News : POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: Polls: WU leads BOSTON MAYOR’S RACE, tight race for second

Tuesday, September 7, 2021

POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: Polls: WU leads BOSTON MAYOR’S RACE, tight race for second

Sep 07, 2021

NEW: WARREN TO STUMP FOR WU, LOUIJEUNE — Sen. Elizabeth Warren will campaign for Boston mayoral hopeful Michelle Wu and at-large council candidate Ruthzee Louijeune this weekend as candidates up and down the ballot pull out all the stops ahead of next Tuesday's preliminary election.

Warren endorsed Wu, her former Harvard Law School student and Senate campaign aide, in January, shortly after former mayor Marty Walsh was tapped for Labor secretary. Louijeune, who served as senior counsel on Warren's presidential campaign, got the senator's endorsement in the 17-person at-large council race.

Warren will host a canvass launch and rally with Louijeune at noon on Saturday at the Jamaica Pond Boathouse. She'll then join Wu for a rally at 5:30 p.m. at the Chinatown Gate, where Steve Ekerberg of the Association of Flight Attendants-CWA will also hold a moment of silence to commemorate those lost on 9/11. Warren's efforts are notable both for a city council race and given that the rest of the federal delegation has stayed out of the high-stakes mayoral race.

WHILE YOU WERE SLEEPING — Wu topped her third public poll in as many weeks, this one from Suffolk University and the Boston Globe. The at-large city councilor increasingly looks like a lock for one of the two top spots on Sept. 14, while all three recent surveys have shown the other three women in the race locked in a tight battle for second place.

Wu garnered 31% support in the Suffolk/Globe poll of 500 likely voters, followed by Acting Mayor Kim Janey with 20%, City Councilor Annissa Essaibi George with 19%, City Councilor Andrea Campbell with 18% and former city economic development chief John Barros with 3%. The margin of error was +/- 4.4%.

Wu, Campbell and Essaibi George all gained support between the last Suffolk/Globe poll in late June and this one, while Janey's standing slipped by two percentage points despite her 61% job-approval rating.

The jockeying for second place has already led to some spats on the trail — Campbell has routinely criticized Janey over various aspects of the city's coronavirus response; and Janey and Essaibi George are now sparring over the acting mayor's eviction moratorium. It could lead to even more tense moments during Wednesday and Thursday night's debates, as time runs short for the candidates to appeal to the dwindling percentage of undecided voters.

Money can also help with those final pitches, and the candidates have been spending big. The four women all spent more than $500,000 in August as the candidates went up on the airwaves and invested in other voter-outreach efforts, according to their campaigns and finance records. And all four women entered September with hundreds of thousands of dollars left to spend down the homestretch, from Janey's $258,170 to Campbell's $654,213.

But Barros has blown through almost all his money. The only major candidate who hasn't raised over $1 million, Barros spent $220,169 in August and ended the month with just $28,101 in his bank account, leaving him at a significant financial disadvantage on top of his poor showing in the polls.

It's not just the candidates who are making money moves. Independent expenditure PACs supporting Janey, Wu and Campbell have all been bumping up their spending. But most notable is the Hospitality Workers IEPAC, which not only spent $65,789 on radio ads in support of Janey, but also spent $34,195 on radio ads in opposition to Campbell — a rarity in this campaign.

GOOD TUESDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. It's good to be back.

PROGRAMMING NOTE: Massachusetts Playbook is going to look a bit different through the Boston preliminary. Think of it as a peek into my reporter's notebook.

TODAY — Sen. Ed Markey and interim Transportation for Massachusetts director Josh Ostroff talk infrastructure investments and climate action at the Ruggles MBTA station at 11 a.m. Governor hopeful Ben Downing holds press avails on his new transportation policy proposal at 8 a.m. at the Orient Heights MBTA stop and 10:30 a.m. at Dudley Station. Governor hopeful Danielle Allen visits Cambridge Community Center at 11 a.m. Campbell hosts a state-of-the-race press conference at 11 a.m. at the the Grove Hall Clock Tower and later greets early voters at the polls. Janey joins the Boston Housing Authority for a groundbreaking of the Orient Heights state public housing property at 11:15 a.m. Gov. Charlie Baker joins UMass President Marty Meehan and UMass Medical School Chancellor Michael Collins for a 10 a.m. announcement at the UMass Club.

Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget for the Playbook? Get in touch: lkashinsky@politico.com.

THE RACE FOR CITY HALL

– "A Quiet Start To Early Voting In Boston, Voters And Candidates Say It's Lack Of Publicity," by Quincy Walters, WBUR.

– "Candidates for Boston's next mayor weigh in on zoning, contracts, the T and more," by Greg Ryan, Steph Solis and Catherine Carlock, Boston Business Journal.

– "OTR: Kim Janey responds to criticism of Boston's new eviction moratorium from mayoral opponents," by Ed Harding and Janet Wu, WCVB.

– "The Politics of Evictions in Boston," by Dan Atkinson, DIG BOSTON: "The five Boston mayoral candidates have all promised to work for residents who are in danger of losing their homes as they vie to run the city, saying they will prioritize housing stability. But all together they have taken more than $100,000 in donations from landlords—including one candidate's spouse—who have filed more than 200 evictions for non-payment of rent since Gov. Charlie Baker lifted the state's eviction moratorium last October."

– "Boston Mayoral Candidates Back Boycott Of Marriott Copley For Firing Employees," by Paul Singer, GBH News: "One after the other, the five major candidates for Boston mayor took the stage at a labor protest Monday to support the 230 workers fired by the Marriott Copley last fall and endorse the call for a boycott of the hotel." More from the Boston Globe's Diti Kohli.

– "Hyde Park businessman, Wellesley financial analyst donate to Essaibi George super PAC," by Gintautas Dumcius, Dorchester Reporter: "Sixteen companies tied to Elias Akiki, who owns a towing and auto repair business in Hyde Park, each donated roughly $1,000 to 'Bostonians for Real Progress.' The super PAC surfaced in July and said it was backing Essaibi George, an at-large city councillor from Dorchester and one of five major mayoral candidates."

– "Some Hope Voting By Mail Could Boost Dismal Turnout In Local Mass. Elections," by Simón Rios, WBUR: "...some believe the new vote-by-mail rules could even reshape local politics in cities like Lynn, where most of the city councilors are white, but most of the residents are not."

– "The other historic election race you may not know about: A wave of Black immigrant candidates running for Boston City Council," by Tiana Woodard, Boston Globe: "Immigrants of color are increasingly joining the political fray in Boston, mirroring the growing diversity of the city's political landscape. At least nine of the four dozen candidates for district and at-large seats on the City Council identify as Black immigrants, hailing from Haiti, Somalia, Cape Verde, the Dominican Republic, and Nigeria, among other nations."

– FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: Boston City Council at-large candidate James "Reggie" Colimon has been endorsed by the Boston Plasters & Cement Masons Local 534, per his campaign.

– Some ICYMI endorsements: The Boston Globe Editorial Board endorsed Andrea Campbell, saying the city councilor's "urgency and drive, paired with her nuanced thinking about what can make the city more vibrant and equitable, distinguish her in this historic race."

– Allston-Brighton state Rep. Kevin Honan endorsed Essaibi George , saying in a statement that she "has the necessary experience, bold vision and urgent leadership it takes to deliver results for every single neighborhood in Boston."

– Suffolk County Sheriff Steve Tompkins endorsed Wu. "At the end of the day, it was that family pull," Tompkins, who's worked with Wu since Elizabeth Warren's 2012 Senate run, told me.

FEELING '22

– Public relations guru George Regan pulled out all the stops when he hosted Gov. Charlie Baker and Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito for a fundraiser at his Mashpee home Thursday. But two pairs of horses — one miniature, another covered in glitter — and plenty of cheese and charcuterie weren't enough to sway Baker to say if he's actually running for a third term in 2022.

Baker did, however, dash some hopes he'd run for president. And he and Polito ribbed the legislature for continuing to tie up the bulk of the state government's American Rescue Plan Act funding. The next hearing on that is Thursday morning.

The $500-to-$1,000-per-head fundraiser drew big names from both sides of the political aisle — Democratic former ambassador and Boston mayor Ray Flynn; former Boston Police commissioner William Gross; and GOP MA-09 congressional candidate Jesse Brown among them — prompting jokes about the GOP governor's enduring appeal among some Democrats. Read more about the fundraiser from the Boston Herald's Erin Tiernan.

