| | | | |  | | By Kelly Garrity | | Presented by |  | | | FOLLOW THE LEADER — Here’s something you don’t see everyday on Beacon Hill: a public challenge to legislative leadership. State Rep. Marc Lombardo announced a bid for House minority leader yesterday afternoon, setting up a battle between the more conservative Billerica Republican and current Minority Leader Brad Jones. “I think it's time to build the Republican Party and strengthen our voice in the State House to represent the taxpayers in the way that they truly deserve,” and to be an “opposition voice to the madness that happens on Beacon Hill,” Lombardo told Playbook. “For too long, our voice has been quiet and muted, and I'm excited at the opportunity to amplify our voice and really take on a different direction.” Lombardo also got a two-for-one dig in against Jones and Democratic leaders in his announcement, accusing Jones of being “complicit” in “enabling the majority party to govern in secrecy” while keeping the rank-and-file in check by doling out earmarks and leadership roles. But whether he’ll have the votes to oust Jones is currently looking unlikely. Jones in a statement said he’s “proud to have the support of the overwhelming majority of the caucus” to serve another term in the role. “I have enjoyed the productive discussions with Republican colleagues about how we can work together as we head into the 2025-2026 session. I look forward to continuing to serve as House Minority Leader come January 1,” he said in a statement. GOP state Reps. Marcus Vaughn, David DeCoste, Joseph McKenna, John Marsi and Michael Soter are all backing Jones, they told me, as are Reps. Paul Frost and Todd Smola, per the Boston Herald. Lombardo does have support from state Rep. Nick Boldyga, according to the Herald. And it's worth keeping an eye on the incoming class of House Republicans to see how they’ll vote. But whether or not his challenge is successful, Lombardo’s move will force House Republicans to make a choice between supporting new, more conservative leadership, or sticking with the status quo — a choice that could cause them headaches if they face primary challenges from the right down the road. The contest is also stirring some conversation in the caucus about the direction the minority should take next session. “I think that Mark Lombardo’s candidacy and his announcement show that there's an opportunity to be more conservative in the Republican caucus,” McKenna, who’s backing Jones, told me. “I look forward to having the conversation with [Jones] about how we can work together to make the caucus more conservative and more assertive on issues, and to be a stronger leader of Republican and conservative values.” GOOD THURSDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. One more day to get in your late-December/early January birthdays! Email me: kgarrity@politico.com TODAY — Gov. Maura Healey and Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll launch the Massachusetts AI Hub and announce investments in AI infrastructure at 10:30 a.m. in Boston.
| | | | A message from Vineyard Offshore: Offshore wind is revitalizing port communities from New Bedford to Salem, delivering local jobs, and establishing the Commonwealth as a leader in building a clean energy economy that benefits everyone. With Vineyard Wind 2, we can add nearly 3,800 more jobs and $2.3 billion in direct economic benefits – while delivering enough clean electricity to power 650,000 homes. Read all about it at vineyardoffshore.com/vineyardwind2. | | | |  | DATELINE BEACON HILL | | MARK YOUR CALENDARS — Gov. Maura Healey will deliver her State of Commonwealth speech on Jan. 16, her office announced yesterday, marking the halfway point in her first term. — “Massachusetts lawmakers are paid to be full-time legislators. Half have second jobs or side hustles, too,” by Emma Platoff and Matt Stout, The Boston Globe: “Massachusetts is one of just 10 states with a full-time Legislature, and the vast majority of Massachusetts legislators earn a six-figure salary. Yet at least 91 lawmakers in the 200-seat Legislature reported having an additional job or ownership stake in a private company while simultaneously working on Beacon Hill last year, according to a Globe review of the most recent financial disclosures available, which only cover 2023. That’s not counting several more who the Globe confirmed rent out property as landlords. All told, at least half of state lawmakers had some type of second job, business interest, or side hustle, raising questions about how much time lawmakers commit to their elected roles.” — “Coalition threatens lawsuit to force Massachusetts Legislature to comply with audit law,” by Chris Van Buskirk, Boston Herald: “A bipartisan coalition of advocacy and legal groups is preparing litigation to force the Massachusetts Legislature to comply with a voter-approved legislative audit law if Beacon Hill pols refuse to participate willingly come the new year. The threat of a lawsuit comes as Auditor Diana DiZoglio has already asked Attorney General Andrea Campbell to greenlight legal action that would force the House and Senate to hand over internal information as part of a renewed effort to investigate the two chambers.” — “State Sen. Nick Collins on his decision to help kill Wu's tax shift plan,” by Cristela Guerra and Rob Lane, WBUR.
