Healey's Cali cash dash
With two well-funded Republicans already gearing up to challenge her (and potentially more on the way), Healey's heading to California next week to cash in on the deep-pocketed donors in San Francisco's suburbs, according to invitations to the events.
Healey has events in Mill Valley, Palo Alto and San Francisco's 'NoPa' neighborhood set for next Thursday and Friday. Requested donations for the events range from $1,000 (for the NoPa and Palo Alto fundraisers) to between $500 and $5,000 (for the one in Mill Valley). Healey's office didn't respond to an inquiry about the trip. Her campaign declined to comment.
In the past few weeks, Healey raised money for her campaign at fundraisers on Martha's Vineyard and Cape Cod, and she's regularly tapping into the deep-pocketed Democratic donor base in the Boston area. She reported raising more than $557,000 in June, her biggest fundraising haul since taking office, and has taken in more than $1.8 million since the start of the year. As of the end of July, she had close to $3.8 million in the bank.
Healey has a little while before she's back on the ballot. But going big on fundraising this year means she can scoop up a second round of checks from the same donors next year, and money is already starting to flow on the Republican side.
Former Housing and Economic Development Secretary Mike Kennealy has already pledged to put $2 million of his own cash in the race. Kennealy ended June with roughly $640,000 on hand, and Brian Shortsleeve, another GOP contender, had more than $442,000.
Healey burned through more than $8 million during her 2022 campaign for governor, well above the $1.5 million Republican Geoff Diehl shelled out on the race.
GOOD TUESDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. Texas Democrats who fled the state to try to stymie a mid-decade redistricting effort got a warm reception in Boston yesterday afternoon, including a shoutout from Gov. JB Pritzker and raucous applause from Democrats attending a private lunch at the National Conference of State Legislatures summit where the Illinois governor was speaking.
At home, Texas Gov. Greg Abbott was calling for their arrest after dozens of Democratic members of the Texas state House flew to Illinois, New York and Boston on Sunday — breaking quorum and leaving the Texas Legislature unable to carry out its work.
Lawmakers departed the state after Republicans there looked to move forward with a plan intended to keep the GOP in power in Congress next year by creating five GOP-friendly seats in Texas at President Donald Trump's urging. They plan to stay out of the state until the special legislative session that would set the redistricting plan in motion ends Aug. 19.
'The people expect us to fight for them, and that's what we're doing,' Texas state Rep. Armando Walle told reporters on his way out of the lunch. 'We're using the parliamentary rules that have been in place for generations.'
The handful of Texas Democrats in Boston are planning to hold a press conference at the State House at 10 a.m. tomorrow before heading to Illinois, where many of their colleagues holed up in a Chicago-area hotel Monday. More on how the Texas Democrats' quorum break is playing out.
TODAY — Gov. Maura Healey delivers the keynote address at the National Conference of State Legislatures at 9 a.m. and speaks at Shakespeare on the Common at 7:40 p.m. Attorney General Andrea Campbell participates in a walking tour of Manchester-by-the-Sea's Central Street Bridge project at 11:30 a.m. in Manchester-by-the-Sea. Sen. Ed Markey visits The Pryde, Boston's first LGBTQ+ senior housing development, at 2:30 p.m. and stops at Ron's Ice Cream and Bowling at 4 p.m. in Hyde Park. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu announces businesses that have been selected to participate in the Supplying Capital and Leveraging Education Program at 12:30 p.m. in Roxbury and joins the Boston Police Department for 'National Night Out' starting at 3:10 p.m.
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
— Gov. Maura Healey received written warning about surge of migrants in transition document by Chris Van Buskirk, Boston Herald: 'Gov. Charlie Baker's administration offered a written warning to Gov. Maura Healey about a surge of migrants and dwindling state shelter capacity in November 2022, or months before she took office, according to a transition document approved by Republican gubernatorial candidate Mike Kennealy when he was secretary of state. The heads-up largely focused on the need to expand shelter capacity and provide more funding to the emergency assistance program. It also painted a bleak picture of a struggle to build enough housing as the cost of living was putting Massachusetts at a 'significant disadvantage.''
