| | | | |  | | By Kelly Garrity | Presented by Mass General Brigham | THE DEBATE ABOUT DEBATES — Hours before the vice-presidential candidates sparred over abortion on the debate stage in New York, GOP Senate hopeful John Deaton tried to take back control of the message on an issue that’s tripped up his party in recent election cycles. At a press conference on the State House steps Tuesday, Deaton, who’s looking to unseat Sen. Elizabeth Warren, pitched himself as a “pro-choice” candidate — pledging, if elected, to vote in favor of federal abortion rights legislation and preemptively threatening to switch parties if a federal ban ever came for a vote. "I will work to codify Roe versus Wade into federal law," Deaton said, adding that he would work to “broaden” the abortion rights coalition in Congress. Deaton’s stance is rare among Republicans not running for statewide election in deep-blue Massachusetts, but he's not alone in his party in trying to tackle the narrative head-on. Several Republicans running in close House races are up with ads laying out their stances on abortion in an effort to keep Democrats from controlling the message. While Ohio Sen. JD Vance and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz clashed over the issue during Tuesday night’s debate, former President Donald Trump took to Truth Social to promise in an all-caps missive t o veto a federal abortion ban if it were to hit his desk as president. Deaton, an attorney and father of three girls, has been trying to sell Warren on five “single-issue” debates, including one focused on abortion and reproductive rights. While Warren hasn’t agreed to those, both candidates are locked in for two debates later this month — on Oct. 15 and 17, just before early voting begins on Oct. 19. Warren “looks forward to debating her Republican opponent on this and other critical issues facing the Commonwealth two weeks from today,” a spokesperson said in a statement. Pushing for more debates is a common tactic for underdog candidates. Two recent polls show Deaton trailing Warren by more than 20 percentage points. Part of Deaton’s problem, according to the polls: Voters don’t know him. Warren is passing on the extra debates, he argued Tuesday because she “doesn’t want people to learn who I am.” While a single-issue debate seems off the table, playing up his unique position (among members of his party) did draw some eyes to the campaign, earning him some ink in several news outlets. GOOD WEDNESDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. Missed Tuesday night’s VP debate? Catch up on the highlights and read the takeaways. Plus, POLITICO teamed up with Focaldata for a snap poll of likely voters conducted just after the debate. TLDR: Voters are split along partisan lines. POLITICO’s Melanie Mason broke it down. TODAY — Gov. Maura Healey, Lt. Gov. Kim Drsicoll, Senate President Karen Spilka and other state and local officials celebrate the implementation of free community college at 11:30 p.m. in Framingham. Driscoll attends a groundbreaking for the Leefort Terrace Apartments at 10 a.m. in Salem and the Partnership for Financial Equity’s summit at 1:30 p.m. in Worcester. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu is on Java with Jimmy at 9 a.m., speaks at an Italian flag raising ceremony at 11 a.m. downtown, visits Mei Wah Village with Acting Secretary U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development Adrianne Todman at noon in Chinatown, speaks at an Age Strong event at 1 p.m. in Roxbury and gives remarks at the city’s LatinX Heritage Month celebration at 4:45 p.m. downtown. Rep. Stephen Lynch addresses business leaders at an in-person New England Council breakfast at 8:30 a.m. in Boston. Rep. Ayanna Pressley holds a virtual press conference on Project 2025 and its potential impact on the public service loan forgiveness program at 1 p.m. Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget for the Playbook? Drop me a line: kgarrity@politico.com.
| | | | A message from Mass General Brigham: At Mass General Brigham, we harness the collective strength of our healthcare system to provide research-driven cancer care for the patients and communities we serve. Mass General Brigham is number one in hospital medical research. We perform the most cancer surgeries and have the most cancer specialists in New England. We have the region’s only proton therapy center and provide access to more than 1,000 clinical trials annually. We’re one against cancer. Learn more. | | | |  | BALLOT BATTLES | | FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Rep. Ayanna Pressley joined a Massachusetts Teachers Association meeting Tuesday night to announce their endorsements of the ballot question that would end the MCAS test as a high school graduation requirement. The exam, “can be a helpful way to measure student growth, but one high-stakes test shouldn't be the end all be all,” Warren said in a statement. And while “metrics are important,” Pressley said, “high stakes tests in Massachusetts have gotten in the way of instruction and prevent too many students from showcasing their unique contributions.” That makes four members of the state’s all-Democratic congressional delegation who are so far publicly backing the “Yes on 2” campaign’s efforts to end the test's use as a graduation requirement. It’s a notable split from Beacon Hill’s Big Three. Gov. Maura Healey, Senate President Karen Spilka and House Speaker Ron Mariano have come out against removing the requirement without first ensuring there’s a sufficient backstop to measure student’s progress.
