| | | | |  | | By Kelly Garrity | | Presented by |  | | | BACK IN THE SADDLE — Joe Kennedy III is back on the campaign trail. The former congressman swung through the Southwest last weekend, alongside Cesar L. Chavez, the grandson of the famous labor leader and civil rights activist, getting out the vote for Vice President Kamala Harris in a whirlwind spin through Colorado, Nevada and Arizona as her campaign targets Latino voters in the neck-and-neck battleground states. Voters there, like most places, are focused on “their pocketbooks,” Kennedy said. But he also leaned into his experience in Congress during Donald Trump’s term while whipping up supporters, recalling stories from trips to the encampments at the border. It’s one of Kennedy’s biggest recent public forays into politics, though he’s stayed active since giving up his congressional seat to unsuccessfully challenge Sen. Ed Markey in 2020. He’s still working on the Groundwork Project, an organization founded to help grow grassroots campaigns for Democrats across the country. And he’s still serving as special envoy to Northern Ireland — though that role will end at the end of the year, he confirmed, whether or not Harris wins the White House. When he took on the role, where he helped coordinate a major post-Brexit trade deal, Kennedy committed to serve through the end of President Joe Biden's term. “But given other commitments from my family and professionally as well, [I said] that I probably would only be able to do so through the end of this year,” Kennedy said. And he’s still not looking to add any campaign of his own into the mix. “I'm very happy with the things that are keeping me busy at the moment,” Kennedy said. “The unfortunate reality of elected life is the quality of life outside that world is a lot better than quality of life inside it. I've got two young kids that still actually like to see me and I’m looking forward to spending time with them while that remains the case.” GOOD FRIDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. And how did Kennedy end up on horseback? That was part of an annual community event put together by a Nevada assembly member that included a mariachi ensemble and paraders on horseback. “They asked if I would want to get on the horse. I obviously said, absolutely,” Kennedy said. TODAY — Gov. Maura Healey campaigns for Vice President Kamala Harris in Pennsylvania. Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll speaks at the Asian American and Pacific Islanders Commission’s Diwali celebration at 11:45 a.m. at the State House. Sen. Ed Markey kicks off a canvass for Harris and former Manchester Mayor Joyce Craig in New Hampshire at noon. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu speaks at a Boston Police graduation ceremony at 11 a.m. in South Boston. THIS WEEKEND — Nina Jankowicz and Joe Curtatone talk the role of disinformation and misinformation in 2024 elections on NBC10 Boston's "@Issue" at 7:30 p.m. Friday. GOP Senate hopeful John Deaton is on WBZ's "Keller @ Large" at 8:30 a.m. Sunday. Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll is on WCVB's "On the Record" at 11 a.m. Sunday. Tips? Scoops? Birthdays? Email me: kgarrity@politico.com
| | | | A message from Johnson & Johnson: We’re restoring the true meaning of healthcare—Innovating more precise, less invasive surgery and improving recovery. See how we’re connecting the best of Health&Care for every patient and provider. Learn more. | | | |  | YAHD SIGNS AND BUMPAH STICKAHS | | EYES EMOJI — New England Patriots Foundation President Josh Kraft is helping MassDems get out the vote in Pennsylvania. Kraft donated $5,000 to help cover the cost of some of the accommodations and one of the buses the state party is sending to the swing state this weekend, according to a spokesperson. The potential Boston mayoral candidate is a "proud Democrat" who's happy to support the Harris-Walz ticket, Kraft spokesperson Eileen O'Connor told Playbook. Kraft, the younger son of billionaire New England Patriots owner Robert Kraft, has donated to a handful of Democrats in the past — including recently to Gov. Maura Healey — and he joined a fundraiser in Boston for the Harris Victory Fund last month, where tickets ranged from $500 to $100,000. — “Write-in candidates add some competition to sleepy legislative election season,” by Katie Lannan, GBH News. — “U.S. House candidate Milleron questions Neal’s political ties while answering for her own,” by Jim Kinney, The Springfield Republican. — “Multilingual voting gets a boost in Boston,” by Sarah Betancourt, GBH News.
| | BALLOT BATTLES | | — “Former Massachusetts gubernatorial candidate Danielle Allen eyeing 2026 election reform ballot question,” by Chris Van Buskirk, Boston Herald: “A coalition that includes former gubernatorial candidate and Harvard professor Danielle Allen is staffing up in an attempt to field a ballot question during the 2026 election that would ask voters to approve a new preliminary election system and sign-off on campaign finance reforms. The move by the Coalition for Healthy Democracy, which Allen serves as a senior advisor to, is its second attempt at advancing an election reform ballot question after it briefly floated, raised money for, and filed paperwork for five separate measures ahead of the 2024 election.”
| | DATELINE BEACON HILL | | — “Looking back at Steward's collapse: Are more hospital failures still to come?” by Kinga Borondy, Telegram & Gazette: “State health care leaders and experts agreed at a symposium Wednesday that the Steward Health Care crisis was a symptom of inherent infrastructure failures in the whole Massachusetts health care system, and that without fixes, more failures and closures are on the horizon.”
| | FROM THE HUB | | — “‘It was crushing’: Across Boston, late and no-show buses upend the lives of student athletes,” by James Vaznis, The Boston Globe.
