| | | | |  | | By Kelly Garrity | Presented by Mass General Brigham | TRAIL MARKERS — With a sleepy campaign cycle playing out at home, Massachusetts Democrats are lending a hand and testing their political clout outside the Bay State’s borders — but not just for the top of the ticket. Attorney General Andrea Campbell has her sights set on building the bench of Democratic attorneys general across the country, including in a couple key swing states. The first-term AG was in Pennsylvania last week to campaign with Eugene DePasquale, the state’s former auditor general who’s locked in a close race against Republican Dave Sunday. And tonight she’ll join North Carolina Rep. Jeff Jackson — who jumped in the AG’s race there after redistricting made his reelection to the House all but impossible — at a fundraiser in Boston. Why spend time worrying about these state-level races? “As the Supreme Court goes in the wrong direction [and] we see Congress have the inability to get things done, the issues that folks care about the most are going back to the states, and it is AGs at the forefront of tackling those issues,” Campbell told Playbook. Plus, “in order to actually be effective in helping a constituent on so many issues, you need more than just a federal partner,” she added later. Democratic attorneys general across the country have begun preparing for a second Trump term. But Campbell’s campaigning efforts aren’t meant to be a backstop for Democrats if they lose the White House, she said, noting she’s “confident” the Harris-Walz ticket can win. She’s been on the trail for the Democratic ticket, too, heading up to New Hampshire and hosting virtual events with volunteers in the purple-ish state. A trip to North Carolina is currently in the works. It’s a reminder “that even though we are quote unquote a blue state, we still have a role to play to support the top of the ticket,” Campbell said. Campbell’s long-running relationship with Kamala Harris, who she also campaigned for in the 2020 race, has given life to her pitch for the presidential hopeful — and to speculation about her own role in a hypothetical future Harris administration. Campbell brushed off the conjecture… for now. “I am focused on being attorney general. I love my job … and that is the only job I am interested in right now,” she said. GOOD TUESDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. Ohio Sen. JD Vance and Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz will face off in the vice presidential debate tonight. Here’s how Vance and Walz have been preparing, and everything else you need to know about where and how to watch. The event kicks off at 9 p.m. EST. Follow along with POLITICO’s live blog tonight and catch up on the latest presidential election news. TODAY — Gov. Maura Healey speaks at a ribbon cutting ceremony for Sublime Systems at 10 a.m. in Boston; Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, representatives from the Biden-Harris administration and state officials attend. Healey, Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll, Attorney General Andrea Campbell and other state and local officials host a press conference celebrating cities and towns that have adopted zoning changes required by the MBTA Communities law at 1:30 p.m. in Somerville. Healey awards her former college basketball coach the Dubois Gold Award at the W.E.B. DuBois Medal Ceremony at 5 p.m. in Cambridge. She and First Lady Joanna Lydgate attend the Hebrew SeniorLife EngAGE dinner at 7:10 p.m. in Boston. State Auditor Diana DiZoglio speaks at the Nashoba Valley Chamber of Commerce breakfast at 8:20 a.m. in Devins. Rep. Lori Trahan celebrates federal funding for a pre-apprenticeship program for young adults at 11 a.m. in Lowell. Rep. Ayanna Pressley rallies with members of the American Postal Workers Union at 2:30 p.m. in Boston. Tips? Scoops? Birthdays? Debate watch parties? 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. | | | |  | DATELINE BEACON HILL | | — “Driscoll tells homeless Boston residents their votes count,” by Saraya Wintersmith, GBH News: “Massachusetts Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll lent her voice Monday to the effort to register people experiencing homelessness to vote, telling a gathering of about 40 people at a homeless voter registration drive they should feel empowered to cast ballots and encourage others to do the same.” — “Machine gun range at Cape Cod base shelved after Mass. Gov. decision. What we know,” by Heather McCarron, Cape Cod Times: “In a setback for the Massachusetts Army National Guard, Gov. Maura Healey on Monday morning announced she will not sign off on a construction contract for a proposed multi-purpose machine gun range at Camp Edwards on Joint Base Cape Cod, effectively putting the project on the shelf. Without a contract in place, the Guard loses out on $9.7 million Congress previously authorized for the project. A contract needed to be in place before the end of the current federal fiscal year, which was set to close at midnight Sept. 30.”
