News: Warren moves to make her moment last

Wednesday, May 18, 2022

Warren moves to make her moment last

May 18, 2022

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WARREN DEMOCRATS — Sen. Elizabeth Warren's prescription for Democratic success in the midterms and her rage over the potential rollback of abortion rights has put her back in the national spotlight. The primaries now in full swing offer a real-world test of her influence over the Democratic Party.

Warren has endorsed roughly two-dozen progressive candidates in primaries across the country. After last night's contests in Pennsylvania, North Carolina, Idaho, Oregon and Kentucky, her results so far are mixed. Charles Booker sailed through his Senate primary in Kentucky. In Oregon, Carrick Flynn conceded to Warren-backed Andrea Salinas . But Warren's two endorsed candidates in North Carolina, Erica Smith and Nida Allam, both lost. Other races have yet to be called.

One of the biggest tests for Warren and progressive Democrats will come next week in Texas, where progressive immigration lawyer and abortion-rights supporter Jessica Cisneros is locked in a runoff against incumbent Rep. Henry Cuellar, a staunchly anti-abortion rights Democrat backed by party leadership.

"This is an all-hands-on-deck moment. Our reproductive freedom is under immediate and direct threat," Warren declared during a virtual phone-banking event last night in support of Cisneros that also featured Sen. Ed Markey and Rep. Ayanna Pressley. "Henry Cuellar is bad for Texas and he's bad for America. Now, Jessica will protect reproductive freedom."

Cuellar's anti-abortion record has reignited the ire of some members of his party. But Warren was campaigning for Cisneros long before a draft Supreme Court opinion published by POLITICO showed justices would overturn Roe v. Wade, traveling to Texas to stump for the young progressive before her initial primary back in February.

Warren's policy proposals and protégés are pervasive in Washington. But by endorsing a slate of like-minded candidates in the midterms, the one-time presidential hopeful is again putting her vision to the test with voters far beyond the Beltway and deep-blue Massachusetts. And Playbook will be keeping score.

GOOD WEDNESDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. State Auditor Suzanne Bump wants Chris Dempsey to be her successor.

In endorsing Dempsey, the state's first female auditor snubbed state Sen. Diana DiZoglio, the sole woman vying to replace her.

Bump had already been refuting some of DiZoglio's claims about the power of the auditor's office in the press. In a letter to convention delegates announcing her endorsement, Bump called Dempsey a "true progressive" and said his "personal integrity means that every audit will represent a tool to improve state government, not a weapon to take down an individual or institution or grab a gratuitous headline."

Bump and Dempsey have known each other since Deval Patrick's first gubernatorial campaign and overlapped in his administration. Bump told the Boston Globe she offered Dempsey a job as her chief of staff in 2018.

"I have concluded that Chris Dempsey is best suited by his dedication to public service, his understanding of the role of the state auditor, his knowledge as a government executive, his role in policy-making, and his vision," Bump said.

TODAY — Boston Mayor Michelle Wu attends a Fenway coffee hour at 9:30 a.m., announces a "historic contract with a local Black-owned business" at the Orchard Gardens school at 11 a.m. and swears in City Councilor-elect Gabriela "Gigi" Coletta at noon at City Hall. MWPC hosts Berkshire County DA Andrea Harrington for its "Emerging Leaders Speaker Series" at 5 p.m.

Tips? Scoops? Email me: lkashinsky@politico.com.

A message from PhRMA:

Thousands of scientists in Massachusetts are creating ground-breaking treatments to fight everything from the common cold to cancer. Gov. Charlie Baker's bill would let the government set prices on medications, limiting the amount of research scientists can do to create cures. More importantly, it might make some medications harder to get. Gov. Baker: let the scientists do their jobs, don't discriminate against patients, and stop threatening access to medications. Go to SupportMassCures.com to learn more.

THE LATEST NUMBERS

— "Massachusetts COVID cases jump 18%, hospitalizations surpass 800 patients for first time in months," by Rick Sobey, Boston Herald: "The state Department of Public Health reported 3,425 COVID-19 cases, an 18% increase from 2,909 infections recorded last Tuesday. … In the state's weekly breakthrough report, the state reported 18,820 breakthrough infections last week — a 35% decrease from the 28,797 fully vaccinated cases in the prior report."

