| | | | |  | | By Kelly Garrity | | Presented by |  | | | SILVER LININGS — As the finger-pointing and soul searching gets underway at the national level, Democratic leaders in Massachusetts are bracing for Donald Trump’s return to the White House. But for as much as they laid into the former president’s policies on the campaign trail, Trump’s return is likely to boost top Bay State Democrats’ political position. Take Attorney General Andrea Campbell, who said during a post-election press conference yesterday that her office has “been working to identify prospective threats under a Trump administration, as well as strategies to best address those threats should they arise.” Pressed for specifics, she added that her office has been in “communication with other [Attorneys General] across the country,” and hinted that she is prepared to sue the administration, as Gov. Maura Healey, then Attorney General, did roughly 100 times when Trump was last in office. Those lawsuits helped Healey slide into the Governor’s office in 2022, handily dispatching her lesser-known primary challengers. Healey, who built her brand taking Trump’s first administration to court — and spent the days and weeks leading up to Tuesday's election slamming the former president’s proposals and stumping for Harris out of state — toned it down slightly Wednesday. “We have to see whether he makes good on what he promised and ran on,” Healey said during her own press conference Wednesday. But Massachusetts is “a place where we will always stand up for people’s rights and freedoms — where women will have control over their healthcare decisions, and where every person is respected, valued and heard, whoever you are, wherever you were born, whomever you love,“ Healey said, promising that would still “be true tomorrow.” And by the end of the night, the governor was back on MSNBC, promising that Massachusetts is ready to “hold the line” during the second Trump term. With Trump’s return, and Republicans taking back the Senate and possibly the House, Democrats in D.C. are likely to look to state lawmakers for leadership. Healey has the chance to parlay the national spotlight she earned as a campaign surrogate for Harris (remember the primetime slot at the DNC?) into a role as a top messenger for the party the next four years. GOOD THURSDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. TODAY — Healey attends a ribbon cutting for the new Minuteman Gate at the Westfield- Barnes Air National Guard Base at 11 a.m. in Westfield and she, Rep. Richard Neal and state and local officials attend the “topping off” ceremony for the new Holyoke Veterans Home at 1 p.m. in Holyoke. Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll speaks at the English for New Bostonians' breakfast at 9 a.m. in Boston. Driscoll and Boston Mayor Michelle Wu speak at the Greater Boston Food Bank’s annual Chain of Giving at 10 a.m. in South Boston. Tips? Scoops? Birthdays? Drop me a line: 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. | | | | | — “Massachusetts women's groups ready to mobilize under second Trump presidency,” by Alexi Cohan, GBH News. — “These 5 Mass. towns are presidential bellwethers,” by John L. Micek, MassLive. — “Sandra Wright calls for recount in B-R state rep race. Her reason and Raynham's response,” by Daniel Schemer, Taunton Daily Gazette: “The candidate who is trailing in the extremely tight race for the Bridgewater-Raynham state rep seat is calling for a recount. Republican Sandra Wright is trailing Democrat Dennis Gallagher by just 178 votes in Tuesday's election, according to unofficial results from both towns. Wright announced Wednesday morning she is seeking a recount.” — “Dems rage against Biden’s ‘arrogance’ after Harris loss,” by Adam Cancryn, POLITICO: “Democrats are directing their rage over losing the presidential race at Joe Biden, who they blame for setting up Kamala Harris for failure by not dropping out sooner. They say his advancing age, questions over his mental acuity and deep unpopularity put Democrats at a sharp disadvantage. They are livid that they were forced to embrace a candidate who voters had made clear they did not want — and then stayed in the race long after it was clear he couldn’t win.” — “Republicans maintain their grip on state capitals,” by Paul Demko, POLITICO: “Democrats made significant inroads in state legislative races in recent election cycles and hoped to build on those gains on Tuesday. But with many state legislative races still too close to call — and likely to trigger recounts — Republicans appear to have largely staved off big challenges in key states and flipped Democratic seats in others. Most notably, they partially reversed big Democratic 2022 gains in Michigan and Minnesota that gave that party total control of those state governments and ushered through bold progressive agendas.” — “Speculation whirls as Trump begins vetting for top White House jobs,” by Natalie Allison, Meridith McGraw and Lisa Kashinsky, POLITICO: “After his election night rout, Trump’s advisers have made clear his top Day One priorities include executive orders on border security and oil drilling, and other measures to promote energy independence. With Congress potentially under full Republican control, Trump’s team is emboldened to push aspects of his America First agenda as soon as he re-enters office.”
