| | | | |  | | By Lisa Kashinsky | | | CHEERLEADER IN CHIEF — Sen. Elizabeth Warren is singing President Joe Biden's praises after the midterm — and making it clear she expects to have a say in how progressives and her party writ large approach 2024. Warren was effusive of Biden on NBC's "Meet the Press" on Sunday and in a New York Times op-ed that credited the president's policies on the economy, infrastructure and health care for helping Democrats keep the Senate and putting them within striking distance of retaining the House. "This victory belongs to Joe Biden," Warren, Biden's rival-turned-policy-adviser, said on Meet the Press. "The president's leadership put us in a position — every candidate, up and down the ballot — to talk about what Democrats fight for and what we deliver on. And by doing that we were able to address the values and the economic security of people across this country, and it sure paid off." Warren also used those platforms to present her prescription for how Democrats should take advantage of the lame-duck session of Congress by lifting the debt ceiling and tackling price gouging. And she suggested in a Boston Globe interview that Democrats should focus on progressive priorities like universal child care and expanding housing access over the next two years. Such an agenda would be difficult if Republicans win control of the House, but by putting it out there now Warren is framing what she thinks the policy conversation should be for Democrats heading into the next election.
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U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren speaks during a Democratic election night party, Tuesday, Nov. 8, 2022, in Boston. (AP Photo/Michael Dwyer) | AP | The state's senior senator has repeatedly said she's running for reelection in 2024 and Biden reiterated last week that it's his "intention" to seek a second term — though both of those could change. Either way, Warren's post-midterm agenda-setting is a sign that one of the Democrats' leading progressive voices intends to continue shaping the policy debate — and, potentially, the candidate roster — for the next cycle. Warren's success in pushing her party further left on policy has been met with mixed electoral results. Warren crashed out of the 2020 presidential race without winning a single state. While several of her endorsees won last week — Gov.-elect Tina Kotek in Oregon among them — others, like Wisconsin Democratic Senate nominee Mandela Barnes, lost. And, as my POLITICO colleagues wrote earlier this month, Warren wasn't always appearing with the candidates she was campaigning for across the country as battleground-state Democrats fretted about perceived ties to the ultra-left. GOOD MONDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. Elon Musk is now feuding with both of the Bay State's senators. After a Washington Post columnist impersonated Sen. Ed Markey on Twitter — with his permission — last week to test the platform's verification process under its new owner, Markey sent a letter demanding that Musk explain how the fake account was verified "and how to prevent it from happening again." "Perhaps it is because your real account sounds like a parody?" Musk shot back, prompting an unamused Markey to remind the billionaire that Twitter is under a Federal Trade Commission consent decree due to previous violations and the feds are also investigating Tesla for safety issues. "Fix your companies," the senator warned . "Or Congress will." Provoking Markey could be seen as risky business. The state's junior senator sits on Senate Commerce, Science and Transportation subcommittees that have oversight of issues related to Musk's companies, including ones on communication, media and broadband as well as consumer protection, product safety and data security. Couple that with Warren's condemnations of Musk taking over Twitter, and you've got one pissed-off and powerful Senate delegation. TODAY — Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito attends a Brownfields Redevelopment Fund celebration at 1:15 p.m. in Taunton and celebrates recent Site Readiness Program awards at 3 p.m. in Brockton. Tips? Scoops? Thoughts on whether Warren should seek reelection or run for president again? Email me: lkashinsky@politico.com.
