| | | | |  | | By Kelly Garrity | WHILE YOU WERE GRILLING — Massachusetts Democrats were mostly quiet on President Joe Biden’s political future in the moments after his disastrous debate performance. But over the long weekend, support from some top Democrats began to crumble in what should be one of his campaign’s safest states. Gov. Maura Healey on Friday became the first Democratic governor to publicly nudge Biden to consider exiting the race, issuing a statement through her political arm urging him to “carefully evaluate whether he remains our best hope to defeat Donald Trump.” It was a deafening call after a week of silence from the governor, who had remained mum through a convening of Democratic governors on Monday and a meeting with the president at the White House on Wednesday. And it was, on the surface at least, a surprising move for Healey, who until this point has been a loyal soldier for the president — touting his administration’s policies, serving as a member of his campaign’s national advisory board, helping raise significant sums for his reelection bid and hitting the trail in her home state of New Hampshire for the primary write-in effort on his behalf. Biden didn’t seem to take her statement lightly when asked about it Friday evening, telling reporters that Healey “didn’t say anything” to him during Wednesday’s White House conclave. But Healey isn’t the only one banging the drum in the Bay State. Rep. Jake Auchincloss has made similar comments in recent days. And Rep. Seth Moulton — no stranger to intra-party rabble rousing — went further, telling WBUR the president should "let new leaders rise up and run against Donald Trump.” Biden dug in during his highly anticipated interview with ABC’s George Stephanopoulos Friday, his first TV sit-down since the debate. But that didn’t keep Moulton or Auchincloss from rehashing their points on the Sunday show circuit. And state Sen. Jason Lewis, who first called for Biden to step aside the day after the debate, joined NBC10 Boston’s “@ Issue,” Sunday to reiterate: “He is not the best candidate we can put forward to beat Donald Trump in November.”
|  Gov. Maura Healey and Boston Mayor Michelle Wu greet President Joe Biden at the tarmac at Boston Logan International Airport. | Evan Vucci/AP | Not everyone here is calling for Biden to step back or reevaluate his position. Rep. Richard Neal, the top Democrat on the powerful House Ways and Means Committee, told MassLive last week that he’s “for Joe Biden.” After a House leadership call Sunday afternoon, he emphasized his support in a post on x. Biden, "led the nation back from the pandemic, brokering once-in-a-generation deals when it didn’t seem possible, and delivering results beyond imagination," he wrote. "Let’s keep it going." Other members of the state’s all-Democratic delegation who have so far stayed quiet will inevitably face a flood of questions when they return to the Capitol today. Whether they're calling for Biden to stay or go, Democrats at home still maintain that worries about Biden’s age and ability pale in comparison to what they view as Trump’s own shortcomings: his 34-count felony conviction, inflammatory rhetoric and connections to Project 2025, a Heritage Foundation-backed conservative agenda that Trump has disavowed, but which several former Trump White House officials have contributed to. And even those wary of Biden sticking it out are pledging to do whatever it takes to get him elected if he does. Healey said as much in her statement Friday: “Whatever President Biden decides, I am committed to doing everything in my power to defeat Donald Trump.” And she’s still helping the campaign tap into deep-pocketed donors here. Healey is set to join a Biden Victory Fund reception later this month in Provincetown, alongside Vice President Kamala Harris. The event has already raised more than $1 million, including $350,000 since the debate, Bryan Rafanelli, one of the reception’s hosts, confirmed. GOOD MONDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. Biden’s refusal to budge barring divine intervention isn’t keeping the trial balloons at bay — including within #mapoli world. Among those who’d consider jumping into a very hypothetical pre-convention mini-primary? Former Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick, who told CNN over the weekend he’d “seriously” weigh getting in the race if Biden stepped aside. "I think I, like a whole lot of other people, will have to look at this seriously,” said Patrick, who endorsed Biden in 2020 after ending his own brief campaign. “And we have to look at whether the process is, in fact, open. I hope it is. And if it is, then I, my family and my team will look hard at that.” Another name getting thrown around: former Rep. Joe Kennedy III, according to political strategist Jacquetta Van Zandt on NBC10 Boston Sunday. (That’s obviously complicated by the fact Kennedy is Biden’s special envoy to Northern Ireland and a major booster of his reelection bid — at his uncle’s expense.). And if Harris were to get the nod, how about Attorney General Andrea Campbell for U.S. attorney general? TODAY — Healey has no public events. Wu and Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll kick off the Department of Conservation and Recreation's Summer Nights program at 10 a.m. in Mattapan. Wu attends the Celtics rookie basketball clinic at 3 p.m. in Mission Hill. Tips? Scoops? Birthdays? Email me: kgarrity@politico.com.
