| | | | |  | | By Lisa Kashinsky and Kelly Garrity | FIRST IN PLAYBOOK: HALEY’S MASS. LEADERSHIP TEAM — Nikki Haley is tapping some big names in Massachusetts Republican circles to helm her campaign in this Super Tuesday state. Former MassGOP Chair Jennifer Nassour, who’s already been running the state’s “Women for Nikki” chapter and organizing local fundraisers for Haley, will now chair the former South Carolina governor’s campaign here. State House Minority Leader Brad Jones, state Rep. Hannah Kane, former Baker administration finance secretary Mike Heffernan and businessman Peter deSilva will serve as co-chairs. Also involved: state Reps. Kim Ferguson, Paul Frost, Joe McKenna, Mathew Muratore, Mike Soter, David Vieira and Donald Wong; former state Reps. Shawn Dooley and Lenny Mirra; Baker administration alum Georgia Polemenakos; Greg Casey, former chief of staff to former Sen. Scott Brown; former Republican national committeewoman for Massachusetts Jody Dow and more than a dozen other Republican activists and business leaders. Haley’s Bay State rollout comes as her campaign targets Super Tuesday states with open- or semi-open primaries in which independents can cast ballots. The slate of 16 contests accounts for 36 percent of the total delegates available, making it mathematically likely to be Haley’s last stand in the GOP primary that’s down to her and former President Donald Trump. And it could be her first chance to win a contest. Haley is likely to lose her home state to Trump. And she's already fallen short in Iowa, New Hampshire and Nevada, where she suffered a non-binding but embarrassing loss in Tuesday night's primary to "none of these candidates." Trump is expected to romp in the contest that will actually award delegates in the state, Thursday's Republican Party-run caucus.
|  Massachusetts voters got a taste of Nikki Haley as she campaigned in New Hampshire. Now, she's turning her attention here. | Joe Raedle/Getty Images | Massachusetts only has 40 delegates up for grabs on March 5 (compared to 161 in Texas and 169 in California). But our electorate — independents make up more than 60 percent of registered voters — is fertile ground for Haley as she looks to build on the coalition that boosted her within 11 points of Trump in New Hampshire. “We are looking at independents and expanding the Republican electorate to people who have not traditionally participated in Republican primaries,” Betsy Ankney, Haley’s campaign manager, said on a call with reporters earlier this week. Haley’s state leadership team, a mix of conservative and moderate Republican lawmakers and allies of former GOP Gov. Charlie Baker, reflects that aim. She’s also attracted financial support from high-profile donors like Jonathan Kraft and New Balance Chair Jim Davis. But even in deep-blue Massachusetts, where voters have twice rejected Trump in general elections by wide margins, the former president could prove a formidable and potentially unbeatable primary opponent. Trump won the 2016 GOP primary here with 49 percent of the vote and went on to crush former Gov. Bill Weld in his home state by nearly 80 points in 2020. And he’s got a long-established base of supporters, being led once more by former Bristol County Sheriff Tom Hodgson. Haley needs to hold Trump under 50 percent of the vote here in order to win delegates, thanks to updated rules the party passed earlier this year. That task is harder now that the race is down to two. And she could come into Super Tuesday significantly weakened after a string of losses. A Suffolk University poll out this morning shows Trump beating Haley among likely Republican primary voters here 55 percent to 38 percent. Still, Ankney argues, the campaign is “up for that challenge.” GOOD WEDNESDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. The Republican primary for GOP state Sen. Peter Durant’s old House seat isn’t over yet. Dudley Selectman John Marsi claimed victory Tuesday night. But the race was close — unofficial tallies have Marsi leading Southbridge Town Councilor David Adams by roughly 150 votes. Adams told Playbook he’s waiting to concede until he has a chance to check with Dudley’s clerk on the breakdown for write-in votes in the town. “If the numbers are what I think they are, then I have no problem conceding,” he said. TODAY — Gov. Maura Healey pitches her budget to lawmakers at noon at the State House. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu is on “Java with Jimmy” at 9 a.m. AG Andrea Campbell is joining the Vermont and Rhode Island AGs for an 11:45 a.m. panel at the Rappaport Center. Auditor Diana DiZoglio testifies on her budget at 1 p.m. Tips? Scoops? Email us: lkashinsky@politico.com and kgarrity@politico.com.
