Markey's missing endorsements

Politico

2 days ago

PASS — Sen. Ed Markey is rolling out another round of endorsements today, this time from state and local electeds from the North Shore.
The slate of nearly two dozen mayors, legislators and county politicians includes state Sens. Joan Lovely and Jason Lewis, Lynn Mayor Jared Nicholson, Salem Mayor Dominick Pangallo and 14 state representatives. One notable north-of-Boston name from the you won't see on the list: Rep. Seth Moulton.
Markey's campaign has announced endorsements from four members of the all-Democratic Massachusetts congressional delegation, including Sen. Elizabeth Warren and Reps. Richard Neal, Jim McGovern, and Lori Trahan, often bundling the announcements with a slew of endorsements from officials in the same congressional district.
But so far, those viewed as the most likely or most competitive potential challengers to the 79-year-old incumbent — Moulton and Reps. Jake Auchincloss and Ayanna Pressley — haven't made the lists.
Polls testing potential matchups between Markey and other members of the delegation, including Auchincloss, Moulton and Pressley, circulated this spring, and another popped up recently, according to screenshots of the surveys shared with Playbook, but no polling showing what a Democratic primary race would look like has been made public.
It's still early. And some electeds may be wary of throwing their support behind Markey before they know what the field will actually look like. Multiple members endorsed Markey in 2020 before then-Rep. Joe Kennedy III officially got in the race, making things awkward for some of those who were close with Kennedy, but already on board with Markey.
GOOD WEDNESDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. Tips? Scoops? Polling a potential Senate race? Let me know: [e-mail].
TODAY — Gov. Maura Healey has no public events. Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll speaks at the Massachusetts Lodging Association's 'Outlook 2026' at 9 a.m., makes an announcement about commuter ferry funding at 10:30 a.m. in Boston and chairs a Governor's Council meeting at noon at the State House. Sen. Ed Markey and Rep. Lori Trahan attend a groundbreaking for the Rourke Bridge replacement project at 11 a.m. in Lowell. Markey hosts a press conference after joining a roundtable with veterans and service providers at the UMass Chan Medical School at 2 p.m. in Worcester. Trahan highlights federal funding that was spent to acquire three new emergency vehicles at 1 p.m. in Gardner. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu speaks at the Boston Fire Department recruit graduation ceremony at 9 a.m. in the Seaport.
DATELINE BEACON HILL
— Lawmakers seek to ban impersonating ICE agents by Christian M. Wade, The Eagle-Tribune: 'A bipartisan group of lawmakers are hoping to close a 'loophole' in state law that allows people who impersonate ICE agents and other federal authorities to shake down immigrants or sexually assault women to go without punishment. The proposal, filed by state Sen. Bruce Tarr, R-Gloucester, Rep. Anne Margaret Ferranate, D-Gloucester, and others would make it a crime to impersonate a federal law enforcement official. Under current law, criminal charges can only be filed against someone accused of impersonating a state or local law-enforcement official.'
— Gov. Maura Healey shuttles $46M towards electric vehicle charging in Massachusetts by Chris Van Buskirk, Boston Herald: 'Gov. Maura Healey's administration announced Tuesday that it plans to shuttle $46 million over the next two fiscal years to build up electric vehicle charging infrastructure across the state. Officials in Massachusetts have spent years trying to bulk up the state's fleet of electric vehicle charging stations in an attempt to bridge gaps in service along highways and in neighborhoods. But a report released alongside the funding said charging bandwidth 'needs to increase to meet demand from EV drivers and the Commonwealth's climate requirements.''
— Critics hammer Gov. Healey as she ends shelter emergency by Walter Wuthmann, WBUR: 'The first two years of Gov. Maura Healey's term in office were dominated by the state's migrant crisis, and the headlines came at a blistering pace: Images of families sleeping on the floor of Boston's Logan airport; news that whole hotels were booked to accommodate families; criticism of the hundreds of millions of dollars the state would spend on services. By August 2023, the situation felt untenable to most leaders on Beacon Hill. That's when Healey made a big announcement: The Massachusetts shelter system was in a state of emergency. She did so from a podium at the State House, speaking to a gaggle of reporters as cameras rolled. So it surprised some political observers this month when Healey announced, without fanfare, the 'end' of the shelter emergency. There was no press conference, no podium, no cameras. Just an email sent to reporters on a Friday afternoon.'
— Accused State House vandal tied to pro-Palestinian group, prosecutors say by Matthew Medsgar, Boston Herald.
THE RACE FOR CITY HALL
FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — The Planned Parenthood Advocacy Fund of Massachusetts is releasing its slate of mayoral and city council endorsements today, ahead of the September preliminary elections.