| | | DATELINE BEACON HILL | | | — “Healey plans to use executive authority to beat back attempt to suspend Mass. gun law,” by Chris Van Buskirk, Boston Herald: “Gov. Maura Healey plans to use her executive authority Wednesday to deem a gun bill she signed in July an emergency law, a move that effectively nullifies an attempt by Second Amendment rights groups to suspend the measure before it takes hold later in October. Healey’s anticipated action, which her office confirmed Tuesday, throws into limbo a campaign led by a Cape Cod gun store owner to collect nearly 50,000 signatures from registered voters in Massachusetts by Oct. 9 to shelve the gun reforms until the 2026 elections.” — “75 municipalities now on board with MBTA Communities law,” by Gintautas Dumcius, CommonWealth Beacon: “Days before attorneys representing Massachusetts state government and the town of Milton face off in a dispute over the MBTA Communities law, Gov. Maura Healey and Attorney General Andrea Campbell sought to spotlight the cities and towns that are taking the opposite tack.”
| | THE RACE FOR CITY HALL | | METHUEN MAKES MOVES — Acting Mayor D.J. Beauregard made it official Tuesday, launching his campaign to remove the “acting” from the temporary title bestowed on him in the wake of late Mayor Neil Perry's death late last month. "I never contemplated making this announcement without my friend and mentor by my side, but due to the rapidly approaching special election, today I announce my candidacy for mayor of Methuen to serve the remainder of Mayor Perry’s unexpired term," Beauregard said in a statement Tuesday. At Large City Councilor Jessica Finocchiaro, also rumored to be considering jumping in, didn't rule out a bid in an email Tuesday night. "I’ve been lucky to represent the City of Methuen over the years, and appreciate that residents reach out when there’s an opportunity to serve," she wrote in an email to Playbook. "The way that many of us pictured Methuen’s next chapter will need to be rewritten after this sudden loss. It’s time for everyone to ask themselves how they can make a difference for Methuen in the next few years." It’ll be a quick turnaround for anyone looking to get in the race. The city can’t hold the special election until 64 days after it’s scheduled, The Eagle-Tribune reported. With the Methuen City Council expected to set the date for the special during a meeting Monday, it seems the earliest it could happen is Dec. 10. That means candidates looking to nab the seat before it’s on the ballot against next fall could have just about two months to get their campaign’s up and running.
| | MIGRANTS IN MASSACHUSETTS | | — “Amherst eyes joint homeless shelter, housing on old VFW site,” by Scott Merzbach, Daily Hampshire Gazette: “Town officials are exploring development of the former VFW site on Main Street into a new 40-bed homeless shelter with associated services and a four-story, 30-unit single-room occupancy apartment complex.”
| | | | A message from Mass General Brigham:   | | | | | UNION TOWN | | — “Boston dockworkers among thousands on strike nationwide,” by Craig LeMoult, GBH News. — “Retailers worried about impact from port strike,” by Christian M. Wade, Newburyport Daily News: “The state’s business leaders are urging negotiators to reach a deal to resolve a labor dispute that shutdown cargo ports from Maine to Texas on Tuesday, warning that it could upend the supply chain for consumer goods ahead of the holiday season. More than 45,000 workers at 14 ports walked off the job overnight after talks between the United States Maritime Alliance, which represents shipping lines and port operators, and the International Longshoremen’s Association, a union representing dock workers, failed to reach an agreement on a new contract.”
| | PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES | | — “Seven injured after Green Line train derails near Lechmere Station, investigation underway,” by Maria Elena Little Endara, Kiera McDonald and Tonya Alanez, The BostoFn Globe: “A Green Line train suddenly derailed during the evening commute on Tuesday near Lechmere station, forcing dozens of passengers to evacuate and causing minor injuries to seven people, officials said. The wheels on the lead trolley came off track around 5 p.m. as the train traveled eastbound, near the Red Bridge, in the area of Morgan Avenue, MBTA officials said.”