|  | BALLOT BATTLES | | — “Town-by-town analysis: Income split seen in MCAS ballot question,” by Mandy McLaren, Ryan Huddle and Neena Hagen, The Boston Globe: “Statewide, lower income communities voted overwhelmingly to remove the MCAS requirement, while high income areas were more mixed. In Springfield, where the median household income is under $50,000, 70 percent of voters supported eliminating the MCAS requirement. In Boston, where the median household earns $89,000, 56.1 percent supported the measure. Carlisle, which has a median income approaching $250,000, was more divided — 42.5 percent voted to jettison the MCAS requirement, and 57.5 percent voted to keep it in place.” — “Rideshare drivers win right to unionize in Massachusetts after ballot question victory,” by Chris Van Buskirk, Boston Herald: “Rideshare drivers in Massachusetts working for app-based companies like Uber and Lyft gained the right to unionize Wednesday after residents voted in favor of a ballot question backed by a property services union. The outcome offers 32BJ SEIU and other unions in Massachusetts the opportunity to bolster their ranks in an untouched industry that has long drawn scrutiny in the Bay State for its treatment of drivers and work environment.” — “Question 2 passes: DESE releases guidance for future without MCAS graduation requirement,” by Grace Zokovitch, Boston Herald: “Massachusetts students will see all new graduation requirement standards next year following the passage of Question 2 in Tuesday’s election. Question 2, championed by the Massachusetts Teachers Association, successfully threw out the MCAS standardized testing graduation requirement for high school students. Students will continue to take the test as a diagnostic tool, but graduation standards will be set by local school districts based on the completion of coursework.”
| | DATELINE BEACON HILL | | — “Healey Asks That Six Be Pardoned For Crimes,” by Sam Doran, State House News Service (paywall): “Gov. Maura Healey on Wednesday forwarded six new potential pardons to the Governor's Council, for crimes ranging from larceny to worker's compensation fraud. In filing letters obtained by the News Service, the governor noted in each case that the pardon was supported by a vote of the Parole Board, acting in its capacity as the Advisory Board of Pardons.” 2026 WATCH — With the 2024 election (kind of) in the rearview, Gov. Maura Healey isn’t saying yet whether she plans to run for a second term. "I think it's a little early to make any announcements," she told reporters yesterday. "We're dealing with this election. I love my job, and my message today to everybody in Massachusetts is that we see you.”
| | FROM THE HUB | | — “Galvin opens investigation into Boston Elections Commission after Election Day ballot shortage at precincts,” by Matt Stout and Niki Griswold, The Boston Globe: “Secretary of State William F. Galvin said Wednesday that he’s launching an investigation into the city of Boston’s Elections Commission after several polling locations in the city didn’t receive enough ballots during Tuesday’s election, causing ‘unreasonable and unnecessary delays’ for voters. Galvin said the ballot shortage was just one of a number of ‘significant problems’ that hampered voting in Massachusetts’ biggest city. The Brighton Democrat wrote in a letter to Eneida Tavares, chair of the Elections Commission, that workers in precincts that ran short on ballots ultimately contacted his office to report the shortage because “they were unable to contact” the commission itself.”
| | | | A message from Johnson & Johnson:   | | | | | FROM THE 413 | | — “Three Berkshire County towns deliver mixed election results on Community Preservation Act ballot questions,” by Sten Spinella, Claire O'Callahan, The Berkshire Eagle. — “Northampton council poised to vote on resolution that calls for arms embargo to Israel,” by Alexander MacDougall, Daily Hampshire Gazette: “After passing a resolution in February calling for a cease-fire in the ongoing war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, the city of Northampton will now consider whether to pass another resolution advocating for an arms embargo to Israel. The resolution, recommended by Ward 4’s Jeremy Dubs, cites a joint resolution introduced to Congress by U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders that would block the sale of more than $20 billion in offensive U.S. weaponry to Israel.”
| | THE LOCAL ANGLE | | — “Brockton students learn how to invest in the stock market thanks to this nonprofit,” by Sam Turken, GBH News. — “School Committee asks state to stop potential teachers strike,” by Paul Leighton, The Salem News: “The Beverly School Committee has filed a petition with the state asking it to stop a potential teachers strike. The petition, which was filed Monday, asks the state Department of Labor Relations to ‘step in to stop an illegal strike we believe is planned for the coming days,’ School Committee Chair Rachael Abell said in a message to school families. — “Trump grows stronger on South Coast, and a warning sign for Montigny,” by Jack Spillane, The New Bedford Light: “Yes, it was a big night for Donald Trump in Pennsylvania and North Carolina and Wisconsin. But it was also a big night for the former president in places like New Jersey, New York City and yes, Greater New Bedford. In all of them he narrowed the margin of his loss to President Joe Biden in 2020. The former president didn’t win the Whaling City in the end. The professional class that lives in the Victorian homes of Ward 5 came out big for Harris, giving her a 1,366 vote margin, helping push the vice president’s margin over the former president to almost 2,700 votes overall in the city.”
| | | | A message from Johnson & Johnson: At Johnson & Johnson, we believe health is everything. Our strength in healthcare innovation empowers us to build a world where complex diseases are prevented, treated, and cured; treatments are smarter and less invasive; and solutions are personal. We are uniquely positioned to innovate across the full spectrum, of healthcare solutions today to deliver the breakthroughs of tomorrow. We combine our science and technology with our determination to create a powerful force for care… and profoundly impact health for humanity. Learn more. | | | | | HEARD ‘ROUND THE BUBBLAH | | HAPPY BIRTHDAY — to Massachusetts Competitive Partnership’s Jay Ash, Joe Tutino and Cindy Rowe. 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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