| | FROM THE HUB | | — “Boston City Council wants the city to prioritize turning old school, municipal buildings into affordable housing,” by Niki Griswold, The Boston Globe: “At a hearing Monday, officials from Mayor Michelle Wu’s administration updated the City Council on the city’s efforts to convert old school and municipal buildings into affordable housing. The city has several projects underway to reimagine municipally owned properties and presented several successful examples of old school buildings redeveloped into housing. Despite the progress, city leaders acknowledged the process is time-consuming and faces financial constraints.” — “A website that provides a platform for neo-Nazis got its seed funding from Boston elites,” by Tim Biba and Phillip Martin, GBH News. — “Councilor Flynn continues push for state intervention in BPS bus issues, says city leaders ‘continue to downplay it’,” by Grace Zokovitch, Boston Herald: “City Councilor Ed Flynn continued to argue for state intervention to assist with the BPS late buses issue Monday, pushing back a day after the Boston City Council president called such a move ‘definitely premature.’ … The debate comes in response to a higher-than-normal rate of late BPS buses in the first three weeks of school, attributed by officials to the new GPS technology through the Zum app and an unprecedented number of late enrollments and route changes.”
| | PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES | | — “Red Line’s Braintree Branch Reopens With 37 Fewer Slow Zones,” by StreetsblogMASS: “A 24-day closure of the Red Line's Braintree branch ended this morning, and according to preliminary data from the MBTA's speed restriction dashboard, the closure managed to repair roughly half of the remaining slow zones across the T's rapid transit network. T officials report that crews replaced over 13 miles' worth of rail and over 17,000 rail ties during the closure.” HE’S BACK — “Rich Davey talks Logan expansion, Massport real estate and more,” by Greg Ryan, Boston Business Journal.
| | BALLOT BATTLES | | ANOTHER ONE — Rep. Lori Trahan threw her support behind the ballot question that would end MCAS as a graduation requirement, according to the “Yes on 2” campaign, joining Rep. Jim McGovern in endorsing the question that Gov. Maura Healey and the state’s top legislative leaders have come out against. “While MCAS is an important part of the equation when it comes to measuring students’ growth, its use as a one-size-fits-all graduation requirement leaves hundreds of the most vulnerable in our schools behind each year, many of whom are in gateway cities like the ones I represent,” Trahan said in a statement shared by the campaign.
| | YAHD SIGNS AND BUMPAH STICKAHS | | FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — The Massachusetts and Northern New England Laborers’ District Council has endorsed Tamisha Civil in her bid for Governor's Council in District 2. — The Professional Fire Fighters of Massachusetts has endorsed Bill Dermody in his bid for the open 13th Norfolk District state House seat, his campaign said. CASH DASH — With about a month left before Election Day, both Donald Trump and Kamala Harris are sending surrogates to the Bay State this weekend to fundraise. Transportation Sec. Pete Buttigieg is set to appear at a breakfast in Boston Sunday, while Ohio Sen. JD Vance will be the headliner at a high-dollar fundraiser in Gloucester Saturday afternoon, per the invitation.
| | DAY IN COURT | | — “Steward boss de la Torre sues US Senate committee over contempt vote,” by John L. Micek, MassLive. — “Migrant teens sue Raw Seafoods, claiming child labor violations,” by Will Sennott, The New Bedford Light: “Three migrant teenagers filed a lawsuit in federal court last week claiming their employer, a seafood processing plant in Fall River, violated multiple labor laws, including prohibitions on forced labor, discrimination and ‘hazardous child labor,’ by forcing them to work long, overnight shifts with dangerous machinery.”
| | FROM THE DELEGATION | | — “Rep. Seth Moulton says veterans can play a crucial role in Washington,” by Nicole Garcia, GBH News.
