GOOD MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS.
OUTGOING TSONGAS HAS 'NO REGRETS' — Candidates vying for retiring Rep. Niki Tsongas' seat wrapped their final debate last night, and they're heading full steam ahead into the midterm election. And after 11 years in office, Tsongas is preparing to pass the torch to a new Third District representative. "It's a little bittersweet but I have no regrets," Tsongas told me in her Lowell office last week, where she reflected on her work addressing sexual assault in the military, voting for the Affordable Care Act and navigating the 2008 recession.
When Tsongas ran in a 2007 special election to replace Marty Meehan, who resigned to become chancellor of UMass Lowell, a woman hadn't been elected to Congress in Massachusetts for 25 years. As she was packing up her D.C. office, she came across a photo of the Massachusetts delegation at a tree planting ceremony early in her tenure.
"I was the only woman in the group. That tells you how times have changed," Tsongas said. "Women can't win if we don't run. And so that's number one. There's no guarantee, nor should there be a guarantee. But it's just that we have to put ourselves out there in order to even have the opportunity."
Tsongas says her decision to step down was personal and comes from a variety of factors, like her family's longtime involvement in politics, changing forces in the political landscape and her role as a grandmother. She's still deciding what's next. As for her legacy in Congress? "We'll let history decide," she said.
"I felt that we've achieved a good deal, that I can look back with confidence and be thankful that I've been able to take advantage of this opportunity and make a difference. You know, my biggest hesitation was our president and the White House," Tsongas said. "I felt we would produce a candidate who was certainly up to the task of pushing back on a lot of, if not all of, his policies and proposals."
And Tsongas says she has found that candidate in Democrat Lori Trahan, who is running against Republican Rick Green and unenrolled candidate Michael Mullen in this year's race. Although she won't have a vote in the matter, Tsongas supports Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi for speaker if Democrats regain control of the House. Trahan, her likely successor, has declined to say whether she'd support Pelosi for the top spot.
"I think she's a remarkable leader and is worthy of support. Do I think we need to transition to a new generation? I do," Tsongas said. "There has to be some planning in place, and some mentoring of new leaders so that we have confidence that they can take the reins."
And as for handing over the reins herself, Tsongas said serving in Congress was "a job like no other."
"It's the best way possible to live your life," Tsongas said. "It's not an easy way. But a lot of things aren't easy. It all becomes easier if you value it, and I just think for all the negativity around public service and those of us who are elected, it's still a great way to spend your life."
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TODAY — Gov. Charlie Baker joins Massachusetts Life Sciences Center President & CEO Travis McCready for a ribbon cutting at the Gloucester Marine Genomics Institute. Sen. Elizabeth Warren and GOP hopeful Geoff Diehl debate for the last time. Baker and Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito join state Sen. Kathleen O'Connor Ives, state Rep. James Kelcourse and Highway Administrator Jonathan Gulliver for a ribbon cutting at the Whittier Bridge in Newburyport.
Democrat for governor Jay Gonzalez and state Rep. Juana Matias meet with business owners to discuss the Merrimack Valley gas explosions in Lawrence. Gonzalez and Rep. Stephan Hay talk to voters in Fitchburg. Sen. Ed Markey, Democrat for Congress Ayanna Pressley and Attorney General Maura Healey join Gonzalez and Lt. Gov. candidate Quentin Palfrey for an early vote event.
Senate President Karen Spilka, Auditor Suzanne Bump and Treasurer Deborah Goldberg attend a Sen. Sal DiDomenico fundraiser. Pressley and fellow Boston City Councilors Matt O'Malley and Ed Flynn hold a hearing on the city's natural gas infrastructure, among other issues. Hampden District Attorney Anthony D. Gulluni announces funding that will provide Narcan to first responders in Hampden County.
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