POLITICO Massachusetts Playbook: ‘NO REGRETS’ for TSONGAS — 2020 WARMUP — Beacon Hill still a BARRIER for women

‘NO REGRETS’ for TSONGAS — 2020 WARMUP — Beacon Hill still a BARRIER for women

BY STEPHANIE MURRAY

GOOD MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. OUTGOING TSONGAS HAS 'NO REGRETS' — Candidates vying for retiring Rep. Niki Tsongas' seat wrapped their final debate last night, and they're heading full steam ahead into the midterm election. And after 11 years in office, Tsongas is preparing to pass the torch to a new Third District representative. "It's a little bittersweet but I have no regrets," Tsongas told me in her Lowell office last week, where she reflected on her work addressing sexual assault in the military, voting for the Affordable Care Act and navigating the 2008 recession. When Tsongas ran in a 2007 special election to replace Marty Meehan, who resigned to become chancellor of UMass Lowell, a woman hadn't been elected to Congress in Massachusetts for 25 years. As she was packing up her D.C. office, she came across a photo of the Massachusetts delegation at a tree planting ceremony early in her tenure. "I was the only woman in the group. That tells you how times have changed," Tsongas said. "Women can't win if we don't run. And so that's number one. There's no guarantee, nor should there be a guarantee. But it's just that we have to put ourselves out there in order to even have the opportunity." Tsongas says her decision to step down was personal and comes from a variety of factors, like her family's longtime involvement in politics, changing forces in the political landscape and her role as a grandmother. She's still deciding what's next. As for her legacy in Congress? "We'll let history decide," she said. "I felt that we've achieved a good deal, that I can look back with confidence and be thankful that I've been able to take advantage of this opportunity and make a difference. You know, my biggest hesitation was our president and the White House," Tsongas said. "I felt we would produce a candidate who was certainly up to the task of pushing back on a lot of, if not all of, his policies and proposals." And Tsongas says she has found that candidate in Democrat Lori Trahan, who is running against Republican Rick Green and unenrolled candidate Michael Mullen in this year's race. Although she won't have a vote in the matter, Tsongas supports Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi for speaker if Democrats regain control of the House. Trahan, her likely successor, has declined to say whether she'd support Pelosi for the top spot. "I think she's a remarkable leader and is worthy of support. Do I think we need to transition to a new generation? I do," Tsongas said. "There has to be some planning in place, and some mentoring of new leaders so that we have confidence that they can take the reins." And as for handing over the reins herself, Tsongas said serving in Congress was "a job like no other." "It's the best way possible to live your life," Tsongas said. "It's not an easy way. But a lot of things aren't easy. It all becomes easier if you value it, and I just think for all the negativity around public service and those of us who are elected, it's still a great way to spend your life." Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget for the Playbook? Get in touch: smurray@politico.com. TODAY — Gov. Charlie Baker joins Massachusetts Life Sciences Center President & CEO Travis McCready for a ribbon cutting at the Gloucester Marine Genomics Institute. Sen. Elizabeth Warren and GOP hopeful Geoff Diehl debate for the last time. Baker and Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito join state Sen. Kathleen O'Connor Ives, state Rep. James Kelcourse and Highway Administrator Jonathan Gulliver for a ribbon cutting at the Whittier Bridge in Newburyport. Democrat for governor Jay Gonzalez and state Rep. Juana Matias meet with business owners to discuss the Merrimack Valley gas explosions in Lawrence. Gonzalez and Rep. Stephan Hay talk to voters in Fitchburg. Sen. Ed Markey, Democrat for Congress Ayanna Pressley and Attorney General Maura Healey join Gonzalez and Lt. Gov. candidate Quentin Palfrey for an early vote event. Senate President Karen Spilka, Auditor Suzanne Bump and Treasurer Deborah Goldberg attend a Sen. Sal DiDomenico fundraiser. Pressley and fellow Boston City Councilors Matt O'Malley and Ed Flynn hold a hearing on the city's natural gas infrastructure, among other issues. Hampden District Attorney Anthony D. Gulluni announces funding that will provide Narcan to first responders in Hampden County.