DATELINE BEACON HILL

— "House plans vote on prison construction moratorium," by Shira Schoenberg, CommonWealth Magazine: "The Massachusetts House is set to vote on language this Thursday that would impose a five-year moratorium on new prison construction. The language is tucked into a large government bond bill, which would authorize state government to borrow $4.88 billion for a wide range of building projects touching on myriad facets of state government. But, the bill makes clear, that money cannot go to prison construction or expansion projects."

— "Panel deadlocks over jobless fund overhaul," by Christian M. Wade, Eagle-Tribune: "A state panel tasked with addressing a massive hole in a fund that pays unemployment benefits has deadlocked over a series of recommendations aimed at ensuring the fund's long-term solvency. On Tuesday, the Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund Study Commission weighed several recommendations that sought to pump more money into the fund, lessen the financial impact on employers who pay into the system and ensure more equity by boosting unemployment benefits for low-wage workers."

— "Special commission backs new state seal and motto for Massachusetts," by Adam Reilly, GBH News: "The special commission charged with reevaluating Massachusetts' state seal and motto voted unanimously Tuesday to recommend that both be completely replaced. The current state seal, which dates back to 1898, depicts a Native American holding a bow and arrow and standing beneath an arm holding a sword — representing the colonial military leader Myles Standish — poised as if to strike. A motto in Latin unfurls around him, which is generally translated as: 'By the sword we seek peace, but peace only under liberty.'"

— "Baker cancels events because he's not 'feeling well,' tests negative for COVID-19, aides say," by Matt Stout, Boston Globe: "Governor Charlie Baker abruptly canceled two public events on Tuesday because he was 'not feeling well,' according to a spokesman, who said Baker tested negative for COVID-19. Aides to the governor did not describe his symptoms, but Baker was attending meetings virtually Tuesday, said Terry MacCormack, a Baker spokesman."

— "State Sen. Adam Gomez recovering from 5-day hospital stay after contracting COVID, urges mask-wearing," by Alison Kuznitz, MassLive: "State Sen. Adam Gomez was hospitalized earlier this month due to coronavirus-related complications, the Springfield Democrat disclosed on social media. Gomez, who is vaccinated but not yet boosted, said he was released from Baystate Medical Center on May 12, after testing positive for COVID-19 over the prior weekend."

— "Worcester Rep. David LeBoeuf says he is in treatment program following OUI arrest, is 'committed' to regaining people's trust," by Tom Matthews, MassLive: "Worcester state Rep. David LeBoeuf, who was charged with drunken driving after Massachusetts State Police found nine empty nip bottles and two cans of wine in his car following reports of an 'erratic' driver on Interstate 93 in Quincy ... said he immediately attended in-patient treatment following his April 26 arrest to address his substance use and has been attending a long-term outpatient program."

VAX-ACHUSETTS

— "The new, highly transmissible Omicron variant, BA.2.12.1, is dominating in Massachusetts. Now what?" by Kay Lazar, Boston Globe: "It didn't seem that long ago that infectious disease experts spoke hopefully of a spring reprieve in COVID-19 cases. But that was before the latest, even more, transmissible Omicron variant, BA.2.12.1, exploded across Massachusetts in recent weeks and began to shove aside its predecessor, BA.2, in other regions, as well."

— "'It's been relentless': UMass Memorial workers once again under pressure from latest COVID wave," by Louisa Moller, CBS Boston: "Outside the UMass Memorial Medical Center Emergency Department every ambulance bay is full. Inside, three patients wait on stretchers by the door to be assessed while others line the walls waiting for a room. Staff at the Worcester hospital say the influx of patient[s] has become the new norm and the situation is exacerbated by the latest wave of COVID-19 infections."

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FROM THE HUB

— "Rachael Rollins opening up federal investigation into Quincy Long Island Bridge opposition," by Sean Philip Cotter, Boston Herald: "U.S. Attorney Rachael Rollins is opening up an investigation into whether Quincy's opposition to the Long Island Bridge amounts to civil-rights violations in the latest turn in the years-long saga over building an addiction-recovery campus out on the island. In a letter obtained by the Herald from Rollins to Quincy Mayor Thomas Koch dated May 12, the U.S. attorney wrote that her office is 'initiating an investigation' into Quincy over the Americans with Disabilities Act, which includes language forbidding discrimination against people with substance-abuse issues."

