 |
|
|
GOOD MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS.
PLAYBOOK EXCLUSIVE: POTENTIAL MARKEY CHALLENGERS COME CLOSE IN NEW POLL — There are still 461 days until the 2020 Democratic primary, but there's already speculation about whether Sen. Ed Markey's ripe for a challenge. He's white, he's a man, he's been in Congress since the 1970s, and he's up for reelection at a time when voters are rejecting the party's old guard in exchange for something new. And matched up in a 2020 Senate race, Attorney General Maura Healey beats Markey by a percentage point, according to a new UMass Amherst poll that will be released later today.
Twenty-seven percent of voters said they'd vote for Healey, while 26 percent say they'd vote for Markey, according to the poll. Thirty-five percent of voters say they're not sure who they'd vote for. "Markey gets low support from young people relative to Healey. Which suggests he is vulnerable to a younger candidate who attracts their attention," UMass pollster and professor Ray La Raja said.
As one of the state's most prominent Democrats, the attorney general's name come up often in conversations about higher office. Some speculate she is more likely to seek the governor's office in 2022.
Matched up against Rep. Seth Moulton, Markey fares better. Twenty-nine percent of voters say they'd choose Markey, while 25 percent say they would vote for Moulton, and 38 percent say they are unsure. The poll surveyed 750 registered Massachusetts voters Nov. 7 to Nov. 14, just before Moulton's anti-Nancy Pelosi push came to a boil. Moulton beat Markey in a match-up among independents, conservatives and Trump voters, according to the UMass poll, but trailed the senator by 15 percentage points among women.
Among the nearly a dozen prospective 2020 presidential candidates polled, Moulton comes in last. And Sen. Elizabeth Warren is only in the number three spot among Democratic and Independent voters in Massachusetts, according to the poll. In a primary match-up, former Vice President Joe Biden leads with 19 percent, Sen. Bernie Sanders is in second with 14 percent and Warren has 11 percent. Close behind is Rep. Beto O'Rourke with 10 percent.
Of the Massachusetts pols mentioned in the poll, Warren is on top. Six percent of those surveyed said they'd vote for former Gov. Deval Patrick and only 1 percent of voters say they'd choose Moulton.
The poll also found Gov. Charlie Baker won both Trump and Clinton voters in the most recent election. Almost all voters (95 percent) who say they cast a ballot for Trump in 2016, and 52 percent of Clinton voters, say they voted for Baker over Democratic candidate Jay Gonzalez a few weeks ago. Additionally, 41 percent of voters surveyed say they see Baker and the Republican Party as "mostly different."
The state saw record turnout on Nov. 6 , and 56 percent of voters surveyed by UMass say President Donald Trump influenced their motivation to turn out and vote "a lot," confirming that theory the midterms were a referendum on the Oval Office. Only 22 percent said their motivation to vote was influenced "a lot" by the highly publicized migrant caravan in South America, Trump's closing argument in the final days of the campaign season.
DRUG COURT EXPERTS HUDDLE AFTER COURT RULING — The New England Association of Drug Court Professionals will huddle in Marlborough today and tomorrow to talk about how courts should deal with the opioid crisis. There's an opportunity for progress, association president and retired Massachusetts judge Robert Ziemain says, because both parties have called for a response to the opioid crisis, all the way up to the White House.
The conference today will address issues like medication-assisted treatment for people involved in the prison and courts systems, training for prosecutors, defense council and judges on peer-reviewed opioid treatment research, and ways drug courts can be more accessible to high-risk, high-need people.
That kind of medication-assisted treatment can include drugs like Vivitrol and Methadone. A federal judge ruled this week that officials must provide a prescribed Methadone treatment for an Ipswich man when he is incarcerated. It's a practice many prisons don't allow, but that some experts say the judge's decision could have a ripple effect, according to a Boston Globe report.
"There's a great opportunity for getting support of both political parties on a national level to treat drug addicted people who are committing crimes, to deal with them in a way that they will mostly benefit," Ziemain told me. "But we need a sentencing structure with treatment behind the walls and immediately after incarceration that will assist them in that kind of path."
