Latest news with #SpilloftheHill
Axios
6 days ago
- General
- Axios
Facing tougher GOP opponents, bad poll numbers, a Healey reelection could be a fight
Deehan here, back with Spill of the Hill, my column unraveling Massachusetts politics. Two factors make the coming 2026 gubernatorial election a bigger deal than anyone would have guessed just a few months ago. State of play: Gov. Maura Healey's poll numbers are in the basement. And her Republican challengers are more electable than anyone the GOP has put up against Healey before. Healey has only been up against MAGA-aligned or extreme long-shot Republicans since first being elected attorney general in 2014. She beat little-known construction attorney John Miller that year, rolled over MAGA candidate James McMahon in 2018 and trounced Trump favorite Geoff Diehl in 2022. Now, Healey finds herself up against a pair of first-time GOP candidates that have something in common: They both come from the administration of former Gov. Charlie Baker, the last Republican who managed to win anything statewide in Massachusetts. Mike Kennealy, Baker's former budget chief, is taking his old boss' moderate road. Former MBTA general manager Brian Shortsleeve is striking a more conservative tone, but sticking to issues Mass. voters care about rather than tying himself to Trump's agenda. Friction point: Even if the GOP brand is toxic to most Massachusetts voters, it doesn't mean they necessarily want Healey back in the corner office. Only 49% of voters approved of the job Healey's doing and 45% didn't, according to a new UNH poll. That's the third bad poll for Healey. She was at 54% a few months ago and 42% at the end of last year. Between the lines: Massachusetts voters have a history of splitting the ticket between Democrats and Republicans, meaning there's always a chance a competent GOP campaign could knock off an unpopular Democrat.
Axios
27-05-2025
- Business
- Axios
Top Mass. Democrats face off on liquor, school reform
Deehan here, back with Spill of the Hill, my column unraveling Massachusetts politics. Tensions are high between House and Senate Democrats on Beacon Hill as their leaders clash on changes to local liquor licensing, vocational school reforms and health care protections. Why it matters: With 35 days until the new fiscal year begins, House and Senate negotiators are trying to reconcile significant differences between their budget proposals. The big picture: Both chambers approved spending roughly 6% more this year. Though they're ostensibly part of the same political party, Senate President Karen Spilka and House Speaker Ron Mariano diverge on several big issues that will require compromise. What we're watching: The Senate wants to end the nearly century-old population-based cap system for local liquor licenses and let cities set their own limits. House leaders have historically opposed a change. The two chambers are also at odds over how to end broker fees on apartment rentals. The House wants to pause new changes to vocational school admissions. The Senate plan includes prescription drug price caps and more funding to protect hospitals from closing. How it works: Budget negotiations are top-down affairs, with the Ways and Means committee chairs — Rep. Aaron Michlewitz and Sen. Michael Rodrigues — making offers, trading proposals and protecting their bosses' priorities. Between the lines: Aside from the chaos before the end of the lawmaking session, budget season is the pinnacle of horse-trade politicking in this one-party state. Whatever compromises are hashed out will almost certainly become law. Rank-and-file lawmakers don't go against leadership. The Republican minorities in the House and Senate have little to no influence on the outcome.
Axios
07-05-2025
- Business
- Axios
Dems don't see eye-to-eye on lowering rental costs, MBTA bailout
Deehan here, back with Spill of the Hill, my column unraveling Massachusetts politics. As top lawmakers craft the state's spending plans for the next fiscal year, lines aren't being drawn between parties, but among the Democrats that lead the one-party state. Why it matters: The true political conflict in Massachusetts is House Democrats vs. Senate Democrats. They rarely disagree on what to do. How to do it and how much to spend are the tricky parts. And there's a lot riding on which chamber's priorities win out when it comes to funding for the MBTA and how much renters have to pay to move into an apartment. Zoom in: There's a big divide on how much funding to give to the T as it posts big wins on repairs and customer satisfaction but struggles to keep its spending under control. The Senate proposes $370 million for the T. That's $420 million less than what the House approved. The difference is because the Senate wants to split revenues from the new 4% income surtax evenly between transportation and education investments. The House favors pouring more into the MBTA as the agency's finances spiral. Another issue where Democrats agree but still need to nail down the details is in eliminating real estate broker fees, the additional up-front month's rent paid at the start of a lease. Gov. Maura Healey and Democratic leaders generally support shifting fees from renters to landlords, but the devil is in the details. The Senate wants the fees to be paid by whoever hires the broker. The House laid out a plan where whoever contacts a broker first is on the hook. The differences between "hiring" and "contacting" could look like splitting hairs, but some housing advocates are worried renters could still get slammed by fees if they respond to a broker's listing. The big picture: Lawmakers got a bit of breathing room Monday when April tax collections came in more than $1 billion over expectations. Yes, but: Since most of the bonus money came from the extra 4% on incomes over $1 million, it's restricted to education or transportation spending. The state couldn't use it to bail out the MassHealth system if there are cuts to federal Medicaid, for instance.
