Cash and generational change
MONEY MOVES — Patrick Roath, the attorney, voting rights advocate and Deval Patrick alum challenging Rep. Stephen Lynch, raised more than $115,000 on the first day of announcing his bid — none from corporate PACs — according to his campaign.
That's more than the roughly $47,000 Lynch raised in the first quarter of this year (He had more than $1 million in his campaign coffers at the end of the March, per the most recent data from the Federal Election Commission.). The next deadline candidates face to file campaign finance reports is in mid-July.
Roath, 38, launched his campaign Wednesday calling for 'new thinking and new energy,' in Washington. 'I think it's really a time that demands new leadership,' Roath told Playbook. 'I think that the problems that we're facing in Washington, that are very much mirrored here in Greater Boston and South Shore, are challenging, are serious, and are not being adequately addressed — certainly not by the Republicans, but not necessarily by some of the Democrats in Washington either.'
Lynch, 70, has been in Congress since 2001, when he won a special election to fill late Rep. Joe Moakley's seat. But it's not just age and tenure that set them apart; Roath pointed to Lynch's vote in favor of the Laken Riley Act, an immigration bill that would allow officials to deport people in the country illegally who have been accused of certain crimes.
'I think that we need to be challenging the administration, not handing them more authority to strip rights away from non-citizens,' Roath said.
The challenge comes amid a reckoning over age and stagnation in the Democratic Party. Roath is among a handful of candidates challenging long-time members of Congress and channeling frustration among the party's base over how those in office are responding to President Donald Trump.
There's even been some agitation for change within the party's leadership apparatus. David Hogg, the 25-year-old Democratic National Committee vice chair, pledged to spend $20 million funding primary challenges to 'asleep-at-the-wheel' Democrats in safely blue districts.
Taking on Lynch in a primary won't be a cake walk. The South Boston Democrat faced a primary challenge from the left in 2020, when he defeated Robbie Goldstein, a doctor and an infectious disease specialist, by more than 30 points.
It's not the only generational debate Lynch may be about to be embroiled in, as members of his party vie for the a top spot on the House Oversight Committee after Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.) announced his plans to step down last month. Connolly tapped Lynch to lead Democrats on the powerful committee in his stead in the interim — a position Lynch said he's seeking to make permanent — but a slew of younger members including Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-Texas) and Rep. Robert Garcia (D-Calif.) are already maneuvering to make their own bids.
GOOD THURSDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. While we wait for white smoke to billow from the Sistine Chapel chimney, this piece on how the film 'Conclave' helped some cardinals prepare for the real thing is worth a read.
TODAY — Gov. Maura Healey and Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll announce new initiatives to support older adults at 10:30 a.m. in Plymouth. Healey speaks at the 34th annual Small Business and Entrepreneur of the Year Awards hosted by the Metro South Chamber of Commerce at noon in Brockton. Driscoll speaks at the Associated Industries of Massachusetts annual meeting at 8:30 a.m. in Boston, attends the Soccer Unity Project's 2025 Unity Ball at 6 p.m. in Boston and speaks at a Latinos for Education event at 7 p.m. in Revere. Sen. Ed Markey hosts a press conference on cuts to rural internet access at 10 a.m. in D.C. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu hosts a coffee hour at 10 a.m. in Jamaica Plain and participates in an annual disability community forum at 2:15 p.m. downtown.
Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget for the Playbook? Drop me a line: kgarrity@politico.com.
DATELINE BEACON HILL
— Mass. Senate will 'explore' ban on cellphones in public schools, top Democrat says by Matt Stout, The Boston Globe: 'Massachusetts Senate leaders will 'explore' legislation to ban cellphones in the state's public schools, the chamber's top Democrat said Wednesday, giving momentum to the push on Beacon Hill to curb students' phone use during school hours. Senate President Karen E. Spilka told Boston-area business leaders Wednesday that the idea has broad support, and that at least 18 other states have already passed laws limiting phones in schools. Governor Maura Healey told reporters at a separate event Wednesday that she, too, backs 'reining in' students' use of phones while in class.'
— Spilka eyes sales tax exemption to encourage housing by Alison Kuznitz, State House News Service: 'Senate Democrats are moving to study the trade-offs associated with suspending the sales tax on construction materials used in multifamily housing projects, potentially forgoing some state revenue in a bid to encourage badly-needed housing production. Senate President Karen Spilka said a forthcoming proposal from Sen. Julian Cyr, co-chair of the Joint Committee on Housing, will explore nixing the sales tax on building materials used for multifamily housing developments in conjunction with the Healey administration. The president's comments on the idea drew applause from the audience at a Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce event Wednesday.'