In Massachusetts, more than 1,500 people died of opioid-related overdoses from Jan. 1 to the end of September, according to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. Opioid deaths are trending downward in the state, but fentanyl is outpacing heroin as the cause of overdose deaths.
Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget for the Playbook? Get in touch: smurray@politico.com.
TODAY - Former Secretary of State and Sen. John Kerry speaks at Tufts University. The New England Association of Drug Court Professionals talks opioid impacts on courts. Treasurer Deborah Goldberg's office holds its annual Investor Conference. The Massachusetts Health Data Consortium holds an annual conference. Middlesex District Attorney Marian Ryan hosts her annual Empowering Girls Conference.
Actor Michael Douglas receives an award from the Howard Gottlieb Archival Research Center at Boston University and the Bette Davis Foundation. Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, Liberty Mutual Insurance Chairman and CEO David H. Long and Bridge Over Troubled Waters Executive Director Elisabeth Jackson celebrate the opening of the "Liberty House" apartments for young people experiencing homelessness in Dorchester.
House Speaker Robert DeLeo and Peabody Properties Principal and CEO Karen Fish-Will are honored at a dinner hosted by the Rental Housing Association Division of the Greater Boston Real Estate Board.Boston City Council meets. The Governor's Council meets. The Joint Committee on Revenue meets. The Massachusetts Business Alliance for Education holds two-day program on school funding.
|
 | DATELINE BEACON HILL |
|
- "Two Conservative Voices Stilled On Beacon Hill," by Mike Deehan, WGBH News: "Conservatives are a lonely tribe on Beacon Hill. Republicans will hold a measly 20 percent of the 200 seats in the Massachusetts House and Senate next year. And the Democrats are overwhelmingly liberal. Still, those on the right are confident they can cope. The 2018 election set the stage for the exit of two stalwart, often lonely conservative voices who frequently attack the Democratic kingpins who control the agenda."
- "DISABILITIES ADVOCATES JOIN GROWING OPPOSITION TO PUBLIC CHARGE RULE," by Colin A. Young, State House News Service: "As the federal government seeks a rule change that would restrict the ability of immigrants to obtain green cards if they receive public benefits, advocates for people with disabilities have joined the governor, immigrant rights groups and others in an attempt to stop what they view as a discriminatory policy."
- "Which Mass. mayor is 'most talkative' on Twitter? This Brookline resident scraped data to find out," by Steve Annear, Boston Globe: "During the runup to the midterms earlier this month, Brookline resident Jonathan Abbett used Twitter to reach out to candidates running for office, hoping to hear from them about their stands on issues. When he received a few replies — specifically from Democratic gubernatorial candidate Jay Gonzalez and Tommy Vitolo, a candidate for state representative in Abbett's district — the gears in Abbett's head started turning. How often do people in office actually get back to their Twitter followers, he wondered."
- "Hospitals urged to stop serving hot dogs," by Christian M. Wade, The Salem News: " Hot dogs rank high on the list of New England favorites, to the point that Boston breaks the Top 5 for cities that eat the most, but a physicians group wants the staple banished from the menus of local children's hospitals. The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, a nonprofit group of about 12,000 doctors who advocate for plant-based diets, says hot dogs shouldn't be served to pediatric patients because they are a top choking risk for children, and are among foods that increase the risk of colorectal cancer."
|
| MARIJUANA IN MASSACHUSETTS |
|
- "Massachusetts marijuana: Here's how much the retail stores made in five days of sales," by Gintautas Dumcius, MassLive.com: "The two Massachusetts marijuana retail stores pulled in $2.2 million in gross sales, according to data released by the state Cannabis Control Commission. The commission released five days' worth of data, based on sales at Cultivate in Leicester and New England Treatment Access (NETA) in Northampton, the first marijuana retail stores to open east of the Mississippi."
- "Boston Mayor Marty Walsh worried about marijuana addiction as legal sales in Massachusetts begin," by Shira Schoenberg, Springfield Republican: "As legal sales of marijuana begin in Massachusetts, Boston Mayor Marty Walsh said he continues to be worried about the 'human toll' of marijuana addiction. 'We talk about taxation like it's this great infusion of money that we're getting into the commonwealth because of selling marijuana, and I just, I hope the human toll of it is OK,' Walsh told reporters after an unrelated event in Boston on Tuesday."