| | TRAIL MIX | | — “Dems say they will certify a Trump victory — even the ones who think the 14th Amendment disqualifies him,” by Kyle Cheney and Nicholas Wu, POLITICO: “Democrats in Congress for years have labeled Donald Trump an ‘insurrectionist,’ impeached him for stoking violence on Jan. 6, 2021, and suggested he is constitutionally prohibited from returning to the White House. But even as those lawmakers continue to doubt Trump’s eligibility for the presidency, they also say that if he wins at the polls, they don’t expect efforts to deny him his presidential electors on Jan. 6, 2025, when Congress meets to finalize the results.” — “Trump swings through New Mexico, declaring ‘I love the Hispanics’,” by Natalie Allison, POLITICO. — “Mark Cuban Shows Democrats What They’ve Been Missing,” by Victoria Guida, POLITICO. — “AP sources: White House altered record of Biden’s ‘garbage’ remarks despite stenographer concerns,” by Aamer Madhani and Zeke Miller, Associated Press.
| | | PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES | | | — “Millionaire tax won’t eliminate T’s fiscal cliff, Tibbits-Nutt says,” by Gintautas Dumcius, CommonWealth Beacon: “When Massachusetts voters passed the millionaire tax in 2022, there was an expectation that the funds generated by the 4 percent surtax on income over $1 million would help solve the problems in the state’s transportation sector, particularly with the struggling MBTA system facing an operating deficit. But Gov. Maura Healey’s transportation chief, Monica Tibbits-Nutt, said that while the millionaire tax has ‘performed much better’ than expected ($1.2 billion above the budget target in the last fiscal year), it won’t be enough to solve the state’s transportation woes.”
| | | | A message from Johnson & Johnson:   | | | | | FROM THE DELEGATION | | — “Elizabeth Warren’s office: Biden-Harris and Congressional Dems saved 1.4 million union pensions,” by Matthew Medsgar, Boston Herald: “The Biden-Harris Administration and Congressional Democrats saved the pensions of more than a million union members, many of which could have become insolvent in the coming year, according to a new report out of U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren’s office.”
| | IT'S NOT EASY BEING GREEN | | — “To clean up Boston-area rivers, EPA will require businesses to clean up their act,” by Erin Douglas, The Boston Globe: “Every time it rains in Boston, water rolls across parking lots and streets, picking up lawn fertilizer, oil, dog poop, and de-icing salt along the way. And then, all those drops of dirty water flow down into the Charles River. Under new requirements drafted by the US Environmental Protection Agency and announced on Thursday, commercial properties with pavement and roof areas exceeding one acre in total will have to better control that stormwater pollution.”
| | THE LOCAL ANGLE | | — “In a first, Medford seeks a Proposition 2 1/2 override to fund schools, roads and a new fire station,” by Tonya Alanez and Kiera McDonald, The Boston Globe: “This city on the Mystic River, home to Tufts University, a strong commercial tax base, and stable home values, is one of the few Massachusetts communities that has never asked its residents to vote for a tax hike since Proposition 2½, the state’s tax cap law, was approved by voters in 1980. That will change on Tuesday, when voters in the city of about 60,000 will be asked to decide three ballot questions.” — “Salem eyes election commission switch for next year,” by Michael McHugh, The Salem News: “With the Nov. 5 presidential election fast approaching, City Clerk Ilene Simons will once again be responsible for running the election in Salem, but that may not be the case for the next election. As city officials consider the creation of a new city election commission that would oversee and run elections in Salem — freeing up the city clerk to prioritize other responsibilities — city councilors are hoping to resume their review of the proposal and iron out details before the end of the year.” — “Why did the State Ethics Commission raise concerns over Koch's payday?,” by Peter Blandino, The Patriot Ledger: “The Massachusetts State Ethics Commission raised conflict of interest concerns over the large pay raises approved by Quincy city councilors for themselves and Mayor Thomas Koch, according to Koch's chief of staff, Chris Walker. … The state's intervention played a role in Koch's and council president Ian Cain's decision to defer the raises, which would have otherwise kicked in Jan. 1, 2025, Walker said.” — “For rallygoers at Worcester City Hall, Puerto Rico a point of pride, not derision,” by Marco Cartolano, Telegram & Gazette.
| | MEANWHILE IN RHODE ISLAND | | — “‘Until hell freezes over’: McKee denounces Neronha for investigation of ILO contract,” by Ted Nesi, Eli Sherman, Tim White and Alexandra Leslie, WPRI: “Gov. Dan McKee on Thursday lambasted Attorney General Peter Neronha for revealing that the governor interfered in the awarding of a $5 million state contract, accusing the state’s top prosecutor of a political hit job to drive McKee from office. 'Millions of dollars were paid to destroy my reputation and my family’s reputation,' McKee said.” MEANWHILE — “Foulkes raises nearly 3 times more than McKee as both eye 2026 race for governor,” by Ted Nesi, WPRI.
| | HEARD ‘ROUND THE BUBBLAH | | TRANSITIONS — Michelle Rhee has joined the Boston-based venture capital firm Equal Opportunity Ventures. HAPPY BIRTHDAY — to Erin Hearn of J Strategies, Molly Horan, Hannah Smith and Siri Uotila. HAPPY BIRTHWEEKEND — to Jeffrey A. Hoffman, Sofia Vilar and Amy Finkelstein, who celebrate Saturday; and to Sunday birthday-ers former Gov. Mike Dukakis, former gubernatorial hopeful and Harvard professor Danielle Allen, Martine David, Medford City Council President Zac Bears, Jake Lahut, Barbara Zheutlin, David Case and Rowan Morris, managing director at Guggenheim Partners.
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