| | | | DON’T MISS POLITICO’S GOVERNORS SUMMIT: Join POLITICO on Feb. 22 to dive into how Governors are wielding immense power. While Washington remains gridlocked, governors are at the center of landmark decisions in AI and tech, economic development, infrastructure, housing, reproductive health and energy. How are they setting the stage for the future of American politics, policies and priorities? How are they confronting major challenges? Explore these questions and more at the 2024 Governors Summit. REGISTER HERE. | | | | | |  | DATELINE BEACON HILL | | HEAR ME OUT — We’re on track to get our first real insight into how lawmakers who control the state’s purse strings are feeling about Maura Healey’s budget when the governor descends to the Gardner Auditorium at noon to pitch her $58 billion spending plan. The Legislature’s chief budget writers, House and Senate Ways and Means Chairs Aaron Michlewitz and Michael Rodrigues, were already warning of the need for “sound fiscal discipline” before January’s revenue report showed collections falling short of benchmarks for the seventh straight month. Pay close attention to how they update those remarks today, especially with the Boston Herald reporting that Administration and Finance Secretary Matthew Gorzkowicz is not ruling out more cuts to the current budget (he did say there’s nothing currently in the works). BIG DAY FOR BILLS — The budget hearing coincides with the deadline for joint committees to decide which of the bevy of bills before them will live to see another day and which will be banished to study — in other words, legislative death. Or, as is common on what’s known as Joint Rule 10 day, lawmakers will just ask for extensions. Some joint committees are still sorting through bills, but others have already decided which proposals are in and which ones are out. One notable bill that’s already — and unsurprisingly — been sent to study: legislation that would legalize teacher strikes. One that’s moving on: a pilot program for safe-injection sites. And two that lawmakers are asking for more time on: bills that would extend collective bargaining rights to legislative staff and put a moratorium on prison construction. DEPARTURE LOUNGE — Longtime state Rep. William “Smitty” Pignatelli says he’s stepping aside next year after two decades representing his sprawling Berkshires district. Pignatelli joins a growing list of lawmakers who are either running for other offices or retiring from the Legislature after this session. His friends and colleagues told the Berkshire Eagle that whoever succeeds him will have big shoes to fill. — “State lawmakers hear proposal from Gov. Maura Healey to leverage rainy day fund for federal infrastructure dollars,” by Greg Sukiennik, Berkshire Eagle: “Gov. Maura Healey's administration wants to leverage interest from the state's rainy day fund to attract federal dollars into the state. … Administration and Finance Secretary Matthew Gorzkowicz and Federal Funds and Infrastructure Director Quentin Palfrey pushed against the idea that slowing tax collections means the state should reconsider using the reserve funds as leverage.” — “Mass. Gaming Commission looks to study sex trafficking in casinos,” by Jennifer Smith, CommonWealth Beacon. — “State legislators are again debating whether insurers should fully cover childbirth. Here’s why it’s different this time,” by Katie Johnston, The Boston Globe
| | FROM THE HUB | | FOOD FIGHT — Boston’s outdoor dining program is set to return this spring, but most North End restaurateurs will be left out again. Like last year, the city is limiting permits in the tightly packed neighborhood to restaurants with sidewalk patios and preventing owners from adding more on-site seating. North End restaurateurs have been battling the city over the program for years, alleging in lawsuits that the extra costs and tighter restrictions amount to discrimination against the Italian enclave. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu maintains that it's an effort to balance business owners’ wishes with the views of the neighborhood’s residents. And this year the city “may craft additional neighborhood-specific guidelines” for the North End “as the program advances,” according to Tuesday’s announcement. Dive deeper with The Boston Globe and WBUR.
| | PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES | | FREE FARES KEEP ROLLING — Three key bus routes in Boston will remain free to ride for another two years after Wu found $8.4 million more in federal pandemic aid to pump into the pilot program. The move won plaudits from Sen. Ed Markey and Rep. Ayanna Pressley, who have proposed a federal grant program to help state and local fare-free efforts. But it’s a break with Healey, whose budget proposal calls for reducing fares for low-income riders. More from CommonWealth Beacon and The Boston Globe.