- "For one Leicester farm, the pot shop is standing in the way of Christmas sales," by Felicia Gans, Boston Globe: "If Nov. 20 had been a normal day, Kim and John Miczek may have sold 25 Christmas trees at Breezy Gardens, their small farm in Leicester that they've run for 39 years. But Nov. 20 was not a normal day. Down the street from Breezy Gardens, Cultivate opened just days before Thanksgiving, becoming one of Massachusetts' first recreational marijuana shops, drawing hundreds of customers and ripping business away from the Miczeks."
|
| 2020 WATCH |
|
- "After Mike Capuano's defeat, is Ed Markey a primary target for 2020?" by Victoria McGrane, Boston Globe: "Senator Edward J. Markey has a potentially damaging problem hanging over his 2020 reelection bid. It's not a long-buried scandal, or a legislative track record out of step with voters back home. Only five senators have opposed President Trump more frequently in votes. Markey's biggest liability: He is a white male incumbent who's been in Congress since 1976."
|
| FROM THE HUB |
|
- "Historical society 'truly sorry' for 'white Dorchester' holiday card," by Emily Sweeney, Boston Globe: "An awkwardly worded holiday greeting card has prompted the Dorchester Historical Society to issue a public apology. The postcard featured the slogan 'We're dreaming of a white Dorchester,' along with an image of the Dorchester Historical Society's headquarters inside of a snow globe, and surrounded by falling snowflakes. The illustration had been used to promote the historical society's upcoming holiday open house on Dec. 9."
- "Somerville Mayor Joseph Curtatone is hospitalized with severe case of shingles," by Katie Camero, Boston Globe: "Somerville Mayor Joseph A. Curtatone has been hospitalized with a severe case of the shingles virus and will take a break from his schedule for the next few weeks to recover, city officials said Tuesday. Although Curtatone is no longer contagious, the virus has affected his eye and inner ear, which controls balance, officials said in a statement. He will focus on recovering before beginning to work remotely in the coming days, officials said."
|
| DAY IN COURT |
|
- "Court orders Essex County to provide methadone to inmate," by Felice J. Freyer, Boston Globe: "A federal judge has ordered the Essex County House of Correction to provide methadone to a prospective inmate who relies on the medication to treat his opioid addiction, saying that denying the treatment can violate both the Americans with Disabilities Act and the constitutional prohibition against cruel and unusual punishment."
|
| THE CLARK CAUCUS |
|
- "Katherine Clark is running to join Democratic leadership. Here's why." by Nik DeCosta-Klipa, Boston.com: "For as much noise as Rep. Seth Moulton has made in the Democratic congressional leadership race, the Massachusetts representative actually running to move up the party ranks is one district over. By Wednesday, Rep. Katherine Clark could be the fifth-highest-ranking Democrat in the House."
|
| FROM THE DELEGATION |
|
- "Massachusetts Rep. Richard Neal, who backs Nancy Pelosi for House speaker, primed for 'first dust-up,'" by Gintautas Dumcius, MassLive.com: "A day before Democrats were set to pick US House leaders, Rep. Richard Neal launched into a defense of Nancy Pelosi. Neal, the Springfield Democrat in line to chair the powerful House Ways and Means Committee, said he has worked the phones in support of Pelosi, who is looking to return to the House speakership. 'You've probably heard there's a bit of dispute in our family,' Neal joked while speaking with business leaders in Boston.
|
| MOULTON MATTERS |
|
- "Seth Moulton is playing a risky game against Nancy Pelosi," by Liz Goodwin, Boston Globe: "Representative Seth Moulton's bid to prevent Nancy Pelosi from becoming House speaker again has been brash and bold or reckless and quixotic, depending on your point of view. But what will it look like if Pelosi regains the gavel? Make that, most likely, when. On Wednesday, House Democrats are expected to elect Pelosi by a large margin as their candidate for speaker in a closed-door meeting in the Capitol."