Baker raised $46,775 in August — not exactly gearing-up-to-run money, but more than Polito's $28,822 haul, which marked the second month her fundraising has declined. Baker told WBZ's Jon Keller that 2022 is "not even on my radar at this point," though he did outline some potential third-term priorities in an interview that aired Sunday. He also played up Polito's bona fides should she make a run for governor someday.

Republican Geoff Diehl raised $15,749 in August. Harvard professor Danielle Allen led the Democrats with more than $100,000 raised, according to her campaign. Her finance report was not yet available online. State Sen. Sonia Chang-Díaz raised $35,850 in August, according to her finance filing, and former state Sen. Ben Downing raised $23,600, his campaign told State House News Service.

Chang-Díaz is rolling out her education policy proposal today, a plan that calls for universal early education and child care and fully implementing the Student Opportunity Act among a host of other ideas for closing opportunity and achievement gaps. Downing is kicking off a two-week transportation tour of Massachusetts to promote his new "Transit for All" plan today as well.

DATELINE BEACON HILL

– State Sen. Joe Boncore is expected to submit his resignation this week to take over as CEO of MassBio. "Obviously having gone through what I went through with my children being born at less than a pound, so premature , I really had a firsthand experience with the life science industry, the impact it can really have on patients and families," Boncore told me. "I'm really happy to take the skills I learned in the Senate for advocacy … and transition that into advocating for patients across the commonwealth."

Boston City Councilor Lydia Edwards and Revere School Committee member Anthony D'Ambrosio are already running in what will be a special election for Boncore's seat. State Rep. Adrian Madaro is expected to jump in, and there could be more. The special election likely won't be until early 2022, Boston.com's Nik DeCosta-Klipa reports.

– "From child labor violations to not paying overtime, Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey's office reports it fined employers $8.1 million for labor penalties in last fiscal year," by Will Katcher, MassLive.com: "The attorney general's sixth annual Labor Day Report says that between July 2020 and June 2021, the Fair Labor Division ordered businesses to pay $5 million in restitution and $3.1 million in penalties to more than 10,000 employees."

– "Demand for climate change grants exceeds funding," by Christian M. Wade, CHNI/Eagle-Tribune: "More than 60 cities and towns have received a slice of $21 million from the state to harden their infrastructure to the impacts of climate change, but like other rounds of grant funding, demand far outstripped available funds."

VAX-ACHUSETTS

– "At-home COVID tests surging in popularity," by Shira Schoenberg, CommonWealth Magazine: "As COVID-19 rates are rising again amid a surge in Delta variant cases, people are flocking to buy a relatively new product: at-home, rapid COVID tests. The high demand nationwide is creating a shortage of the products. And their availability also poses new questions about the accuracy of state-related COVID case counts, since if someone tests positive at home, their illness may never be reported to public health officials."

– "'Private pay' doesn't apply: Loophole in COVID-19 vaccine mandate for home care workers," by Henry Schwan, Worcester Telegram & Gazette: "[Gov. Charlie] Baker announced home care workers must be vaccinated against COVID-19. But the order excludes those who work for some 'private pay' agencies."

– "COVID and who is testing positive at the highest rates in Massachusetts? A look at race, gender and age," by Cassie McGrath, MassLive.com: "The 20-29 and 30-39 age group is the largest age group testing positive and the 'Hispanic' group makes up the most cases based on race."

DAY IN COURT

– "Lawsuit seeks to keep Springfield courthouse closed until mold issues resolved," by Patrick Johnson, Springfield Republican: "A lawsuit filed by Hampden County Register of Deeds Cheryl Coakley-Rivera charges that the Roderick L. Ireland Courthouse is a health hazard and seeks to have the building remain closed until it can be made safe."

– More from the Springfield Republican's Stephanie Barry: "Springfield 'sick courthouse' lawsuit transferred from Hampden to Worcester County"; and the Springfield Republican's Peter Goonan: "Western Mass. legislators call on Gov. Charlie Baker to issue emergency order to repair or replace Roderick Ireland Courthouse."

IT'S NOT EASY BEING GREEN

– "Boston startup wants to combat the climate crisis by launching network of radar satellites," by Aaron Pressman, Boston Globe: "Tomorrow.io's miniature radars in space could lead to more accurate storm tracking and climate models."

FROM THE DELEGATION

– "Rep. Lynch on Afghanistan: 'We wanted it more for them than they wanted it for themselves'," by Mary Whitfill, Patriot Ledger: "Days after the United States completed its withdrawal from Afghanistan, local elected officials are reflecting on a chapter of military history likely to be remembered for colossal failures, unfulfilled promises and a frantic final exit."