| | A message from NextEra Energy: NextEra Energy is the first company in history committed to moving past net zero all the way to Real Zero , leveraging low-cost renewables to drive energy affordability for customers. | | | |  | DATELINE BEACON HILL | | — "Head of MassBio trade group is out after serving just over a year," by Jonathan Saltzman, Boston Globe: "Barely a year after he was named head of the Massachusetts Biotechnology Council, former state senator Joseph Boncore has been ousted and will be replaced with the trade group's second-highest executive, according to two members of the nonprofit organization's board of directors. In response to Globe inquiries, MassBio issued a brief statement saying that Boncore 'is resigning as CEO to open a consulting practice and will remain an advisor to MassBio on state and federal issues' under its new leader. "The abrupt leadership change comes at a sensitive time for MassBio, which lobbies for the state's biotechnology industry, a pillar of the Massachusetts economy. … Amid such challenges, the executive committee of MassBio voted to fire Boncore as chief executive officer and replace him with Kendalle Burlin O'Connell, who was serving as president and chief operating officer, according to Edward Kaye, chief executive of Bedford-based Stoke Therapeutics." — "At least roughly $1 billion in tax refunds sent to Mass. residents so far," by Alison Kuznitz, MassLive: "More than 900,000 Massachusetts residents have received tax refunds so far under Chapter 62F, the controversial tax cap law that's requiring state government to return nearly $3 billion in excess revenues back to taxpayers. That equates to nearly $1 billion distributed to eligible Bay Staters as of Tuesday, a state official told MassLive Thursday evening." — ICYMI: "House Staffers Set for Raises of At Least 8 Percent," by Sam Drysdale, State House News Service (paywall): "Massachusetts House employees will start seeing a minimum 8 percent raise in their next paychecks under a new compensation plan unveiled by House leadership on Thursday. Months after Senate staffers launched a so-far-unsuccessful unionization bid and shone a spotlight on working conditions for legislative aides, top House Democrats announced across-the-board pay increases for staff effective Nov. 7. … The plan also establishes a minimum salary floor for all full-time House employees of $50,466 and a minimum salary floor for legislative aides of $53,000."
| | FROM THE HUB | | — "How a tweak to a popular rental voucher program is reshaping where people live in Boston," by Diti Kohli, Boston Globe: "In 2019, [Boston, Cambridge and Brookline] asked the federal government to let them vary the subsidies by ZIP code, instead of one flat rate for the region — a meaningful tweak with the potential to transform who can afford to live where in Greater Boston. Previously, the Boston Housing Authority had used the same rate for Section 8 voucher holders across metropolitan Boston, paying $1,563 toward a one-bedroom apartment everywhere from Back Bay to Brockton. Effectively, that priced voucher holders out of more expensive neighborhoods and funneled them into Roxbury, Dorchester, and Mattapan." — "Boston firefighters suing over canceled civil-service test," by Sean Philip Cotter, Boston Herald: "Boston firefighters are suing the state's civil-service office and appealing to the commission in an effort to persuade a judge to force the recently scuttled test to go ahead. Four Boston jakes filed the suit late Thursday night against the Massachusetts Human Resources Division after HRD's move [last] week to scrap the Boston district chiefs promotional exam that was slated to happen in two weeks. HRD made the move after a judge's decision in a recent lawsuit that deemed the police sergeants promotional civil-service exam disadvantaged Black and Hispanic test takers, resulting in delayed or nonexistent promotions in the late 2000s and early 2010s."
| | | | POLITICO APP USERS: UPGRADE YOUR APP BY DECEMBER 19! We recently upgraded the POLITICO app with a fresh look and improved features for easier access to POLITICO's scoops and groundbreaking reporting. Starting December 19, users will no longer have access to the previous version of the app. Update your app today to stay on top of essential political news, insights, and analysis from the best journalists in the business. UPDATE iOS APP – UPDATE ANDROID APP . | | | | | | | MIGRANTS IN MASSACHUSETTS | | — "An immigration wave at the end of Baker's term reverses progress toward a long-term goal," by Mike Damiano, Boston Globe: "By candidate Charlie Baker's own assessment, it was an ambitious goal: During his first term as governor, he intended to reduce the number of homeless families sheltered in hotels from around 1,500 to zero. … By November 2021, the number had fallen to just five, according to the Department of Housing and Community Development. But in the final months of his tenure, Baker has seen years of progress reversed. The cause is migration. As thousands of families have surged into Massachusetts in recent months, after entering the country at the southern border, the state has had no other option than to revive the practice he has long sought to abolish, Baker said. As of Thursday, the number of homeless families in hotels had crept back to approximately 220 and was trending upward, according to state officials."
