| | | | |  | | By Lisa Kashinsky and Kelly Garrity | NEW HAMPSHIRE’S MOST ELIGIBLE BACHELOR — If the GOP presidential primary were a dating app, almost everyone would be swiping right on Chris Sununu. The Granite State governor is going on dates — a diner with Nikki Haley, ice cream with Ron DeSantis, a town hall with Chris Christie. He packed in appearances — and packed on the PDA (well, hugs and handshakes) — with all three in a whirlwind 24 hours before Thanksgiving. His suitors aren’t shy about their intentions. Haley has publicly asked Sununu — albeit jokingly — for his endorsement multiple times. Christie, meanwhile, said of Sununu: “We’ve been friends for 11 years, and so I would love to have Chris working with me." Sununu has swiped left on a few candidates already: Donald Trump, the former president whom he routinely criticizes, and Vivek Ramaswamy, whom he told POLITICO “would be a poor choice” for president. Neither appear to want his endorsement, anyway. But Sununu doesn’t seem ready to go steady with anyone just yet. He told POLITICO over the summer that he wouldn’t be making a decision until November or December. He said the third debate would weigh heavily on his thinking, but the early November bout came and went without him making a pick. Then he said it would be after Thanksgiving. Three days before the holiday, he told reporters that people — himself perhaps included — are going to be making up their minds “even later than normal because it’s such a late campaign.”
|  Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (right) dishes with Gov. Chris Sununu over popovers during a campaign stop in Epping, N.H. | Charles Krupa/AP | New Hampshire-based operatives and surrogates for some of the campaigns have a few theories as to who Sununu will choose and why. He could seek to further boost Haley, who’s been rising in polls of the Granite State throughout the fall and sits in second place on average. He could join Iowa Gov. Kim Reynolds in backing DeSantis, giving the Florida governor a sweep of the first two nominating states and a lifeline in the latter, where surveys show his support is tanking. Or, Sununu could back the field’s most vocal Trump critic, Christie, who’s also on the upswing in the state. Sununu has every reason to take his time. The longer he plays the field, the more attention he gets from the candidates and from the reporters and columnists who press him after every campaign event about who and when he’ll endorse. And the longer he waits, the more time he’ll have to see if anyone can emerge from the crowded race for second place as the clear alternative to Trump. Of course, Sununu’s endorsement could help make that happen. But history and at least one private poll shared with Playbook show the impact of the governor’s support could be limited. Roughly three-quarters of the 600 likely New Hampshire GOP primary voters surveyed by Republican pollster Whit Ayres and his firm, North Star Opinion Research, in early November said Sununu’s endorsement wouldn’t sway them. But among the quarter of respondents who said it would, they’d be more likely to vote for Sununu’s pick by a margin of 2-1. Sununu has sought to downplay the weight of his endorsement even as he pledges to put “110 percent” behind his eventual pick. His next opportunity to appear with a potential endorsee is tonight at Haley’s town hall in Derry. GOOD TUESDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. For our loyal readers who are also loyal fans of "The Bachelor" (we know there are a lot of you), think of the scenario we just ran through like this: Sununu is the bachelor holding all the roses, and he's down to his final three contestants. TODAY — Gov. Maura Healey and Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll announce a new coastal resilience strategy at 9 a.m. at Beverly’s Lynch Park. Boston Mayor Michelle Wu speaks at MassDOT’s first Morrissey Boulevard Commission meeting at 6 p.m. at Southline Boston. A celebration of life for the late John Walsh begins at 11 a.m. at Faneuil Hall's Great Hall. Tips? Scoops? Are you Chris Sununu? Drop us a line on who you’re endorsing: lkashinsky@politico.com and kgarrity@politico.com.
| | | | GO INSIDE THE CAPITOL DOME: From the outset, POLITICO has been your eyes and ears on Capitol Hill, providing the most thorough Congress coverage — from political characters and emerging leaders to leadership squabbles and policy nuggets during committee markups and hearings. We're stepping up our game to ensure you’re fully informed on every key detail inside the Capitol Dome, all day, every day. Start your day with Playbook AM, refuel at midday with our Playbook PM halftime report and enrich your evening discussions with Huddle. Plus, stay updated with real-time buzz all day through our brand new Inside Congress Live feature. Learn more and subscribe here. | | | | | |  | DATELINE BEACON HILL | | THANK YOU, NEXT — State Rep. Peter Durant is set to file his resignation from the House today ahead of being sworn into the Senate tomorrow. Now Republicans who reveled in Durant flipping a district that Democrats held for decades are looking for candidates to backfill his House seat in a yet-to-be-called special election. David Adams, a Southbridge town councilor, has already filed paperwork with OCPF and set up a website to run. John Marsi, a Dudley Select Board member, is likely to run as well, MassGOP chair Amy Carnevale told Playbook. SUPP SLOG — Lawmakers sparked speculation that a deal was close on the $2.8 billion supplemental budget that includes $250 million in shelter funding and raises for thousands of state workers when they held their informal sessions open late into yesterday afternoon. But both chambers eventually adjourned to tomorrow. Gov. Maura Healey is holding out hope the lawmakers can “get it done this week,” she said during an interview on GBH’s “Boston Public Radio.” But Republicans could be a roadblock. Senate Minority Leader Bruce Tarr said there’s “bipartisan support” for moving forward with some items in the spending plan, likely referring to the state-employee contracts. But if the conference committee report that comes up for a vote “contains controversial items” — likely the shelter money — he said Republicans might move against it. Meanwhile, the emergency shelter system has dipped below its 7,500-family capacity limit. On Friday, there were 102 families on the waitlist for housing. On Monday, there were 91 families, the Healey administration said. — “Regulators skeptical of low underage betting reports,” by Matthew Medsger, Boston Herald: “The Massachusetts Gaming Commission seems unconvinced by the numbers they are getting from sportsbook operators on how frequently underage gamblers access their platforms and place bets. The Commission met Monday to receive third-quarter reports from representatives of sportsbook operators Caesars Sportsbook, DraftKings, Penn Sports Interactive, and WynnBet, when regulators wondered if the single digit instances of illegal gambling they were being shown were an accurate representation of reality.” — “There are 56 gun bills before the Mass. Legislature. Here's what's next for them,” by Katie Lannan and Jeremy Siegel, GBH News.