— National lawmakers zero in on political violence, anger in electorate by Chris Lisinski, State House News Service: 'A national summit of state lawmakers from around the country opened Monday with a somber tone as hosts reflected on the June assassination of Minnesota Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman and cautioned about the growing threat of political polarization. Legislative leaders from Minnesota paid tribute to Hortman as a beacon of leadership who was unafraid to reach across the aisle, and they urged attendees to honor her by working to counteract increasingly inflammatory political rhetoric. The topic became a consistent theme throughout the opening session to the three-day National Conference of State Legislatures annual summit.'
FROM THE HUB
— Councilor Ed Flynn wants Boston to declare a public safety and public health emergency over Mass. and Cass by Niki Griswold, The Boston Globe: 'The Boston City Council on Wednesday is set to consider a resolution filed by Councilor Ed Flynn to declare a public safety and public health emergency over open drug use and dealing around the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue and Melnea Cass Boulevard, known as Mass. and Cass. The area has long been the epicenter of the intertwining crises of homelessness and substance abuse in the city. But in recent months, frustration over the issue has reached a breaking point among South End residents, who say that public drug use and dealing have migrated from Mass. and Cass into their neighborhoods.'
MAKING THEIR PITCH — The drawn-out battle between Boston and the Kraft Group over a plans for a new stadium along the Mystic River in Everett escalated Monday, as Boston Mayor Michelle Wu gathered with Boston-area electeds across from the Everett site Monday to call on the Kraft Group to agree to do more to mitigate the impact the yet-to-be-built stadium will have on neighboring Charlestown. Hours later, New England Revolution President Brian Bilello and Everett Mayor Carlo DeMaria defended the process at their own press conference on the other side of the river. Hanging over it all: The mayoral election, where Josh Kraft is challenging Wu. More from The Boston Globe's Jon Chesto.
— Injured teen from Gaza arrives in Boston for medical treatment by Yasmin Amer, WBUR.
SPOTTED — Boston Mayor Michelle Wu meeting with Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker after his lunchtime speech at NCSL. The duo cut a video Wu posted to Bluesky where Pritzker called her 'one of my very favorite people in the Democratic Party.'
THE RACE FOR CITY HALL
MONEY RACE — Boston Mayor Michelle Wu ended July with a significant cash advantage over her chief rival, Josh Kraft, according to the latest filings with the state's Office of Campaign and Political Finance. Wu raised about $247,000 last month and ended July with close to $2.5 million on hand.
While Kraft raised more than $127,000 during the same period, he spent big in July — paying $1,886,000 to cover a variety of campaign-related costs. That leaves him with under $150,000 heading into the final full month of campaigning before the Sept. 9 preliminary election.
RELATED — Prominent national Democrats ask Josh Kraft to stop using names, likenesses in unauthorized fund-raising push by Emma Platoff, The Boston Globe: 'On first blush, the fund-raising solicitation sure looked like it was coming from US Senator Adam Schiff, the California Democrat well known for tangling with Donald Trump. 'Hi — this is Adam Schiff,' the email read, according to a screenshot shared with the Globe. 'Josh Kraft said I could reach out with this urgent message.' But the email came from 'info@joshforboston.com‚' and it was paid for by the campaign of Josh Kraft, who is running for mayor of Boston, several thousand miles east of Schiff's district. And, it turns out, Schiff never said Kraft could reach out with that urgent message. The Kraft fund-raising email sporting Schiff's name and likeness is one of at least five the campaign has sent in recent weeks that feature prominent national Democrats who have not publicly weighed in on the Boston mayor's race. At least two of those politicians have now asked the Kraft campaign to stop using their names and likenesses in the email fund-raising solicitations.'