| | YAHD SIGNS AND BUMPAH STICKAHS | | FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Gov. Maura Healey and Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll have endorsed Josh Tarsky in his bid to replace state Rep. Denise Garlick in the 13th Norfolk District, according to his campaign. — Rep. Richard Neal has endorsed Westfield City Councilor Bridget Matthews-Kane who is challenging Republican Rep. Kelly Pease for his seat, according to her campaign. — “Get ready to wait: Swing state officials say final results could take weeks to tally,” by Matthew Medsgar, Boston Herald.
| | DAY IN COURT | | — “Trial date set for Everett mayor’s defamation suit after ‘Holocaust’ of bogus press,” by Joe Dwinell, Boston Herald. — “N.H. gun owners can carry firearms without a license. What happens when they bring their guns to Mass.?,” by Anjali Huynh, The Boston Globe. — “Brookline generational tobacco ban catching on in Mass.,” by Hannah Edelheit, CommonWealth Beacon: “The general tobacco ban implemented first in Brookline and approved by the state’s Supreme Judicial Court is starting to catch on in Massachusetts. Six communities have already approved their own bans and a number of others are considering them. Peabody is the latest. Its board of health is holding a public comment period on a proposed ban on October 24.” — “Chelmsford beaver’s future set to be decided in court after state officials order release into wild,” by Steve Cooper, 7News Boston: “A beaver who has been in the care of a Chelmsford wildlife center for about two years might soon be released back into the wild. State officials said that it is time for Nibi, the beaver rescued from the side of the road in Sturbridge, to leave the rehabilitation center. However, Jane Newhouse, of the Newhouse Wildlife Rescue, said Nibi is not ready to survive in the wild.”
| | IT'S NOT EASY BEING GREEN | | — “A nonprofit is offering millions to help cities cut emissions. Will Worcester get some?,” by Henry Schwan, Telegram & Gazette: “The city has an opportunity to get big bucks to cut carbon emissions linked to public health problems and climate change. If the money comes through, it will arrive from what the Coalition for Green Capital is calling the first green bank in the U.S. The nonprofit, based in Washington, D.C., was formed in 2009 to fight climate change. It received $5 billion from the Environmental Protection Agency to create the first national green bank.”
| | | | A message from Mass General Brigham: At Mass General Brigham, we harness the collective strength of our healthcare system to provide research-driven cancer care for the patients and communities we serve. Mass General Brigham is number one in hospital medical research. We perform the most cancer surgeries and have the most cancer specialists in New England. We have the region’s only proton therapy center and provide access to more than 1,000 clinical trials annually.
The vision for Mass General Brigham is to build a world-class center of cancer care, with the patients at the center of everything we do. New collaborations, new treatments, and innovative approaches. Leading to new hope and possibilities. At Mass General Brigham, we’re one against cancer. Learn more. | | | | | FROM THE 413 | | — “Western Mass cities say drop in investment rate will help a little in borrowing but hurt in investing,” by Jeanette DeForge, The Springfield Republican. — “Mass. psychedelic mushroom decriminalization may get this city's support,” by Liesel Nygard, MassLive: “Northampton may soon be on the record supporting psychedelic mushrooms. A resolution, recommended by Northampton City Councilors Jeremy Macomber-Dubs and Rachel Maiore, would support a question on the Nov. 5 ballot that would allow people over the age of 21 to grow, possess and use certain natural psychedelic substances.”
| | THE LOCAL ANGLE | | — “Methuen honors late mayor with random acts of kindness,” by Angelina Berube, The Eagle-Tribune. — “New Bedford City Council vote may remove stumbling block to offshore wind jobs,” by Frank Mulligan, SouthCoast Today: “Picture 400 to 500 workers ferrying in and out of New Bedford on a monthly basis to provide support for the multi-billion-dollar offshore wind industry in the year 2030. Their base of operations would be the 27-acre New Bedford Foss Marine Commerce Terminal at 98 Front St., where five, 30-foot-high, 30,000-square-foot warehouses would be supplying five separate offshore wind developers.”
| | HEARD ‘ROUND THE BUBBLAH | | TRANSITIONS — Carly Pierce has joined Rasky Partners as a public affairs associate. She had worked as a legislative aide to state Rep. David Rogers. HAPPY BIRTHDAY — to Robin Goldberg, Cambridge Mayor E. Denise Simmons, Rosie Quick and Marlena Abdinoor (Baldacci). 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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