| | | |  | | By Kelly Garrity | BOSTON BY THE NUMBERS — Boston Mayor Michelle Wu has an early lead over Josh Kraft. But Kraft has room to make some inroads. A new poll from Emerson College out this morning gives us our first glimpse at how Boston voters view the two candidates and the issues they’re campaigning on. Let’s break it down. GOOD NEWS FOR WU: She’s leading Kraft by a healthy margin head-to-head. Forty-three percent of the 617 registered Boston voters surveyed Feb. 24-26 said they would vote for Wu if the election were that day, compared to 29 percent who said they’d back Kraft. The survey has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.9 percentage points. And one issue that’s emerged as an early campaign cudgel for Kraft, the demolition and renovation of White Stadium, may not be as effective a wedge issue as it seems. Asked if they support the redevelopment of White Stadium, 53 percent of voters said they did, while 22 percent said they oppose it. Even those who said they would support Kraft are split on the issue: 38 percent of voters who identified as Kraft supporters said they oppose the redevelopment, while 35 percent support it. Wu and City Hall also notched a win Wednesday in the stadium debate when Attorney General Campbell told opponents she won't back their lawsuit seeking to halt the project. Another key temperature check: a solid majority (57 percent) of those polled believe the city is going in the right direction. Less than half (43 percent) believe things are headed in the wrong direction. Kraft has time to gain some ground, but “he's got a lot of room to make up, because over a majority of the voters think things are headed in the right direction,” Spencer Kimball, executive director of Emerson College Polling, told Playbook Wednesday. Wu is also well-liked, Kimball pointed out. Fifty-seven percent of voters also said they view the mayor herself favorably, but … WHERE KRAFT CAN CAPITALIZE: 41 percent approve of those polled approve of the job Wu is doing in office, while 38 percent disapprove. And for Kraft, there’s potentially room to grow his support. Wu didn’t garner a majority of support in the head-to-head, and 24 percent of voters polled said they were still undecided. One issue that could be particularly potent: the state of Boston Public Schools. More voters polled said they believe BPS is heading in the wrong direction (54 percent), than in the right one (46 percent). GOOD THURSDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. An internal poll from Wu’s campaign paints a slightly rosier picture for the incumbent. According to a person briefed on the results, Wu holds a 40 percentage point lead over Kraft, notching 65 percent to his 25 percent in a survey of 500 likely voters (margin of error of plus or minus 4.4 percentage points) the campaign commissioned that tested voters Feb. 13-17. TODAY — Gov. Maura Healey announces funding for the state's Innovation Career Pathways program at 11 a.m. in Athol and hosts a roundtable related to her transportation funding proposal in Conway at 2 p.m., followed by a press conference at 3 p.m. Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll speaks at the 2nd Annual Dominican Independence Day Breakfast at 8:30 a.m. in Boston and at the 5th anniversary of the Emerging Adult Court of Hope at 2 p.m. in Springfield. Auditor Diana DiZoglio attends the Annual Dominican Independence Day Breakfast at 8 a.m. in Dorchester. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu speaks at a Mothers for Justice and Equality’s women's empowerment brunch at 10 a.m. in Hyde Park, delivers remarks at the Dominican Republic flag raising ceremony at City Hall at 12:30 p.m. and attends a public safety meeting hosted by the Downtown Boston Neighborhood Association at 5 p.m. downtown. Sen. Ed Markey hosts a press conference with climate, health, and environmental groups to condemn EPA Administrator Lee Zeldin's move to urge the White House to rescind a declaration that greenhouse gases endanger human health and welfare at 1:30 p.m. in D.C. Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget for the Playbook? Drop me a line: kgarrity@politico.com.