|
| WARREN REPORT |
|
- "Elizabeth Warren to outline foreign policy vision Thursday," by Shannon Young, Springfield Republican: "U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Massachusetts, will lay out her vision for a foreign policy 'that works for all Americans' Thursday, officials have announced. Warren, a member of the Senate Armed Service Committee and rumored 2020 presidential contender, will highlight her progressive foreign policy approach during an afternoon event at American University in Washington D.C."
|
| ALL ABOARD |
|
- "Keolis is doing extra inspections after wheel fell off commuter rail car," by Travis Andersen and Jackson Cote, Boston Globe: "A commuter rail train derailed near Waltham on Tuesday after a wheel came off one of its cars, causing delays at the height of the morning rush and forcing hundreds of passengers to board replacement trains, officials said. No one was injured. The Fitchburg line's train 404 derailed around 7:45 a.m. near the Beaver Street crossing between Waltham Station and Waverley Station in Belmont, the MBTA said in a statement."
|
| FROM THE 413 |
|
- "8 Western Massachusetts residents indicted in connection with death of man whose body was found burning in Hatfield," by Lucas Ropek, MassLive.com: " A Hampshire County grand jury has indicted eight Western Massachusetts residents on 51 charges in connection with the March 10 death of Daniel Cruz, whose body was found burning in a field in Hatfield. The charges in the murder of Cruz, 44, of Northampton, include murder and other charges related to the concealment of his murder, and/or the subsequent police and grand jury investigation, according to the Northwestern district attorney's office."
- "Spicer talks politics in UMass appearance," by Dusty Christensen, Daily Hampshire Gazette: "Tuesday's event was put on by the college's Republican club, who were passing out posters of Ronald Reagan and 'free speech' stickers in the lobby before the event. Nicholas Consolini, the president of the UMass College Republicans, told the Gazette that they invited Spicer to UMass Amherst in part as an exercise in free speech."
|
| ABOVE THE FOLD |
|
— Herald: "KEOLIS DERAILED," — Globe: "Moulton plays risky game with Pelosi gambit," "Drug ruling could have wide effect on prisons," "Markey's big 2020 foe? Restless voters," "ON TRACK FOR RETIREMENT." |
| THE LOCAL ANGLE |
|
- "Newton teachers, students defend history curriculum," by Laura Crimaldi, Boston Globe: Newton teachers say they've never taught students anti-Semitic material, despite years-long criticism from outside groups that have accused the school system of anti-Israel bias in its high school world-history curriculum. On Tuesday night, the dispute erupted anew, as hundreds of teachers came out to support the administration and its curriculum during a hearing at Newton South High School that was called to consider a petition to overhaul the curriculum and oust Superintendent David Fleishman."
- "Election 2018 wrap-up: Who donated on the Cape?" by Gregory Bryant, Cape Cod Times: "The voting booths have been dismantled, sent back to storage. Signs uprooted from the ground. The dust has settled - for the most part - on what were some exciting, contentious midterm election contests (see unofficial Cape and Islands results here). Based on the most recent public state and federal candidate filings, see who contributed to contested Cape Cod and Islands campaigns this election season."
- "Family farm in Hollis, N.H., endured extortion, property damage, and animal cruelty," by Travis Andersen, Boston Globe:"The FBI is seeking the public's help in finding out who terrorized a family farm in Hollis, N.H., by means of extortion, vandalism, and acts of animal cruelty. In a statement, the bureau said Rickety Ranch in Hollis received multiple "extortion letters" demanding $250,000 beginning last year. The sender offered to spare the family from harm and help settle their ongoing disputes with the town in exchange for the cash, the statement said. And, their ordeal got worse."
MAZEL! to Channel 5 reporter Jorge Quiroga, who is retiring after more than 40 years in the biz.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY - to Deloitte's John Kim, Stoughton Rep. Louis Kafka, Northwind Strategies founding partner Doug Rubin, Boston Globe investigative reporter Nicole Dungca, Gov. Charlie Baker's 2018 campaign communications director Terry MacCormack, Northwind Strategies Account Executive Sarina Tracy, city of Boston criminalist Erin Forry, and former State Dept. globetrotter and Globe and AP alum Glen Johnson.
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.
|
|
|
| |
Follow us on Twitter
|
| |
Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook family
|
|
| |
| |
No comments:
Post a Comment