— It's not just Wu and Kraft: Meet the Boston mayoral candidates not in the spotlight by Eve Zuckoff, WBUR: 'On a steamy Tuesday night in Dorchester, a man trying to replace Michelle Wu as mayor of Boston worked up a sweat over a charcoal grill. Around him, music blasted from a DJ station, kids lined up at the Boston Police Department's ice cream truck and dozens playing basketball worked up an appetite. It wasn't Josh Kraft.'
FROM HARVARD YARD
— Harvard isn't close to a deal with Trump administration, sources say by Kirk Carapezza, GBH News: 'Harvard is not ready to accept a deal with the Trump administration, according to sources familiar with internal conversations on the matter. The federal government has cut research funding to numerous universities, launched investigations into those it accused of enabling antisemitic behavior, and demanded changes to school processes around race and gender. Columbia University, the University of Pennsylvania and Brown University all recently announced settlements with the federal government to restore funding and end investigations.'
WARREN REPORT
— Warren boosts Mamdani as model for Democratic victory by Emily Ngo, POLITICO: 'Elizabeth Warren doesn't have a problem with Zohran Mamdani being the face of the Democrats. In fact, she wants the rest of the party to follow his example on affordability. The progressive senator from Massachusetts swung by New York City on Monday to pay homage to Mamdani, who overwhelmingly won the Democratic nomination for mayor in June — but still hasn't secured endorsements from many of New York's party leaders.'
FROM THE 413
— Making Chicopee 'a destination': City councilor aims to renew proposal to revitalize corridor by Namu Sampath, MassLive: 'Memorial Drive in Chicopee is a bustling, multi-lane corridor that connects the city to several surrounding towns. The 3.7-mile stretch is a 'goldmine,' according to Ward 6 Councilor Sam Shumsky, who'd like to make it safer for pedestrians and drivers alike and create more opportunities for economic development in his ward. He's proposed a related order that the City Council will take up at its meeting Tuesday.'
— State throws weight behind regional affordable housing projects by Scott Merzbach, Daily Hampshire Gazette: 'Nearly 200 new apartments to be constructed in Easthampton, Hadley and Holyoke, almost all of which will be set aside for low- and moderate-income residents, are moving forward as part of $182 million in low-income housing credits and subsidies supporting 21 developments statewide approved by the Healey-Driscoll Administration.'
THE LOCAL ANGLE
— How much committee work gets done by New Bedford's legislative delegation? by Abigail Pritchard, The New Bedford Light: 'New Bedford's legislators sit across 23 committees. So far, just 11 of those committees have reported bills out with recommendations, seven don't have any bills assigned to them, and four haven't held any hearings.'
— Taunton state official looking to change controversial MBTA housing mandate by Daniel Schemer, The Taunton Daily Gazette: ''I've always been pro-development, but this one-size-fits-all mandate doesn't work for some of my smaller communities,' said Kelly Dooner, state senator for 3rd Bristol district, who testified against the MBTA Communities Act at a recent Joint Committee on Municipalities and Regional Government.'
HEARD 'ROUND THE BUBBLAH
TRANSITIONS — Joe Hale is joining the Edward M. Kennedy Institute for the United States Senate as chief development officer. He most recently served as president of the Indianapolis Motor Speedway Museum.
— Holyoke Mayor Joshua Garcia is a finalist for the Northeast Renewable Energy Coalition's 'Mayor of the Year Award.'