| | AS SEEN ON TV | | — CAMPBELL'S AG OFFICE OUTLOOK: Andrea Campbell said on WCVB's "On the Record" that she wants to make the attorney general's office "more accessible" and expand its regional offices when she takes over in January. Campbell shied away from pledging specific reforms to the state police during her appearance on the Sunday politics show. But she said she intends to continue Attorney General and Gov.-elect Maura Healey 's "leadership" in taking on "corporate bad actors out there who should be held accountable that profit off the pain in communities." She's also keeping an eye on consumer protection when it comes to cryptocurrency. — TRAHAN ON THE MIDTERMS: Rep. Lori Trahan, who beat Republican former state Sen. Dean Tran last week to win a third term, said on WBZ's "Keller @ Large" that voters "defeated" extremism this election. "I think people want adults in the room talking earnestly and thoughtfully about the real issues that are affecting them," she said.
| | | | A message from NextEra Energy:   | | | | | YAHD SIGNS AND BUMPAH STICKAHS | | — LET SPECIAL ELECTION SEASON BEGIN: "Davis and DeSimone first two candidates in special election for Attleboro mayor," by George W. Rhodes, The Sun Chronicle: "When John Davis heard Mayor Paul Heroux had beaten incumbent Tom Hodgson to become the next Bristol County sheriff, he jumped into action. Davis, who's run for mayor twice before, in 1997 and 2007, got the news of Heroux's victory just before sunrise on Nov. 9. … Davis, 57, declared he'd be running for mayor if Heroux won the race for sheriff about a month ago. City councilor at-large Cathleen DeSimone, 56, declared her candidacy in September." — "As candidates chatter, Salem's mayor quest troubled by rules update," by Dustin Luca, Salem News: "The process to elect a new mayor mid-term is coming into focus as Mayor Kim Driscoll readies to take office as Massachusetts' new lieutenant governor and some notable Salem residents are teasing the idea of mayoral bids. But that process won't be simple. … Dominick Pangallo, Driscoll's chief of staff in Salem, has already indicated he's discussing a run, and now Neil Harrington, who served four terms as mayor from 1990 to 1997, is also thinking about it. … With Salem's special elections rules last seeing an update in 1960, it must bring them up to date before holding an election." — "Immigration advocates take victory lap with the end of Sheriff Hodgson's 25-year tenure," by Sarah Betancourt, GBH News: "Immigration advocates who have spent years suing [Bristol County Sheriff Tom] Hodgson over alleged and proven mistreatment of prisoners are elated. 'I think it's a big relief that Hodgson will no longer be returning as sheriff,' said Mario Paredes, an attorney who works at Prisoners' Legal Services, an organization that has represented immigrants and prisoners filing cases against the county." For those wondering how to pronounce the sheriff-elect's name, Paul Heroux has a slightly unhelpful answer: The Attleboro mayor says it's "Hero, Her-roo or Her-row" depending on the day, per The Sun Chronicle .
| | BALLOT BATTLES | | — "Ballot Question 2 on dental insurance passed overwhelmingly. What now?" by Cassie McGrath, Boston Business Journal: "The dentist-backed ballot Question 2 passed Tuesday with an overwhelming majority, making Massachusetts the first state with mandated fixed loss ratio for dental insurance. The loss ratio requires that 83 cents of every dollar paid to insurance companies goes toward the cost of dental care, leaving 17 cents for administrative costs. Details around how the state's dental insurers will adjust their business practices to meet the mandate are still up in the air — and likely will be until next year at the earliest."