— Mass. Republicans assail $25M for parking garage pet project in House speaker's district by John L. Micek, MassLive.
THE RACE FOR CITY HALL
— Wu challenger emerges from inside Boston City Hall by Gintautas Dumcius, CommonWealth Beacon: 'A dozen people have expressed interest in taking on Boston Mayor Michelle Wu as she runs for a second term. An attorney who works for her is among them. John F. Houton, who lives in the city's South End and often walks to work, has been employed as an attorney for Boston City Hall for nearly 20 years. Houton, 58, has served as an assistant corporation counsel, starting under the late Mayor Tom Menino, continuing into the Marty Walsh and Wu administrations, representing the city in various legal matters. He is currently in-house counsel for City Hall's treasury department, which handles money, property, and securities acquired by the city.'
PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES
— Real ID deadline flew by smoothly at Logan by Robert Goulston, GBH News: 'The enhanced identification requirement, known as Real ID, for domestic flights took effect Wednesday — and most travelers at Boston's Logan Airport came prepared. Transportation Security Administration spokesperson Dan Velez said by early afternoon, nearly 90% of Logan's domestic fliers were compliant. TSA agents pushed those without an approved ID — such as a Real ID, a passport or a military identification card — through a different line for additional security screening.'
EYES ON 2026
— Mass Dems. call for state to investigate donations to Republican Mike Kennealy's gov campaign by John L. Micek, MassLive: 'Massachusetts Democrats have called on the state's campaign finance watchdog to investigate what they're describing as 'multiple violations' of state law by Republican gubernatorial hopeful Mike Kennealy's campaign. The call for the probe is tied to recent reporting by The Boston Herald that Kennealy, a former senior Baker administration official, accepted a series of contributions in April that exceeded the state's individual donation limit.'
— John Deaton, former challenger to Warren, considering a run against Ed Markey by Chris Van Buskirk, Boston Herald: 'John Deaton, who ran last year as a Republican against U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, is considering challenging U.S. Sen. Ed Markey during the 2026 election. But there are caveats. 'I would consider running again, but if I ran again, I wouldn't run against a Trump-endorsed candidate in the primary because I'm not interested in running against President Trump,' Deaton said. 'Now, if it looked like … President Trump and the administration approved of my candidacy because they see that I can win, and I didn't have to spend all my money to win a primary, then absolutely I would think about it again.''
DAY IN COURT
— Court rules Rümeysa Öztürk be transferred to Vermont, denying Trump administration's appeal by Sarah Betancourt, GBH News: 'A federal appeals court on Wednesday morning ordered the Trump administration to comply with a lower court order to transfer Tufts PhD student Rümeysa Öztürk from ICE detention in Louisiana to Vermont. The ruling comes a day after a three-judge panel for the 2nd Circuit for the U.S. Court of Appeals heard arguments over the administration's request to pause Vermont District Court Judge William Session's order to move Öztürk ahead of a Vermont court appearance in the case about her detention.'
— Should Massachusetts judges be able to raise criminal defendants' bail to prevent deportation? The state's highest court will decide. by Sean Cotter, The Boston Globe: 'As state and federal authorities clash over deportation matters in the Trump era, Massachusetts' highest court will decide whether a state judge can increase the bail of someone facing deportation in an effort to keep them in the country to answer for criminal charges. This issue came before the Supreme Judicial Court for a hearing Wednesday through the case of Cory Alvarez, whose charges became a symbol of the safety issues at state-run emergency shelters last year after he was accused of raping a 15-year-old girl in a Rockland hotel housing migrants.'
— POST Commission, court system at odds over training of constables for eviction by Sam Turken, GBH News: 'When a resident is evicted or foreclosed on, the state's Housing Court can send a constable to ensure the person leaves the property. Some housing advocates and a state board in charge of police oversight argue constables should have additional training, similar to what police officers must go through. The Peace Officer Standards and Training Commission says it's a precaution in case the move-outs escalate and become unsafe. But the Massachusetts Trial Court, which manages the Housing Court, disagrees with POST, and says the board is overstepping its authority in asking for that change.'
THE LOCAL ANGLE
— Millbury approves MBTA housing law, zoning changes for land at town meeting by Kinga Borondy, Telegram & Gazette: 'Residents attending the annual Millbury town meeting May 6 voted to accept state requirements outlined in the MBTA Communities Act and approved the change in zoning for several parcels to allow multifamily housing to be constructed on the tracts by right. The 130 to 150 residents in attendance at Millbury High School voted on two possible maps, approving one showing three tracts.'
— Lawrence police chief's nomination set for council review this month by Jill Harmacinski, The Eagle-Tribune.