| | | | Donald Trump's unprecedented effort to reshape the federal government is consuming Washington. To track this seismic shift, we're relaunching one of our signature newsletters. Sign up to get West Wing Playbook: Remaking Government in your inbox. | | | | | |  | DATELINE BEACON HILL | | WHO YOU SHOULD BE LOBBYING — More than 50 days into the session, leadership and committee assignments for the new session are here. Down a couple members of his leadership team after last session’s exits, House Speaker Ron Mariano elevated state Rep. Jeff Roy to 2nd Division chair and Rep. Carlos González to 3rd Division chair. Roy’s move up the leadership ladder also means he’s off the Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy committee, where he came under scrutiny after a Boston Globe report revealed he was dating a lobbyist. More on that from the Boston Globe. Six of the nine members of Mariano’s leadership team are now men, up from four last session. But Mariano indicated he made an effort to begin building out the chamber’s bench of women leaders. "We've lost a lot of women in the upper levels of the leadership team … now we have to begin to give some experience to some of the folks who haven't had an opportunity, and they happen to be women," he told reporters Wednesday. Senate President Karen Spilka didn’t make any changes to her leadership team, but she did shuffle some committee chairs around. Notably, state Sen. Julian Cyr will chair the Housing Committee, Sen. Lydia Edwards is moving over to the Judiciary Committee and Sen. Jamie Eldridge will chair the Revenue Committee, a spot previously held by former Sen. Su Moran. See the full House and Senate committee assignments. ENERGY SAVER? — After outcry over a recent spike many Massachusetts residents saw on their energy bills, Gov. Maura Healey announced plans to file “energy affordability and independence” legislation early this session. “The utilities offered to spread the pain out over the course of the year. But that is not good enough,” Healey said Wednesday during a Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce forum. "And it's why I told the DPU to right now, in this moment, explore every option, every action that we can take to provide relief in this moment that we are in." Healey was light on specifics about what the legislation or any executive action will look like. And she didn’t say directly whether there will be changes to the Mass Save energy program, one of the reasons the state’s Department of Public Utilities approved the increases Bay Stater’s saw on their bills. More from State House News Service. DEI GUIDE — In response to the “Dear Colleague” letter from the U.S. Education Department aimed at diversity, equity and inclusion programs in schools, Gov. Maura Healey and Attorney General Andrea Campbell are rolling out updated guidance for Bay State schools that Healey says will “send a clear message that Massachusetts is going to stay true to who we are.” Read the guidance and dive deeper with MassLive. — “‘A clear and present danger’: Healey meets with ‘eds and meds’ leaders about NIH funding cuts,” by Jon Chesto, The Boston Globe: “The situation is even worse than she thought. That was one of Governor Maura Healey’s takeaways from a meeting at the State House on Tuesday with leaders in the state’s ‘eds and meds’ sector — education and health care — to discuss significant cuts in federal research funding." — “DiZoglio eyes legal tactic to force Campbell’s hand in standoff with Mass. Legislature,” by Adam Reilly, GBH News: “State Auditor Diana DiZoglio said Wednesday that her office is preparing a writ of mandamus to try to obtain Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell’s assistance in DiZoglio’s ongoing standoff with the state Legislature.” — “For years, House leaders promised reforms to protect staff. Their new rules package goes backward, staff say,” by Samantha J. Gross, The Boston Globe: “Massachusetts House leaders on Tuesday voted along party lines to adopt internal rules that govern their chamber, including changes leaders say will increase transparency and efficiency. Left out of the 145-page bill, State House staff say, are critical elements needed to help make the building a safer place to work.”
| | PARTY POLITICS | | MARK YOUR CALENDARS — The state’s Democratic convention will be Sept. 13 at the MassMutual Center in Springfield, the party announced yesterday.
| | PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES | | — “Holden to drop opposition to MBTA communities act,” by Adam Bass, MassLive: “The community of Holden has dropped its opposition to a state law designed to incentivize building more multi-family housing. The town of Holden had previously said it would not comply with the MBTA Communities Act — a law requiring municipalities with an MBTA station or, in the case of Holden, borders a community that has a station to have at least one zoning area that allows multi-family housing by right.”