| | | | GO INSIDE THE MILKEN INSTITUTE FUTURE OF HEALTH SUMMIT: POLITICO is featuring a special edition of our "Future Pulse" newsletter at the 2022 Milken Institute Future of Health Summit from Dec. 6 to 8. The newsletter takes readers inside one of the most influential gatherings of health industry leaders and innovators solving the biggest global health issues to ensure a healthier, more resilient future for all. SUBSCRIBE TODAY TO RECEIVE EXCLUSIVE COVERAGE . | | | | | | | PARTY POLITICS | | — BACK IN ACTION: The Eagle-Tribune's Christian M. Wade continues his series on Massachusetts Libertarians, who regained major-party status thanks to Cristina Crawford picking up more than 23 percent of the vote in the state treasurer's race. Some Libertarian leaders, Wade writes , hope to harness that support to build up the party. But Libertarians remain splintered into two factions — only one of which is affiliated with the national party.
| | PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES | | — "Charlie Baker to appoint interim MBTA leader on Jan. 3," by Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald: "The outgoing Baker-Polito administration plans to appoint an interim general manager for the MBTA on Jan. 3, when current GM Steve Poftak steps down, Gov. Charlie Baker's office said. Gov.-elect Maura Healey takes office two days later, on Jan. 5." — "Politics and the City: Fare-free WRTA a hit — but how to pay for it?" by Cyrus Moulton, Telegram & Gazette: "Even those who criticize the management of the WRTA recognize that Worcester needs a functioning bus system. A fare-free bus system is even better. The question remains how to pay for the fare-free service. As WRTA Administrator Dennis Lipka has said, the money has to come from somewhere, and it doesn't appear anybody is readily handing him a check to replace the roughly $3.5 million the system normally receives in fares each year. The CARES Act money has paid that bill for now, but will eventually run out." — "Wake up: 17 workers suspended for violating MBTA's 'attention to duty' rule," by Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald: "Seventeen MBTA employees, many of whom were bus or train operators, were suspended for sleeping or failing to pay proper attention during work hours over the past four years, records show."
| | FROM THE 413 | | — "Veterans who mobilized around Holyoke Soldiers Home pivot to wider mission," by Jim Kinney, Springfield Republican: "Veterans who came together to speak out against what they saw as mismanagement at the Holyoke Soldiers Home following the 2020 COVID outbreak are pivoting to a new, wider mission. … [T]he vets have created The Veterans Advocacy Coalition, as a sort of 'quick reaction force' on veterans issues that can act beyond the silos created by other veterans groups."
| | THE LOCAL ANGLE | | — "Falmouth town meeting to vote on guns, civil service," by Asad Jung, Cape Cod Times: "Article 13 calls for adding a bylaw mandating the destruction of any assault weapons declared surplus by the police department. The petition, filed by Nan Logan, said the point of the bylaw is to prevent assault weapons from reentering the open market, since they can cause harm in the wrong hands. Massachusetts law prohibits sale and possession of assault weapons but law enforcement officers are exempt. In the past, it has been common procedure for police departments on the Cape to sell their surplus weapons back to gun dealers as part of deals to purchase new weapons." — "Right-leaning nonprofit increasingly targets Massachusetts teaching of gender, race and sex education," by Jusneel Mahal, Boston Globe: "An increasingly active right-leaning non-profit called Parents Defending Education filed a federal civil rights complaint against Newton North High School last month, alleging that a student-led theater production broke the law by limiting auditions to people of color only. The same group sued Wellesley Public Schools last year for alleged illegal discrimination when Wellesley High School hosted a forum for Asian students and students of color to discuss a mass shooting at an Asian massage parlor in Atlanta."
| | A message from NextEra Energy: NextEra Energy is the first company committed to reaching Real Zero™, as in 100% clean energy. We're not just offsetting carbon emissions — we're eliminating them. | | | | | HEARD 'ROUND THE BUBBLAH | | TRANSITIONS — Sydney Levin-Epstein is returning to Atlanta as national events director for Sen. Raphael Warnock (D-Ga.) in his runoff election against Republican Herschel Walker. Levin-Epstein held the same role for Sen. Jon Ossoff (D-Ga.) during his runoff last cycle. HAPPY BIRTHDAY — to Todd Feathers, a Lowell Sun alum, and Tamika Olszewski. 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 | | | | |
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