In Boston, the group is backing Mayor Michelle Wu for reelection; Councilors Ruthzee Louijeune, Julia Mejia, Henry Santana and challenger Alexandra Valdez in the At-Large race; Said Abdikarim for the open District 7 seat; and district Councilors Gabriela Coletta Zapata, Brian Worrell, Enrique Pepen, Sharon Durkan and Liz Breadon for reelection.
PPAF is also endorsing Worcester City Councilor Khrystian King in his bid for mayor in Worcester, and City Councilor Moises Rodrigues, who is running for mayor Brockton.
FROM THE HUB
CHANGING TOURISM — Condé Nast Traveler's Sarah Khan is out with a piece on Boston's evolving tourism scene, featuring Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, state Rep. Chris Worrell, the Chinatown Community Land Trust Lydia Lowe, retaurateur Nia Grace, Comfort Kitchen's Nyacko Pearl Perry and more.
— 13 arrested in Mass and Cass human trafficking bust, Boston Police say by Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald: 'Thirteen people were arrested in connection with a human trafficking bust carried out by Boston, state and federal authorities at the troubled Mass and Cass area. The joint operation — carried out by special units from the Boston Police Department, Massachusetts State Police and FBI — focused on the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue and Melnea Cass Boulevard, BPD said on Tuesday.'
— Opponents of White Stadium project unveil new alternative design, with updated cost of $64.6 million by Niki Griswold, The Boston Globe: 'Opponents of the city of Boston's redevelopment of White Stadium unveiled an updated alternative proposal for the facility on Tuesday, in their latest push for the city to opt for a different, less-expensive design for the Franklin Park site. The Emerald Necklace Conservancy's latest plan would cost the city about $64.6 million, the group said, and could serve as a scaled-back upgrade for the dilapidated stadium that the city could fund on its own, without partnering with a new professional women's soccer team.'
— What Boston's increase in homicides tells us by Steph Solis, Axios.
PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES
— MBTA taking another run at late-night trains, buses by Chris Lisinski, State House News Service: 'Last call on the MBTA is about to get a little later. Nine years after pulling the plug on a prior weekend late-night service program, the MBTA this month will begin running all subways and several popular bus routes about an hour longer into the night. It's part of a new fall schedule that also boosts daytime trip frequency across most of the system. Agency leaders -- many of whom were not involved in the ill-fated pilot nearly a decade ago -- said Tuesday they want to provide a 'public service' for the commuters who need to take trips after about 1 a.m., including people enjoying a night out and those working overnight shifts, even if the demand is comparably smaller.'
FROM THE 413
— $10 bucks and a fish dinner: State still eyeing Springfield's '23 election allegations by Stephanie Barry, The Springfield Republican: 'Investigators with the state Attorney General's Office continue to probe election fraud allegations from the 2023 mayoral race that pitted former City Councilor Justin Hurst against incumbent Mayor Domenic J. Sarno. Sarno won handily, becoming the longest-serving mayor in the city's history. Nearly two years later, a Massachusetts State Police trooper arrived at City Hall last week to obtain video footage outside the city Elections Office, showing Hurst and his campaign volunteers shuttling voters, primarily from a city homeless shelter, to the polls, according to City Solicitor Stephen J. Buoniconti.'
— Residents again pack City Council chambers to speak out about Pittsfield's proposed camping ordinance by Maryjane Williams, The Berkshire Eagle: 'Residents again packed the City Council chambers Tuesday night to speak out about the city's proposed camping ordinance, with many urging councilors to slow down, seek more community input and explore alternatives.'
THE LOCAL ANGLE
— Officers investigated for misconduct collect thousands in pension benefits by Grace Ferguson and Anastasia E. Lennon, The New Bedford Light: 'One longtime police officer was accused of depositing department funds into his wife's personal bank account. Another veteran officer withheld an inhaler from an asthmatic man in custody and lied about it. Then there's the infamous narcotics detective Jared Lucas, who made headlines for secretly sleeping with his informant. All three served the New Bedford Police Department, and all three together have earned more than $400,000 from the New Bedford pension system in just the last few years. They retired while their supervisors considered firing them for misconduct.'
— New Bedford schools declared 'safe zone' from ICE by School Committee by Frank Mulligan, The Standard-Times.
HEARD 'ROUND THE BUBBLAH
TRANSITIONS — Dr. Christopher Westgate has been appointed as the new associate provost at Endicott College. He had worked at Johnson & Wales University.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY — to state Sen. Patrick O'Connor, state Rep. Brandy Fluker-Reid, Boston City Councilor Ed Flynn, Josh Romney, Nicholas Hull, Eric M. Nelson and Denise Perrault.