— "Another month, another record for home prices in the Boston area," by Tim Logan, Boston Globe: "The region's housing market continued its stratospheric spring, with prices reaching new records in April. But there's a growing sense that the peak may be near. The median price for a single-family home in Greater Boston climbed 11.2 percent last month compared with a year prior, to $845,000, according to the Greater Boston Association of Realtors. Condominium prices rose even faster, up 16.5 percent to $716,500."

PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES

— "Red Line passenger ran alongside train before being dragged to his death, preliminary police report says," by Laura Crimaldi and Taylor Dolven, Boston Globe: "The Boston man killed in last month's horrific Red Line accident ran alongside the inbound train with his right arm trapped between closed doors before he lost his balance and was dragged to his death, according to a MBTA Transit Police report obtained by The Boston Globe."

CAMPAIGN MODE

— CASH DASH: State Sen. Eric Lesser is trotting out some big names for a fundraiser just days before the state Democratic convention. David Axelrod, Alyssa Mastromonaco, David Plouffe and Austan Goolsbee are headlining the virtual "Obama Alumni" event in support of Lesser's bid for lieutenant governor at 8 p.m. on May 31.

— "Attorney general hopeful Andrea Campbell makes history as first Black woman running for statewide office to qualify for ballot with 10,000+ signatures," by Alison Kuznitz, MassLive: "Campbell shattered barriers as she delivered her completed nomination paperwork to the Secretary of the Commonwealth's office, becoming the first Black woman to pass the 10,000-signature threshold for statewide office, said campaign spokeswoman Molly McGlynn. Rayla Campbell, a Republican candidate for Secretary of the Commonwealth, qualified for the ballot last week after submitting more than 7,000 signatures."

— "Facing long odds, state Senator Sonia Chang-Dίaz campaigns in Lawrence," by Emma Platoff, Boston Globe: "Gaining traction outside Boston, particularly in working-class cities such as Lawrence, will be crucial for [state Sen. Sonia] Chang-Dίaz, whose Democratic opponent has already run two successful statewide campaigns."

PARTY POLITICS

— DEM DIVISION: A group of Democratic convention delegates that includes members of Our Revolution Massachusetts is accusing the state party of stymying efforts to bring forward a resolution that would eliminate a group of unelected members from the roughly 400-person state committee.

At issue are "20-year members" of the state committee — those who, after being elected to the committee for 20 years, move on to serving in an unelected capacity. Rules Chair Bill Eddy, a member of the 20-year-plus club, told Playbook that party bylaw is meant to help bring new blood onto the state committee by freeing up long-held elected seats.

But Rand Wilson, a Somerville delegate leading the charge to change the rules, argues that having such a large group of unelected members — he estimates it's about one third of the state committee — makes party leadership "unaccountable to its grassroots base."

A party subcommittee rejected the group's resolution at a meeting earlier this month. Now activists are trying to deliver 500 signatures to the state party by Saturday in order to get the resolution to the convention floor. But that process — which was modified because the convention is a hybrid event because of the pandemic — is also a source of squabbling: Activists say the party isn't fully providing delegate contact information to collect signatures. Party leaders say they've provided complete mailing information and emails for every delegate who opted to receive updates on convention resolutions or charter amendments.

A message from PhRMA:

DAY IN COURT

— "SJC says sheriffs can charge commissions for prison phone calls," by Shira Schoenberg, CommonWealth Magazine: "Massachusetts sheriffs have the legal authority to raise revenue from contracts for inmate phone calls, the Supreme Judicial Court ruled Tuesday. Bristol County Sheriff Thomas Hodgson, whose office was at the center of the lawsuit, called the decision 'a win for taxpayers.' … The legal ruling does not end the legislative debate over the high cost of prison phone calls. … The fiscal 2023 budget proposal passed by the House would require jails and prisons to give inmates free phone calls and would create a $20 million state fund to reimburse sheriffs and state prisons. The proposal is not included in the Senate's version of the budget, but could be added in…"

— "Judge halts enforcement of state rule limiting nursing home rooms to 2 beds," by Cassie McGrath, Boston Business Journal: "A Superior Court judge has temporarily halted the state's enforcement of a new regulation barring nursing homes from having more than two patients in one room. The regulation, which became effective on May 1, is being challenged in court by nine Massachusetts nursing homes that claim in a lawsuit filed this week that it could cost them nearly $16 million per year and over 100 jobs."