| | FROM HARVARD YARD | | — “US Education Dept. investigates Harvard following complaint from Pro-Palestinian students,” by Kirk Carapezza, GBH News: “The U.S. Department of Education’s civil rights division launched an investigation into Harvard this week after Arab, Muslim and pro-Palestinian students alleged discrimination on campus."
| | | | YOUR GUIDE TO EMPIRE STATE POLITICS: From the newsroom that doesn’t sleep, POLITICO's New York Playbook is the ultimate guide for power players navigating the intricate landscape of Empire State politics. Stay ahead of the curve with the latest and most important stories from Albany, New York City and around the state, with in-depth, original reporting to stay ahead of policy trends and political developments. Subscribe now to keep up with the daily hustle and bustle of NY politics. | | | | | | | DAY IN COURT | | — “Second Mass. State Trooper charged in CDL bribery case retires, dishonorably discharged, agency says,” by Tonya Alanez, The Boston Globe: “A second Massachusetts State Trooper charged in a bribery scandal involving commercial driving licenses has retired and been dishonorably discharged, the department said Tuesday night. Joel Rogers had been suspended without pay since Jan. 31."
| | | DATELINE D.C. | | | DYSFUNCTION JUNCTION — House Republicans failed to muscle through articles of impeachment against Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas and a standalone Israel aid bill Tuesday, in a stunning blow to Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.). All nine of Massachusetts’ House members voted against the impeachment charges. But Rep. Jake Auchincloss broke rank with the all-Democratic delegation when it came to the Israel aid bill that Johnson put forward in place of the bipartisan border deal that also includes billions of dollars in aid for Israel, Ukraine and Taiwan. “It is shameful how House Republicans have turned one of our closest allies into a political weapon,” Auchincloss, a staunch supporter of Israel, said in a statement. “Now that this stunt has played out, I encourage the Speaker to bring to the floor legislation that will actually be signed into law." BIDEN’S GOT A FRIEND IN HEALEY (AGAIN) — Speaking of the border deal, President Joe Biden is getting backup from Healey and other Democratic governors as he tries to salvage the bill, Lisa reports. Whether their pressure campaign is working is a different story. — “Health care workers urge Neal to stand up for Gaza cease-fire,” by James Pentland, Daily Hampshire Gazette.
| | MARIJUANA IN MASSACHUSETTS | | PUT THAT IN YOUR PIPE AND SMOKE IT — Some good financial news for Massachusetts: Marijuana sales in the state have reached new highs. The business set a new record with $1.56 billion in gross annual sales last year, according to the Cannabis Control Commission.
| | | FROM THE 413 | | | — “Springfield mayoral aide warned by campaign finance officials over social media posts,” by Adam Frenier, NEPM: “The chief of staff for Springfield Mayor Domenic Sarno has been cited by state campaign finance officials over the use of a personal social media account. Tom Ashe allegedly used his own Facebook account, on three occasions, to promote fundraising activities for unnamed candidates for office which is a violation of state law.”
| | THE LOCAL ANGLE | | — “Condos in John Adams' backyard?” by Peter Blandino, Patriot Ledger: “In a growing city with a long history, the old and the new inevitably clash. That is happening now in the Adams Birthplace Historical District, just to the south of the city's downtown, where a developer has proposed a four-story condominium building directly across from the two 17th-century homes where John Adams and John Quincy Adams, the nation's second and sixth presidents, were born.” — “As Steward Health flails, once-supporters of Ralph de la Torre now criticize the CEO,” by Deborah Becker, WBUR.
| | MEANWHILE IN NEW HAMPSHIRE | | — “Fake Biden robocall linked to Texas-based companies, New Hampshire attorney general announces,” by David Wright, Yahya Abou-Ghazala and Brian Fung, CNN: “A robocall that used an AI voice resembling President Joe Biden’s to advise New Hampshire voters against voting in the state’s presidential primary has been linked to a pair of Texas-based telecommunications companies, the state’s attorney general announced on Tuesday.”
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