime year-round home for two harbor seals named LuSeal and Bumper has remained empty since the pair died within days of each other in July."
- "After losing federal grant, Music in Common gets funding lift from community - including James Taylor," by Heather Bellow, Berkshire Eagle: "After the devastating loss of a federal grant this year, a music nonprofit inspired by slain journalist Daniel Pearl has seen steady help, and found some of it in high musical places. 'James Taylor donated a signed guitar,' said Todd Mack, the music nonprofit's founder and executive director. 'It's a Yamaha FG800 acoustic.' While it's a brand new guitar that Taylor hasn't ever played, Mack cautioned, Taylor said that he would personalize it for whoever wins the raffle at the group's winter fundraising concert on Dec. 2."
- "Mashpee voters approve recreational pot moratorium," by Geoff Spillane, Cape Cod Times: "The debate over recreational marijuana sales in Mashpee will continue for at least another 15 months. A temporary moratorium prohibiting recreational marijuana establishments from opening in town until Dec. 31, 2018 was approved 219-95 by voters at Monday night's annual town meeting."
- "Berkshire Museum plan spurs New England Museum Association think tank on 'deaccessioning dilemma,' by Amanda Drane, Berkshire Eagle: "Amid the conversation sparked by Berkshire Museum's plan to sell key pieces of its art to fund a renovation and new direction, the New England Museum Association has decided to add a session to its annual conference on the topic of the ethics of decommissioning art. The plan has ignited an international conversation around the ethics of decommissioning art and selling it or deaccessioning, and the financial struggles museums around the country currently face."
HAPPY BIRTHDAY - to Amherst Rep. Ellen Story.
THE HOME TEAMS DID NOT PLAY.
JUST OUT OF THE GATE - The latest installment of The Horse Race, the new podcast about Massachusetts' most exciting races from yours truly and MassINC Polling Group's Steve Koczela. We "reined in" our horse racing puns this week to bring you a closer look at the warm fuzzies Democrats are sending Governor Charlie Baker, the new Morning Consult Trump approval poll, and who the latest contenders are in the MA-3, aka the Tsongas Arena. BUT FIRST -- There's a special election in Gillette Stadium Land! Subscribe and listen now on iTunes and Sound Cloud.
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** A message from New England Clean Power Link : Poised to supply Massachusetts with 1,000 MW of clean, sustainable power, the New England Clean Power Link is ready to roll. The only project with a Presidential Permit, full site control and full host state support, the innovative buried project will help Massachusetts meet its legislative requirements for lower carbon emissions. The entire line will travel underground and underwater, and is expected to deliver low-cost electricity to the Commonwealth over the next 40 years. Massachusetts can expect to reap $19.9 billion in benefits over the next 20 years alone, while ratepayers can expect to save $655 million a year in energy costs. Most importantly, the project is 100% privately financed and comes with a fixed-price bid, protecting taxpayers and ratepayers alike from any cost overruns. The project's developers have also established a $20 million fund to assist low-income ratepayers in western Massachusetts. More **
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