| | | | A message from Mass General Brigham:   | | | | | FROM THE 413 | | — “Springfield announces campaign to reduce school absences,” by Jeanette DeForge, The Springfield Republican: “Hoping to get more students to school every day, the school department yesterday unveiled a new program to combat absenteeism at all grades and in all schools. The ‘Attend Today Achieve Tomorrow’ campaign will be promoted on billboards and in public service announcements, and will be tied to school programs. It will offer incentives and a reward package that will grant lucky families of students with perfect attendance a one-night stay and $250 restaurant certificate from MGM Springfield.” — “Petitioners seek tighter regs for accessory dwelling units in Greenfield,” by Anthony Cammalleri, Greenfield Recorder: “One hundred and ten residents have signed a petition calling for the city to better regulate its accessory dwelling unit (ADU) ordinance in the wake of a new state law. The proposed amendment, which was submitted to the City Clerk’s Office on Monday morning in the form of a petition, sets a minimum lot size of half an acre on ADU developments, and requires parcels that seek to add an ADU to consist of at least 50% open space. It also requires that ADUs meet setback requirements in its host parcel’s zoning district and prohibits the use of ADUs for short-term rentals such as Airbnbs.”
| | THE LOCAL ANGLE | | — “Family, friends remember Methuen mayor at funeral,” by Angelina Berube, The Eagle-Tribune: “Hundreds of family members, friends, city employees, and state and local dignitaries filled St. Monica Parish on Monday to say goodbye to Mayor Neil Perry. … Perry was remembered for his mayoral duties and resiliency as a pillar of strength, but foremost as a family man.” — “UMass researchers are using drones to learn about traffic risks for cyclists in Somerville,” by Andrea Perdomo-Hernandez, WBUR: “Researchers from the University of Massachusetts Amherst are using drones to examine the crash risks between cars and bicycles in Somerville. Last week, three UMass students and a university drone instructor launched four drones from Conway Park. Their mission: collect video footage of a roughly one-mile stretch of Beacon Street. The project began amid calls for better bike safety following a fatal crash in Cambridge earlier that week.” — “Union Square is one of the world’s ‘coolest neighborhoods.’ Residents say that has its downsides,” by Emma Obregon Dominguez, GBH News. — “'Extortion': Will Middleboro defy state mandate for giant multi-family housing district?,” by Daniel Schemer, Taunton Daily Gazette: “Middleboro residents will have a tough choice to make at the upcoming Town Meeting on Oct. 7: comply with a state mandate to create a multi-family housing district near the MBTA station downtown — or fight it. “
| | | MEDIA MATTERS | | | — “CommonWealth Beacon names new top editor,” by Don Seiffert, Boston Business Journal: “CommonWealth Beacon, the newsroom owned and operated by the civic-oriented nonprofit MassInc., has named a veteran of GBH and Nieman Reports as its first new top editor in 16 years. Laura Colarusso will replace Editor Bruce Mohl, who said in May he plans to step down. Mohl took that role in 2008, after a 30-year career at the Boston Globe. In an email Monday, Mohl said he isn't sure of his next move yet.”
| | MEANWHILE IN NEW HAMPSHIRE | | FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — The New Hampshire Democratic party is going up with a new ad featuring Republicans and independents who say they aren't voting for gubernatorial hopeful and former GOP Sen. Kelly Ayotte this cycle. The ad will run on Fox News and streaming platforms. The ad is part of a six-figure buy, but a spokesperson didn't say exactly how much money is behind the ad or how long it will run.
| | | WHAT ELSE YOU SHOULD BE READING | | | — “Why Helene’s floods caught North Carolina off guard,” by Scott Dance, Brianna Sacks and Brady Dennis, The Washington Post. — “Israel launches ground operation against Hezbollah in Lebanon,” by Alex Spence, POLITICO. — “How 41 Haitian migrants solved a 10-year staffing shortage,” by Katie Johnston, The Boston Globe.
| | HEARD ‘ROUND THE BUBBLAH | | HAPPY BIRTHDAY — to Ethan Case, Kim Isleib and Jon Niedzielski.
| | | | 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. | | | 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. | | | | Follow us on Twitter | | | | Subscribe to the POLITICO Playbook family Playbook | Playbook PM | California Playbook | Florida Playbook | Illinois Playbook | Massachusetts Playbook | New Jersey Playbook | New York Playbook | Ottawa Playbook | Brussels Playbook | London Playbook View all our politics and policy newsletters | | Follow us | | | | |