FROM THE DELEGATION

— "Mass. delegation demands answers from Abbott on Similac, stresses reliance of low-income parents on baby formula," by Sarah Betancourt, GBH News: "The Massachusetts congressional delegation is demanding answers from Abbott Nutrition on when strained consumers can see baby formula Similac back on store shelves. In a letter led by Reps. Lori Trahan, Katherine Clark and Ayanna Pressley sent to the manufacturer Tuesday, legislators said 'rationing food for infants who desperately need nutrients to grow up strong and healthy is not an acceptable outcome.'"

BIDEN TIME

— SINKING FEELING: President Joe Biden's approval rating is just 38 percent in a new national UMass Amherst poll , down from 51 percent in April 2021. His approval rating dropped among all demographic groups surveyed in the poll, and he's down by double-digits with young people, people of color and those who voted for him in 2020.

"The president's sinking approval rating among his most loyal constituencies, most notably people of color, young Americans and even Democrats, must be ringing alarm bells in the White House," poll director Tatishe Nteta said in a statement. YouGov conducted the poll of 1,000 respondents from May 5-9; it has a margin of error of 3.5 percent.

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FROM THE 413

— "Holyoke City Councilor Wilmer Puello-Mota faces child pornography charges in Rhode Island," by Jim Kinney, Springfield Republican: "Ward 2 City Councilor Wilmer E. Puello-Mota, facing child pornography and other charges for close to two years in Rhode Island, now stands accused of charges he tried to deceive prosecutors and his commanders in the Air National Guard in an apparent attempt to keep his job as a military security forces officer."

— "Amherst Town Council urged to direct pot revenue to reparations," by Scott Merzbach, Daily Hampshire Gazette: "[Heather Hala Lord, a member of the town's African Heritage Reparation Assembly] was among members of the assembly, residents and even a former state Cannabis Control Commission official who advocated that local excise tax revenue from recreational cannabis sales be permanently earmarked to the town's reparations effort, beginning in fiscal year 2024."

THE LOCAL ANGLE

— "'I was middle class, and now I feel like I'm at the poverty line.' Inflation is hitting Mass. residents painfully hard, despite rosy big-picture stats," by Matt Stout and Anissa Gardizy, Boston Globe: "In Massachusetts, unemployment is at its lowest point since the pandemic began and the state's coffers are overflowing. But a 40-year-high inflation rate — layered onto the state's already high cost of living — is squeezing people in ways largely unseen in the rosier economic data, eroding their financial cushion and confidence in the economy."

— "Mass General Brigham says it will reduce spending by $70m annually," by Jessica Bartlett, Boston Globe: "Mass General Brigham said on Tuesday it will reduce total medical spending by $70 million annually through a combination of lowered prices, reduced hospitalization rates, and by shifting some hospital care to people's homes. … The health system was the first in the state to be required to file such a plan."

A message from PhRMA:

Massachusetts is a booming biotech ecosystem. Its scientists and researchers are developing ground-breaking treatments to fight everything from the common cold to cancer.

Gov. Charlie Baker's bill imposes government prices on medications, which would then limit the amount of research scientists can do to create lifesaving treatments. By setting medication prices, it also means politicians decide which patients and diseases are more important than others.

State bureaucrats should not be playing doctor. When the government imposes artificial prices from the top-down, some patients can lose access to their medications. Seniors, the disabled, and the chronically ill are most vulnerable to these policies.

Gov. Baker: let the scientists and doctors do their jobs, don't discriminate against patients, and stop threatening access to medications. Go to SupportMassCures.com to learn more.

MEANWHILE IN NEW HAMPSHIRE

— "Ad targets Sen. Hassan on gas prices," by Adam Sexton, WMUR: "On Wednesday, the National Republican Senatorial Committee is launching a seven-figure ad campaign in New Hampshire to target Democratic U.S. Sen. Maggie Hassan on energy policy."

SPOTTED — Michelle Wu making her second trip to the White House as Boston mayor, this time for an AANHPI Heritage Month event .

TRANSITIONS — Italo Fini is now deputy political director for state Attorney General Maura Healey's campaign for governor.

— Hannah Rehm is now comms director for Rep. Joe Neguse (D-Colo.). She most recently was press secretary for Rep. Jake Auchincloss.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY — to POLITICO's Bryan Bender, a Boston Globe alum; state Rep. Bill Driscoll Jr., Erik Smith, Robert Colt, Patrick Long, Judy Boullet and Josh Troop.

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.

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