| | BALLOT BATTLES | | KEEPING HER POWDER DRY — State Auditor Diana DiZoglio’s push to probe the Legislature has been shot down by Democratic legislative leaders. But Healey isn’t taking sides. “We’ll see what happens if this gets on the ballot,” Healey said yesterday on GBH. Though DiZoglio’s effort to sue the Legislature into complying with her audit was blocked by Attorney General Andrea Campbell, her ballot question appeared poised to clear the first major signature-gathering hurdle last week.
| | | | GET A BACKSTAGE PASS TO COP28 WITH GLOBAL PLAYBOOK: Get insider access to the conference that sets the tone of the global climate agenda with POLITICO's Global Playbook newsletter. Authored by Suzanne Lynch, Global Playbook delivers exclusive, daily insights and comprehensive coverage that will keep you informed about the most crucial climate summit of the year. Dive deep into the critical discussions and developments at COP28 from Nov. 30 to Dec. 12.. SUBSCRIBE NOW. | | | | | | | FROM THE HUB | | — “A guaranteed basic income for Boston’s poor? Officials consider the idea,” by Danny McDonald, Boston Globe: “With about 18 percent of city residents living below the poverty line, Boston officials are mulling the implementation of a temporary guaranteed income program for the city’s poor. While many specific questions regarding such a program remain unanswered, including total cost, where the money would come from, a timeline for implementation, and who exactly would benefit, city councilors and officials from Mayor Michelle Wu’s administration discussed the idea during a Monday council hearing.”
| | THE RACE FOR CITY HALL | | RECOUNT IN REVERE — Revere’s mayoral recount is set to get underway Friday at the request of former Mayor Dan Rizzo, who lost his bid to reclaim his old role to Acting Mayor Patrick Keefe by more than 300 votes, according to the city’s official results. Though the city is bearing the cost of the recount, Keefe has opened up a new account for donations to help pay for an attorney to represent him through the process. — “Marlborough Mayor-elect Dumais sees staff appointments, salary evaluation as key issues,” by Jesse Collings, MetroWest Daily News.
| | 2024 WATCH | | ALL IN ON BIDEN — Healey, a member of Joe Biden’s national campaign advisory board, said on GBH that she’s “absolutely” backing the president in 2024 even as polls show him trailing former President Donald Trump in hypothetical head-to-head matchups and some voters worry about his age. Healey, who sued the Trump administration nearly 100 times while serving as the state’s attorney general, said “it's not OK if you have somebody in charge who is going to continue to deny elections, commit fraud in so many different ways and do things that are so destabilizing to our role and influence in the world.” She cast next year's presidential election as about "the fate of our democracy." — "Pro-Dean Phillips super PAC knocks Biden's electability in New Hampshire TV ad," by Bridget Bowman, NBC.
| | FROM THE DELEGATION | | — “McGovern is first member of Congress to address UN about Nuclear Weapon Ban Treaty,” by Scott Merzbach, Daily Hampshire Gazette: “The United States [and many of its allies] remain holdouts to the Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons, otherwise known as the Nuclear Weapon Ban Treaty. … U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern, speaking on behalf of a handful of colleagues who have explicitly called on President Joe Biden to sign the treaty, was expected to be the only member of Congress to address the parliamentarians.”
| | REGIONAL ROUNDUP | | — “Suit by Republican challenger to keep Trump off the ballot in RI dismissed,” by Katie Mulvaney, Providence Journal. — “‘Tragic irony:’ Burlington shooting victims’ family members say they’re shocked by violence so far from the Middle East,” by Emma Cotton, VT Digger.
| | HEARD ‘ROUND THE BUBBLAH | | ENGAGED — Wesley Hall, minister of music and the arts at The First Baptist Church of Worcester, recently proposed to Taylor Bolton, senior manager of partner marketing at Upstream USA. The couple met at Yale during grad school. He played at opening chapel and then cut in line behind her during coffee hour to speak with her. He proposed at Sleeping Giant National Park, where they had their first date. Pic ... Another pic TRANSITIONS — Pamela Peak is the new chief development officer for the Edward M. Kennedy Institute. HAPPY BIRTHDAY — to Sarina Tracy and Doug Rubin of Northwind Strategies, Deloitte’s John Kim, former state Rep. Louis Kafka, WaPo’s Nicole Dungca, Baker alum Terry MacCormack, Erin Forry, Glen Johnson and Louise Coleman. 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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