| | FROM THE HUB | | — “Boston City Councilor Fernandes Anderson has a trail of troubled finances,” by Walter Wuthmann, WBUR: “The expenses in the audit reports of Boston City Councilor Tania Fernandes Anderson’s campaign committee could be mistaken for a large family credit card bill: $1,630.65 at a BJ’s Wholesale Club; $17 at Taco Bell; $410 at Restaurante Cesaria in Dorchester. ... Fernandes Anderson has nearly 70 audit letters and reviews in her file going back to 2021, far more than is typical, according to specialists in campaign finance.” RELATED — “Indicted Boston City Councilor case evidence includes database of 1M+ files, feds say,” by Flint McColgan, Boston Herald. — “Superintendent proposes another change to BPS exam schools admissions policy,” by Christopher Huffaker, The Boston Globe: “Boston Public Schools Superintendent Mary Skipper has proposed yet another revision to the district’s complex and controversial admissions system for the district’s three prestigious exam schools. The new version, which the School Committee was due to discuss Wednesday evening, would simplify the policy slightly, halving the number of eight geographic ‘tiers’ of the city students compete within. The proposal splits the city into four tiers based on socioeconomic measures, with students in each vying for one-quarter of the total seats.” — “Another slow month for Greater Boston’s frozen housing market, but home prices tick ever upward,” by Andrew Brinker, The Boston Globe.
| | | | You read POLITICO for trusted reporting. Now follow every twist of the lame duck session with Inside Congress. We track the committee meetings, hallway conversations, and leadership signals that show where crucial year-end deals are heading. Subscribe now. | | | | | | | BALLOT BATTLES | | — “Where does MCAS ballot question leave the high school grad requirement? It’s far from clear,” by Michael Jonas, CommonWealth Beacon: “While voters opted last month to scrap the state’s MCAS test as a high school graduation requirement, exactly what will be required of students in its place in order to receive a diploma seems as clear as mud. That was the sentiment voiced Tuesday by some members of the state Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, who signaled frustration with language they’ve been left with in the wake of the ballot question that several said was confusing. Meanwhile, the board chair raised for the second time since the election the possibility that the board could face a lawsuit over the move to end a uniform assessment for graduation.”
| | HAHVAHD YAHD | | — “Number of Black students at Harvard Law drops by over half after SCOTUS ruling,” by Alvin Buyinza and Juliet Schulman-Hall, MassLive: “The number of Black first-year students attending Harvard Law School in the fall dropped by over half compared to last year, data shows. Harvard only admitted 19 Black first-year students into their school in 2024, a dramatic fall from last year when 43 Black students were admitted, according to data from the American Bar Association.”
| | PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES | | ICYMI — “MBTA’s Green Line Accessibility Project Will Consolidate Stops in Brookline,” by Christian MilNeil, StreetsBlog Mass: “By the end of 2026, Brookline will have two fewer Green Line stops, but riders will get faster transit trips and upgraded stations as part of the T's efforts to make the C branch fully accessible between Cleveland Circle and Kenmore Square.”
| | | | A message from Vineyard Offshore:   | | | | | FROM THE DELEGATION | | — “Pressley, Markey demand resources for victims of police brutality,” by Cheyanne M. Daniels, The Hill: “Rep. Ayanna Pressley (D-Mass.) and Sen. Ed Markey (D-Mass.) have sent a letter to acting Assistant Attorney General Brent Cohen demanding victims and families of police violence be granted access to the Department of Justice’s Crime Victims Fund.” — “U.S. Rep. Auchincloss joins Republican colleagues in bringing fentanyl fight to China,” by Matthew Medsgar, Boston Herald: “A Bay State Congressman reached across the aisle this week to join his Republican colleagues in offering legislation to stop the flow of deadly fentanyl into the U.S. from China. U.S. Rep. Jake Auchincloss, joined by U.S. Reps. Dan Newhouse (R-WA), John Moolenaar (R-MI), and Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL), announced they will offer three bills focused on stopping the lethal drug problem where it starts.”