WHAT ELSE YOU SHOULD BE READING

– "Massachusetts retailers hope to fill jobs as more than 300,000 residents lose federal unemployment benefits," by Amy Sokolow, Boston Herald: "As nearly 304,000 Bay Staters lose $300 in weekly federal unemployment benefits — a 'lifeline' for many Massachusetts residents — local retailers hope this expiration of benefits will help small businesses fill jobs."

– "Labor Day promise: St. Vincent Hospital nurses won't return to work unless promised old jobs," by Marco Cartolano, Worcester Telegram & Gazette: "Debbie Hanna, a St. Vincent endoscopy nurse who has worked for the hospital for 40 years, said it is tough not being providing care to patients, but she feels the strike is ultimately for their safety."

– More from the Telegram & Gazette's Cyrus Moulton: "Striking St. Vincent nurses will have unemployment benefits suspended pending review."

– "Primary Care Field Faces High Burnout And Renewed Financial Struggles, As COVID Relief Dries Up," by Karen Brown, New England Public Media: "Although in-person visits are up since the early days of COVID, many patients want to stick with telemedicine. But some insurance companies have cut back on reimbursement for telehealth."

– "Harvard owns roughly one-third of Allston. Now it needs to win over the residents," by Jon Chesto, Boston Globe: "The university faces skepticism on multiple fronts as it launches at last on plans for a Kendall Square of its own off Western Avenue."

– "Pending probe, attorney is Lawrence personnel director," by Jill Harmacinski, Eagle-Tribune: "A city attorney is taking over as personnel director at City Hall after the entire department was placed on paid leave and escorted out of the Common Street building. The action came after Frank Bonet, outgoing personnel director, reported allegations of 'corruption' and 'retaliation' to a variety of state agencies, including law enforcement and the state's ethics board."

SPOTTED – at the Greater Boston Labor Council's Labor Day events in Copley Square: Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey, Rep. Ayanna Pressley, Boston Acting Mayor Kim Janey, Boston mayoral candidates Michelle Wu, Annissa Essaibi George, Andrea Campbell and John Barros, Rep. Jake Auchincloss, Boston City Council candidates Ruthzee Louijeune, Alex Gray, Kelly Bates, Carla B. Monteiro, Jon Spillane, Tania Anderson, Mary Tamer and Kendra Hicks, City Councilors Julia Mejia and Kenzie Bok, state auditor candidate Chris Dempsey, governor candidates Ben Downing and Danielle Allen, state Sen. Adam Hinds, Rep. Katherine Clark, state Attorney General Maura Healey, Secretary of State Bill Galvin, Boston City Councilor Lydia Edwards and state Rep. Tommy Vitolo.

TRANSITIONS – Miles Halpine is now communications and media manager at Teach Plus. He was communications team co-lead and media team contributing writer for Sunrise Movement Boston. Michael K. Leung-Tat is now general counsel and deputy auditor in the state auditor's office. Deborah Shah, a Healey and Gov. Deval Patrick alum, joins Janey's mayoral campaign for GOTV efforts. Sydné Marrow is Brockton Mayor Robert Sullivan's new chief of staff.

CONGRATS – to Diana Rudd, director of member services and counsel for Rep. Katherine Clark, and Cable Smith, executive chef of The Royal and chef/partner of Lulu's Wine Garden, who got married in Leesburg, Va., on Aug. 14. Pic … Another pic

REWIND – I joined GBH News' "The Scrum" politics podcast to talk "Continuity vs. Change" in the Boston mayor's race with UMass Boston's Erin O'Brien and GBH's Adam Reilly, Saraya Wintersmith and Peter Kadzis.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY – to Rep. Seth Moulton alum Eric Kanter and Maralee Schwartz.

HAPPY BELATED – to John Barros, who celebrated Saturday; Nicole Herendeen of Benchmark Strategies, Michael Ratty, Jen Flanagan and Guillermo Samuel Hamlin, who celebrated Sunday; Rep. Bill Keating, Warren alum Gabrielle Farrell, former MA-03 candidate Rick Green, Curt Nickisch, senior editor at Harvard Business Review; Andover Town Manager Andrew Flanagan and Dave Vittorini, who celebrated Monday.

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