HAPPY BIRTHDAY — to former ambassador Rufus Gifford, Christina Pacheco, Crooked Media's Matt Berg and the Boston Globe's Jim Puzzanghera. Happy belated to Republican gubernatorial hopeful Brian Shortsleeve, who celebrated Monday.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Hill
14 minutes ago
- The Hill
Mike Collins rolls out 159-county organization in Georgia Senate bid
Rep. Mike Collins's (R-Ga.) campaign is rolling out a grassroots organization in all of Georgia's 159 counties in support of his Senate bid as he vies for the GOP nod to take on Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.). The news of the 159-county organization, which was first shared with The Hill, includes 413 county captains across the state and is aimed at turning out low-propensity voters. The campaign noted the last few Republicans to have county-level mobilization campaigns who were successful in statewide reelection bids were President Trump and Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp (R). In a press release, the Collins campaign touted the initiative's creation, noting the Georgia Republican had only been in the race for two weeks, and calling it 'a testament to the appeal of Collins' message, authentic brand, and his team's experience in the state.' The Collins campaign noted it included leaders who had previously served on Trump's and Kemp's county-level mobilization efforts. Collins is vying against Rep. Buddy Carter (R-Ga.) and former football coach Derek Dooley, seen as Kemp's preferred candidate, for the Republican nomination to challenge Ossoff next year. Collins has gained several endorsements from his congressional delegation in addition to state legislative leaders, which include some of Kemp's allies. Meanwhile, Carter has a financial edge so far with more cash on hand than Collins. Carter ended the latest quarter with $4 million in the bank while Collins, who's been in the race for several weeks, ended the last quarter with $1 million. Carter loaned himself $2 million in the last quarter as he puts some of his own financial resources into the race. Dooley, meanwhile, enjoys connections to Kemp's political orbit. Collins and Carter have both hammered the former football coach hard since Dooley announced, setting up what's expected to be a hotly contested primary.
The Hill
14 minutes ago
- The Hill
On gerrymandering, Democrats should fight fire with fire
If you want to understand how Congress became so polarized, look no further than Texas. Egged on by President Trump, Gov. Greg Abbot (R) and Republican leaders in the state are trying to engage in mid-decade redistricting, bucking the norm of waiting until the conclusion of the census every 10 years to redraw congressional maps to accommodate population changes. Both Democrats and Republicans have weaponized gerrymandering over the years. But only Texas Republicans have tried twice — in 2003 and now — to exercise the nuclear option of mid-decade redrawing of districts twice. I understand the motivations of these Republicans — and the desire of Democrats to take revenge. In 2012, I chaired the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee, and we had a score to settle with Republicans for eliminating six Democratic seats in Texas in their 2003 mid-decade assault. We might have tried to persuade Democratic governors and legislators to strike earlier than the typical redrawing of maps after the 2010 census, but we decided not to retaliate against Republican rule-breaking with rule-breaking of our own. Instead, we waited for the regular process to take place ahead of the 2012 election. Once the decennial census concluded, we quickly realized that our best opportunity to pick up more seats was in Illinois, where the House delegation had eight Democrats and 11 Republicans. Gov. Pat Quinn and Democratic leaders in the statehouse became political Picassos, redrawing districts to create three more Democratic seats after the 2012 elections. That was not a one-off. Both parties have regularly engaged in designing their own abstract district art. Pennsylvania's old Seventh District — designed in 2011 to protect Republican incumbent Rep. Patrick Meehan — was famously called ' Goofy kicking Donald Duck ' for its bizarre resemblance to the Disney characters. In 2000, Arizona created a district that snaked oddly along the Colorado River so as to include the Hopi Reservation but not the surrounding Navajo Reservation, circumventing longstanding tensions between the two tribes. In 2022, a plan favored by Democrats in New York extended my former Third Congressional District across several bridges and the Long Island Sound, into the Bronx. But that gerrymandering plan backfired, as a state judge struck it down. The result of this map madness is that the moderate, competitive districts have shriveled, while the number of highly partisan districts has skyrocketed. When I first entered Congress in 2001, there were 29 districts with a partisan voting index within a range of four points, reliably swinging between a two-point Republican or Democratic advantage, depending on national trends. In other words, they were toss-ups, and the incumbents needed crossover voters to win reelection. Bipartisanship wasn't a fuzzy goal — it was an urgent strategic imperative. Today, the number of those districts is just 16. Most of the other districts have been drawn to be more red or blue. That means that many