Axios
30-04-2025
- Business
- Axios
Beacon Hill fired up for spending — and condemning Trump
Deehan here, back with Spill of the Hill, my column unraveling Massachusetts politics. The halls of the State House sprang to life this week as the House played policy — debating how to spend over $60 billion — and the Senate played politics — voicing outrage at the unprecedented tactics of the Trump administration. State of play: The House got busy Monday, adding spending amendments and other policies to the already $61.4 billion annual state budget. Members filed more amendments to this year's bill than they had in over a decade, even though there are fears of economic difficulty if Trump's trade policies, attacks on higher education or cuts to research funding create a downturn for the state's finances. The Trump agenda was top of mind down the hall in the Senate chamber, where Senate president Karen Spilka led a chorus of Democrats warning about the encroaching threats posed by the president. Spilka vowed to "resist this new tyranny" of the Trump administration's treatment of visa holders and undocumented immigrants. What they're saying: Spilka, whose Jewish family fled Russia and later fought to liberate Jews in World War II, drew parallels between the U.S. in 2025 and Europe in the 1930s. "It is not just terrifying, it is enraging. This is not who we are. This is not the country that my family fled to and my father fought for." Between the lines: Senate leaders vowed to pursue a legislative agenda that could protect Massachusetts residents from Trump, but they didn't offer much in the way of specifics. The Minority's minority: The House's slender GOP minority has a tradition of sticking together during the budget debate, supporting fellow Republicans' attempts to insist on formal roll-call votes to put Democrats on the record for big spending pushes. Yes, but: MAGA-aligned Rep. Marc Lombardo couldn't seem to rally support from the more centrist rank-and-file Republicans to force a formal vote on Day 1 of debate.
Axios
16-04-2025
- Politics
- Axios
A long 2026 campaign gives Mass. GOP hopefuls time to knock Healey
👋🏻 Deehan here, back with Spill of the Hill, my column unraveling Massachusetts politics. Election Day 2026 is over a year and a half away, but at least one Republican who wants to unseat Gov. Maura Healey is giving himself an extra-long runway. Former Baker administration housing and economic development secretary Mike Kennealy said he's running last week. Why it matters: Launching a GOP campaign for governor 18 months before the election gives Kennealy, and whoever else jumps in after him, plenty of time to work on two things: Find out where Healey is most vulnerable And distance their campaign from President Trump's GOP brand. Healey is most open to attack on the issue she campaigned on almost exclusively in 2022: the cost of living in Massachusetts. National factors outside Beacon Hill's control are at play, but costs have continued to go up throughout Healey's term, according to data from the Council for Community and Economic Research. The research outfit's composite cost index for Boston rose from 149.9 to 152.2 between quarter one of 2023, when Healey entered office, to quarter four of last year. Costs went up for housing, groceries, utilities, health care and transportation. What they're saying: "She's dropped the ball on every issue that matters. Costs are too high, taxes are too high, energy bills are too high," Brian Shortsleeve, former board member and later acting general manager of the MBTA under former Gov. Charlie Baker, told Axios. Shortsleeve says he's thinking about his own run for governor and has been talking to "grassroots Republicans" around the state, where he says he's received a "great response." Between the lines: Healey's job approval rating was just above water, 52%, in a UMass poll conducted in February. Yes, but: The governor's reputation with lower-income and less-educated voters shows signs of a significant split in the coalition that won her 64% of the vote in 2022. Healey's approval rating among those with high school educations or less dropped from 54% in October to 37% in February. Her approval from voters making less than $40,000 a year went from 58% to 40% over the same time. Before any Republican can take advantage of Healey's weaknesses, they'll have to appeal to unenrolled voters enough to be viable in November. Remember, Massachusetts voters are 26% Democrat, 8% Republican and 65% unenrolled. And since Trump is still far from popular in the Bay State, GOP hopefuls might want to show voters they aren't on board with this White House's policies or tactics. For Kennealy, that meant touting his connections to his old boss, Baker — no one's idea of a MAGA Republican. The candidate went so far in distancing himself from the GOP that he neglected to include his party affiliation in his campaign launch materials. It was later confirmed that, yes, he's a Republican. That didn't stop the Mass. Democratic Party from labeling him "MAGA Mike" in a video response to his candidacy.