| | FROM THE 413 | | — “'People feel blindsided.' Pittsfield School Committee members expect updates to high school investigations at meeting,” by Greg Sukiennik, The Berkshire Eagle: “A difficult situation calls for facts, and for the healing embrace of community. That was the assessment of two Pittsfield School Committee members who spoke Tuesday on investigations leading to administrative leave for two members of Pittsfield High School’s leadership team. School Committee member Diane Belair said she and constituents she spoke with felt ‘blindsided’ by the allegations against employees — one alleging a conspiracy to sell cocaine, another alleging improper photos sent to students, and a third alleging a former employee had improper relationships with students.”
| | THE LOCAL ANGLE | | — “Natick adopts rules similar to other Massachusetts sanctuary cities 5-0 in packed meeting,” by Joe Dwinell, Boston Herald. — “Cities and towns face end-of-year zoning deadline to fall in line on Mass. housing law,” by Sarah Betancourt, GBH News. — “Deadly year: 16 homicides in Worcester in 2024 is the most in decades,” by Craig S. Semon, Telegram & Gazette: “The year isn't quite over yet, but 2024 is already the worst year in the city for homicides for this millennium and, according to official statistics, is the worst in at least 38 years. To date, Worcester has had 16 homicides, which is 10 more than last year.” — “At packed City Council meeting, a divided response to Justice Department report on PD,” by Marco Cartolano, Telegram & Gazette: “Differences within the city on law enforcement and police oversight were on full display Tuesday night as the City Council addressed the Department of Justice investigation into the Police Department for the first time. More than a hundred police officers and their supporters came out to denounce the Justice Department report. ... However, there were also several speakers ... who spoke on what they said was a culture of sexual violence and impunity within the Police Department, especially towards homeless women and women in the sex trade.”
| | | | POLITICO Pro's unique analysis combines exclusive transition intelligence and data visualization to help you understand not just what's changing, but why it matters for your organization. Explore how POLITICO Pro will make a difference for you. | | | | | | | MEANWHILE IN RHODE ISLAND | | — “Foulkes’ time leading CVS drugstores under the microscope in new US opioid lawsuit,” by Ted Nesi and Eli Sherman, WPRI: “The federal lawsuit against CVS Health unsealed on Wednesday could reshape the state's next race for governor, as one of the players involved is a leading candidate for the job. … The period cited in the lawsuit begins in October 2013 -- just months before Helena Foulkes started her four-year tenure as president of CVS Pharmacy Inc., the company's retail division, which is the lead defendant in the federal suit. Foulkes narrowly lost the Democratic nomination for Rhode Island governor in 2022 and she's preparing to run again in 2026.”
| | HEARD ‘ROUND THE BUBBLAH | | TRANSITIONS — Former state treasurer Tim Cahill will serve as president and CEO of the South Shore Chamber of Commerce starting Jan. 1. WELCOME TO THE WORLD — Laura Howard Kilfoyle, development principal at the Kraft Group, and Matt Kilfoyle, a VP at Fidelity, last Friday welcomed Piper Doherty Kilfoyle, who was born in a hospital a mile from where the couple met on the 2012 Mitt Romney campaign. Pic SPOTTED — at the Boston Pops Company Celebration: Boston Globe owners John Henry and Linda Pizzuti Henry; Pilot House Associate’s Amos and Barbara Hofstetter; the Alliance for Climate Transition President Joe Curtatone; Vicinity Energy’s Matt O’Malley and his wife, Kathryn Niforos of Vineyard Offshore; Barr Foundation President & Trustee Jim Canales; the New England Council’s Jim Brett; Elizabeth Turnbull Henry of the Environmental League of Massachusetts; Ryan Woods of Meet Boston; Maestro Keith Lockhart, and Tony Award winner Lea Salonga. HAPPY BIRTHDAY — to the Boston Globe’s Tal Kopan, Tahirah Amatul-Wadud and Abby Charpentier.
| | | | A message from Vineyard Offshore: With a track record of working with local communities and building trusted partnerships, Vineyard Offshore is committed to a community-first approach to offshore wind development.
Our next project, Vineyard Wind 2, will continue to grow the economic engine of offshore wind, generating over 3,000 job-years of employment and more than $1.6 billion in direct economic benefits for the Commonwealth. It will also supply enough clean electricity to power 650,000 New England homes and reduce carbon pollution by 2.1 million tons per year – the equivalent to taking 414,000 cars off the road.
With this commitment, Massachusetts is set to lead the nation in harnessing the impact of offshore wind. Learn more at vineyardoffshore.com/vineyardwind2. | | | 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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