| | FROM THE DELEGATION | | — “You could be headed for ‘IRS hell’ after Trump cuts, Mass. Sen Warren warns,” by John L. Micek, MassLive: “Ever tried to get an actual human on the phone at the Internal Revenue Service? If you have, you know it’s an exercise in futility and frustration, often punctuated by the muttering of dark oaths. And now that the Trump administration has started laying off more than 6,000 IRS employees in the middle of tax season, it’s about to get worse. Much, much worse. Because there are more cuts to come. U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren has some words to describe the job cuts at the agency Americans love to hate. But the ones she has in mind she can’t say out loud.”
| | FROM THE 413 | | MEDIA MOVES — Hampden District Attorney Anthony Gulluni has hired Payton North, the former managing editor of the weekly newspaper The Reminder, as director of communications for his office, Western Mass Politics & Insight’s Matt Szafranski reports. — “UMass Amherst Chancellor Reyes was finalist to lead West Virginia,” by Scott Merzbach, Daily Hampshire Gazette: “Less than two years since taking the helm as chancellor at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, Javier Reyes interviewed as a finalist to become the next president of West Virginia University.” — “Jewish Federation of Western Massachusetts hires nonprofit to enhance safety at congregations, schools throughout region,” by Samuel Gelinas, Daily Hampshire Gazette: “The Jewish Federation of Western Massachusetts committed this month to a three-year, $200,000-a-year partnership with the Secure Community Network (SCN) to strengthen and enhance security measures at congregations, schools and organizations throughout the region.” — “Should Richmond consider a merger with the Berkshire Hills school district? For the town’s School Committee, it's a firm ‘no’,” by Clarence Fanto, The Berkshire Eagle. — “Possible SNAP cuts could affect food insecure residents in WMass. Advocates are snapping back,” by Namu Sampath, The Springfield Republican.
| | THE LOCAL ANGLE | | — “Worcester city councilor to begin attending meetings remotely due to 'threats',” by Toni Caushi, Telegram & Gazette: “District 5 Councilor Etel Haxhiaj said Wednesday morning that she will temporarily attend City Council meetings virtually due to threats she has received against her and her family. She said that some of the threats were sexual in nature. ‘Everything has been reported to authorities and I am thankful for their responsiveness,’ Haxhiaj wrote in the statement posted on social media. ‘I have informed the chair of the city council regarding the reason for my temporary virtual attendance.’” — “Worcester city councilor’s supporters are split over refusal to attend meetings,” by Adam Bass, MassLive: “Worcester City Councilor Thu Nguyen announced in January they would take a month’s hiatus from council meetings. Then they announced last week they would continue their hiatus indefinitely. The announcement has had a mixed response, with some cheering the councilor’s decision while others say they cannot do their job.” — “Job cuts at USDA in Boston could weaken New England food security,” by Liz Neisloss, GBH News: “The U.S. Department of Agriculture has a small, six-person food distribution team that works directly with food banks across the Northeast to get food onto shelves, part of a program feeding low-income seniors. Half of them were fired earlier this month under cuts spearheaded by Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency, a union leader told GBH News this week.”
| | HEARD ‘ROUND THE BUBBLAH | | NEW NON-PROFIT DROPPING — Crystal Jaramillo and husband Revere City Councilor Juan Pablo Jaramillo have launched The Cord Foundation, a non-profit focused on raising awareness about perinatal health challenges. Learn more. TRANSITIONS — Joe Tutino will be comms director for Sen. Ed Markey. He previously was comms director for Rep. Rick Larsen (D-Wash.). HAPPY BIRTHDAY — to former state Sen. Eric Lesser, who’s now senior counsel at WilmerHale; Susan Zalkind, Alan Harvey Guth and Ayub Tahlil, deputy press secretary for Gov. Maura Healey. 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 | | | |