| | | | SUBSCRIBE TO GLOBAL PLAYBOOK: Don’t miss out on POLITICO’s Global Playbook, our newsletter taking you inside pivotal discussions at the most influential gatherings in the world. Suzanne Lynch delivers the world's elite and influential moments directly to you. Stay in the global loop. SUBSCRIBE NOW. | | | | | |  | DATELINE BEACON HILL | | — “It’s crunch time for the Massachusetts Legislature. Among the bills still in the dark: one promising transparency,” by Matt Stout, The Boston Globe: “In the span of about two weeks last fall, the Massachusetts House and Senate overwhelmingly approved bills that would mandate employers disclose salary ranges in their job postings. Prominent business groups backed the idea. Advocates and unions supported compromise language. And lawmakers quickly tapped negotiators to hammer out a final version. … Then, all movement ceased. Eight months later, the bill hasn’t budged from a closed-door conference committee, where lawmakers cloak their negotiations in secrecy, leaving it unclear to constituents and others if they’re talking about the bill at all.” — “Fleeing Massachusetts taxpayers cost state $3.9B in 2022 income, IRS data show,” by Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald: “Taxpayers are fleeing Massachusetts at a high rate and it cost the state roughly $3.9 billion in 2022, placing it fifth in the country for loss of ‘adjusted gross income’ due to domestic migration, according to IRS data. The Internal Revenue Service data, released last week, shows that Massachusetts ranked behind just California ($23.8 billion), New York ($14.2 billion), Illinois ($9.8 billion), and New Jersey ($5.3 billion) in 2022 for loss of income.” — “Massachusetts emergency shelter spending topped $700M last month, report says,” by Chris Van Buskirk, Boston Herald. — "Inspector general who called Cannabis Control Commission ‘rudderless agency' to testify," by TJ Killilea, NBC10 Boston.
| | FROM THE HUB | | — “Can Boston still compete? State Street CEO O’Hanley says yes, but change is needed,” by Jon Chesto, The Boston Globe. — “Boston city councilor urges Wu administration to take office vacancies ‘seriously,’ pushes for study group,” by Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald: "“Councilor Ed Flynn said he’s been trying to 'sound the alarm’ on the issue ‘for some time’ while pointing to a February report that cites the negative impact falling office values and vacancies will have on the city’s commercial tax base, in a letter urging Chief of Planning Arthur Jemison to create a blue ribbon commission.”
| | YAHD SIGNS AND BUMPAH STICKAHS | | FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Boston City Council President Ruthzee Louijeune is endorsing Allison Cartwright for Suffolk County Supreme Judicial Court clerk, joining a handful of councilors in backing the longtime attorney over their colleague, Councilor Erin Murphy. Louijeune described Cartwright in a statement as "exceptionally qualified" for the role, pointing to her decades working as a public defender. RELATED — “High-profile endorsements and controversy heat up race for Suffolk County Supreme Judicial Court clerkship,” by Niki Griswold, The Boston Globe.
| | BALLOT BATTLES | | — “Lessons to learn from Oregon on psychedelics ballot measure,” by Bhaamati Borkhetaria, CommonWealth Beacon: “In Oregon, any person can walk into a ‘service center; to go on a supervised hallucinogenic trip on mushrooms. A group called Mass. for Mental Health Options has gathered the necessary signatures to put a question on the November ballot that would make it possible for Massachusetts residents to do the same. However, the measure in Massachusetts is much more expansive than the one that legalized psilocybin therapy in Oregon in 2020."
| | PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES | | — “MBTA audit reveals gaps in safety training, inspections,” by Ava Berger, The Boston Globe: “A state audit report released Sunday found the MBTA did not effectively manage a contract with a company providing customer service ‘ambassadors’ to assist the public at T stations, resulting in a failure to train the workers on operations and safety and most station safety inspections not being completed on schedule. … The audit, which covers the period from Jan. 1, 2021, to Dec. 31, 2022, will be the first in a series from the auditor’s office regarding safety and performance by the Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority, according to the statement.”
| | | | Understand 2024’s big impacts with Pro’s extensive Campaign Races Dashboard, exclusive insights, and key coverage of federal- and state-level debates. Focus on policy. Learn more. | | | | | | | FROM THE 413 | | — “Orange libraries narrowly escape shuttering as town grapples with tight budget, fraud fallout,” by Stephanie Barry, The Springfield Republican.
| | THE LOCAL ANGLE | | — “Bourne school board member fired for her TikToks loses First Amendment federal appeal,” by Liesel Nygard, MassLive: “Bourne School Committee member Kari MacRae, who was fired from her teaching position at Hanover High School over her TikTok posts, lost her First Amendment federal appeals case against the school district. MacRae is accused of posting six ‘controversial’ memes on TikTok, according to documents from June 28 from the United States Court of Appeals.” MacRae is also running in the Republican primary to fill the Plymouth and Barnstable state Senate seat state Sen. Susan Moran is vacating. — “Tax hike campaigns head down home stretch in Norton,” by Stephen Peterson, The Sun Chronicle: “With less than a week to go before the big vote on a tax hike for this fiscal year’s budget, both sides were out this holiday weekend drumming up support for their stances on the budget override of state tax levy-limiting law Proposition 2 1/2.”
| | WHAT YOU MISSED | | — “Secret Meetings, Private Threats and a Massive Arms Race: How the World is Preparing for Trump,” by Paul McLeary, Christoph Schiltz, Stefanie Bolzen, Jacopo Barigazzi and Philipp Fritz, POLITICO. — “A 10,000-unit housing development at Suffolk Downs is on hold indefinitely. Here’s why,” by Andrew Brinker, The Boston Globe. — “Study highlights gaps in child care subsidy access due to state income eligibility caps,” by Carrie Jung, WBUR: “A newly released study from a national public policy group found that Massachusetts fared slightly better than the national average as far as percentage of kids served by federally supported child care subsidies. The analysis by the Center for Law and Social Policy, or CLASP, relied on the latest available federal data, which was from 2020. At that time, about 14% of children nationwide ages birth to 13 who were eligible to receive assistance through a Child Care Development Block Grant — the primary source of federal child care funding — actually received financial support.” ACROSS THE POND — “U.K. general election: Labour hammers Tories with historic election win,” by Jack Blanchard and Andrew McDonald POLITICO: “A triumphant U.K. Labour Party is back in power in Britain after winning a historic landslide election victory over the ruling Conservatives. Defeated Tory Prime Minister Rishi Sunak resigned on Friday morning after losing the snap election he called six weeks ago, having led his party to the worst-ever defeat in its 190-year history. As in other recent elections around the world, the result marks a complete repudiation of the ruling class. A Conservative Party which had run the U.K. for the past 14 years was simply swept away in a wave of public anger at Britain’s stuttering economy, failing public services and a succession of political scandals.” DATELINE PARIS — “French left set to beat Le Pen’s far right in election shock,” by Clea Caulcutt, POLITICO: “The left-wing alliance in France is on course to win the most seats in parliament in a dramatic election upset, dealing a surprise blow to the far-right party of Marine Le Pen, projections showed. Le Pen’s National Rally came top in the first round of voting a week ago and was aiming to secure the most seats in France’s legislature for the first time in the party’s history. But tactical voting and collaboration between Le Pen’s opponents in an effort to keep her party out of power appeared to have paid off, forecasts from pollsters suggested.”
| | HEARD ‘ROUND THE BUBBLAH | | SPOTTED — John Kerry dining at the Ritz Paris on Thursday evening. Pic HAPPY BIRTHDAY — to Samuel Weinstock, Andy Flick, William LaRose and Maddie James. 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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