WHAT ELSE YOU SHOULD BE READING
— Mass. business confidence plummets to lowest level since pandemic onset by William Hall, Boston Business Journal: 'For the third month in a row, a barometer of confidence in the Massachusetts economy has plunged, reaching a low not seen since Covid-19 shuttered businesses at the onset of the pandemic. The AIM Business Confidence Index, updated and released Wednesday by the Associated Industries of Massachusetts, sank 4.5 points in April to 41.5 on the 100-point scale. That level was 10.4 points lower than the year-earlier period.'
— For communities relying on federal funds, things changing 'every 5 minutes' by Jim Kinney, The Springfield Republican.
HEARD 'ROUND THE BUBBLAH
SPOTTED — seated baseline at last night's Celtics playoff game: former Gov. Charlie Baker a seat away from new New England Patriots coach Mike Vrabel.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY — to Francy Wade, Dana Sprole, Janis Lippman, Tom McCuin, Dave Lam, David Brade, Robert Horvitz and Kelley Greenman.
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31 minutes ago
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In addition to shutting down USAID, the agency that dispensed and monitored much of that funding, the administration fired experts from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's global health division who worked on the program, including those specializing in maternal and child HIV. 'I'm not sure where he got these numbers,' Delaware Sen. Chris Coons, a senior Democrat on the Foreign Relations Committee, said of Rubio's 85 percent claim. The lack of clarity has angered HIV activists, who protested against the PEPFAR cuts during the budget hearings where Rubio testified. 'It's unconscionable and alarming to know that 130 days into this administration, Rubio has overseen the completely unnecessary decimation of life-saving services to millions of people, then lying about that fact over and over again,' said Asia Russell, executive director of Health GAP, a nonprofit working on access to HIV treatment in developing countries. 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Jewish lawmakers call out silence as antisemitic threats surge in Florida
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35 minutes ago
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Senate passes stripped-back version of ‘no-cause' eviction bill, but House likely to oppose it
Senators scaled back the bill to lessen the effect on tenants — raising the likelihood of a clash with the House. (Getty Images) The New Hampshire Senate passed a bill Thursday intended to make it easier for landlords to terminate tenancies. But before passing it, senators scaled back the bill to lessen the effect on tenants — raising the likelihood of a clash with the House. In current law, New Hampshire landlords must cite a specific reason to initiate evictions, including nonpayment of rent, failure to follow the lease, behavior affecting the health or safety of others, or a business reason by the landlord, such as a renovation. As originally passed by the House, House Bill 60 would have allowed for 'no-fault' or 'no-cause' termination of tenancies for leases six months or longer. In those cases, landlords could ask a tenant to leave at the end of the lease period with no reason given. Republicans argue allowing no-cause evictions would let landlords treat leases as fixed-length contracts with tenants, and relieve them of the burden of finding a reason if they no longer wished to rent to someone. But Democrats and legal aid organizations argue it would increase the pace of evictions and could make it easier for landlords to discriminate. On Thursday, the Senate dramatically altered the bill, keeping the 'no-fault' evictions but adding a trigger provision that prevents application of the law unless the state has had a 4% or higher rental vacancy rate for four quarters in one calendar year, as determined by the Federal Reserve. Currently, the Federal Reserve estimates New Hampshire has exactly a 4% vacancy rate, citing U.S. Census data. The Senate's version would also allow landlords to use no-cause evictions only with leases of 12 months or more. And it would exempt tenants who are subject to no-cause evictions from having those evictions added to their record for the purpose of rental applications and tenant screening reports, easing concerns from housing advocates about the effects of the original bill. Those changes earned the support of Senate Democrats; the amended bill was voted through unanimously Thursday. But before the bill can go to Gov. Kelly Ayotte's desk, it must receive final sign-off from the House, and some House Republicans have made it clear they are not happy with the Senate's changes. Rep. Joe Alexander, a Goffstown Republican and the chairman of the Housing Committee, said he will be requesting a Committee of Conference with the Senate to attempt to find a compromise when the House meets on Thursday. The Senate's version of the bill does not fit with the House's position, Alexander said in an interview. And he noted that the full House already voted down two attempted Democratic amendments to add trigger provisions. 'The House position is the lease is a contract,' Alexander said. 'And (in) every other place in contract law, when a contract ends, both parties go their separate ways unless there's conversation about renewing it. So we're just trying to bring it in line with all other contract law in the state.' Elliott Berry, a former attorney for New Hampshire Legal Assistance who has been following the bill, said even with the Senate changes, he and other housing advocates believe HB 60 could harm tenants. 'It's going to make a lot of landlords take the easy way out,' he said. 'And so tenants who for whatever reason feel any kind of antagonism towards them in general, well-based or not, they're going to be in jeopardy.'