House members don't lay awake at night fretting about being defeated in the general election by someone in the other party. Instead, they lay awake thinking about being defeated by a fringe, extreme candidate in their next primary. The political gravity of Congress has shifted. Our system forces legislators to the ideological extremes, when most Americans fall closer to the center. That's without even accounting for the trend of partisan residential sorting, as Americans increasingly live with ideologically likeminded neighbors. We've divided ourselves into Fox News and MSNBC districts, where contradicting views are rarely found on any given block. Of course, some states have attempted redistricting reforms. California and Arizona adopted independent commissions. New York has a bipartisan redistricting commission that places guardrails on just how much Democrats can gerrymander. And that's part of the problem Democrats face: Republicans in Texas and elsewhere play to win by breaking the rules, while in Democratic controlled states, leaders often play to protect the rules, even when it costs them. Over the years, many have argued that Democrats need to fight fire with fire. Instead, Democrats have historically focused on writing a fair fire code even as arson consumes American bipartisanship. But this new Texas mid-decade redistricting push seems to have finally changed the Democratic mindset. Govs. Gavin Newsom of California, Kathy Hochul of New York and JB Pritzker of Illinois are teasing mutual assured gerrymandering destruction by threatening mid-decade redistricting in their own states if Texas Republicans go through with their plan. Each of these efforts faces an uphill legal climb, however, given that voters in two of those three states outlawed such practices. Democrats have realized that patiently waiting until the next redistricting cycle is not an option. Congressional majorities aren't won on a moral high ground but on the streets. Only when Republican members of Congress from New York, California and Illinois see their seats turn blue will national GOP leaders recognize that, in gerrymandering, 'an eye for an eye' makes the whole political system blind. And so to restore bipartisanship in the long run, Democrats may need to play by Texas Republican rules.
Axios
14 minutes ago
- Axios
Mayes hints at possible legal action if Corporation Commission repeals renewable energy mandate
Attorney General Kris Mayes signaled she might take the Corporation Commission to court if it dismantles renewable energy standards she helped create nearly 20 years ago. Why it matters: The future of Arizona's renewable energy mandate is on the line. The big picture: The commission last year instructed staff to draft rules that would repeal its renewable energy standards, saying they're unnecessary and appear to drive up costs. The Renewable Energy Standard and Tariff (REST) Rules require affected utilities to get 15% of the electricity they provide from renewable sources. Staff in late July issued a formal proposal to repeal the standards. Driving the news: Mayes on Monday sent a letter to the commission warning that repealing REST "isn't just nonsensical; it's unlawful." REST isn't perfect, the AG concedes, and she would "wholeheartedly support" efforts to modernize the rules, but she opposes outright repeal. A spokesperson for Mayes declined to comment on whether she'll sue the commission if it votes to repeal the standards. Flashback: Mayes was a Republican member of the commission — she's now a Democrat — when it passed the REST rules in 2006. She was part of the 4-1 majority that voted for the standards. Zoom in: A third-party economic analysis performed for the commission found that REST repeal "could marginally reduce monthly residential electric bills" by $1-$2 and result in minor administrative cost savings for utilities. But renewable energy-related costs for some utility customers would continue due to long-term financial obligations. And repeal would have indirect costs including "reduced transparency, regulatory certainty and potentially slower renewable energy adoption," the analysis said. Between the lines: Mayes argued in her letter that REST helps keep customer rates lower for millions of Arizonans and creates jobs in the renewable energy sector. She said rate-making decisions must legally be based on "high-quality evidence, not speculation and conjecture." "In addition to being bad policy, repealing the REST Rules as proposed here is an unlawful abdication of the Commission's duty to set just and reasonable rates," she wrote. The other side: Commission chair Kevin Thompson told Axios he's not surprised Mayes is "rattling her saber, considering she played a pivotal part in implementing this gravy train that has cost ratepayers billions of dollars." He said his focus is on protecting ratepayers and not pushing "costly ideological mandates." Commission vice chair Nick Myers said he's unconcerned about a lawsuit if the commission repeals REST. "We'll let her do what she thinks she needs to do, and if she has legal grounds, bring them up," he said. Reality check: Renewable energy accounts for about 19% of the energy that Arizona Public Service, the state's largest utility, provides its electric retail customers, the company tells Axios. What's next: The commission will vote at a Thursday meeting on whether to instruct staff to begin the repeal process.