DATELINE BEACON HILL

- "STATE LEADERS AGAINST ARMED GUARDS AT PLACES OF WORSHIP," by Matt Murphy, State House News Service: "Neither the governor nor the two leaders of the Legislature think arming guards at places of worship should be considered in Massachusetts to prevent the type of violence that erupted at a Pittsburgh synagogue over the weekend. Gov. Charlie Baker, House Speaker Robert DeLeo and Senate President Karen Spilka dismissed the suggestion that armed guards could be used to foil would-be shooters. The idea was floated Saturday by President Donald Trump as one that might have prevented the murder of 11 worshipers at the Tree of Life synagogue." - "Baker proposes $5m pilot program to coordinate police response to fentanyl," by Felice J. Freyer, Boston Globe:"Governor Charlie Baker is asking the Legislature for $5 million to establish a regional approach to fighting fentanyl trafficking. Baker filed a bill Monday that would pay for additional surveillance work and overtime costs to enable participating police departments to coordinate regionally. Illicit synthetic fentanyl — not the medication that doctors prescribe — has become a leading driver of opioid-related overdose deaths in Massachusetts. The drug was found in nearly 90 percent of those who fatally overdosed." - "Auditor Suzanne Bump says her office to look at overtime trends following Massachusetts State Police scandal," by Shannon Young, Springfield Republican: "Auditor Suzanne Bump said Monday that her office will look into overtime trends among state agencies to determine whether it's an area of significant risk, following questions raised by a recent Massachusetts State Police scandal. Bump told The Republican's editorial board that while it's unlikely her office would have caught specific alleged abuses that have come to light regarding overtime payments made to state police officers, she plans to soon examine overtime trends to determine what auditing should occur." "CIVICS BILL BACK ON BAKER'S DESK, WITH VOTER REGISTRATION MEASURE," by Katie Lannan, State House News Service: "Participation in student-led civics projects would become part of high school and eighth grade curriculum and new efforts would be made to register teenagers to vote under a bill that's now back on Gov. Charlie Baker's desk. Both branches passed the bill unanimously in late July, and Baker returned it with an amendment in August, after lawmakers had concluded their formal business for the year."

ON THE STUMP

- "Women take aim at Beacon Hill, but parity with men still looks out of reach," by Stephanie Ebbert, Boston Globe: "In Massachusetts, women are not likely to reach political parity anytime soon, even with 81 female candidates on the ballot for the Legislature. They currently occupy less than a quarter of House and Senate seats — down from their record high of 26 percent, first reached in 1999, and not matched since 2009. With several women competing for the same seat, and others vacating their seats for other political races, female gains in the Massachusetts Legislature are likely to be modest this year." - "Polito, Palfrey criticize Walsh hire in lieutenant governor debate," by Matt Stout, Boston Globe: "Mayor Martin J. Walsh's decision to hire a criminally convicted ex-lawmaker to an $89,000-a-year job drew backlash Monday . . . at a lieutenant governor's debate? Indeed, the WGBH-hosted showdown between incumbent Karyn Polito and Democrat Quentin Palfrey provided the unexpected setting for the Walsh finger-wagging after his hire of Carlos Henriquez to work on antiviolence issues, among other things." - "The Campaign Deval Patrick Is Searching For," by Edward-Isaac Dovere, The Atlantic: "Patrick is looking for a feeling. He's trying to convince himself that the country and the electorate he wants to believe in actually does exist, and that it's going to be worth it for him to throw his life and his wife into what a presidential campaign would demand." SEE ALSO:  GEOFF DIEHL - "Geoff Diehl's Quest To Dethrone Elizabeth Warren," by Mike Deehan, WGBH News: "Massachusetts Republican Geoff Diehl of Whitman, a 49-year-old father of two and a four-term state representative, is trying to unseat one of the nation's best-known senators before she can mount a challenge to President Donald Trump in 2020. To beat Elizabeth Warren, Diehl is walking a fine line, tapping into the distaste some voters feel for Warren while maximizing his Trumpian pedigree with the faithful. Diehl has spent most days on the trail aboard his mobile campaign headquarters, an RV sporting hyper-sized photos of his scout-master-with-a-mission profile." - "Support is dropping for ballot question on nurse staffing, poll shows," by Matt Stout, Boston Globe: "The time to Election Day is quickly narrowing. The contests on the state's Nov. 6 ballot are not. Likely voters say they're leaning heavily in favor of re-electing Governor Charlie Baker and Senator Elizabeth Warren, as well as voting down a hotly debated ballot question to regulate nurse staffing levels, according to a Suffolk University/Boston Globe poll taken between Wednesday and Saturday. Fifty-nine percent of those surveyed oppose Question 1, which would limit the number of patients assigned to hospital nurses at one time, while 32 percent said they are voting for it. Many respondents, however, said it was not the multimillion-dollar ad campaign surrounding the question that swayed them but the input from a nurse they personally know."

FROM THE HUB

- "Sheprd, carpool service for kids, abruptly closes after state crackdown," by Don Seiffert, Boston Business Journal: "After more than a year in operation helping parents get their kids to and from school and activities, Boston-based Sheprd is shutting down, likely for good. The Boston-based startup was founded last year by Nick Jasset and started full operations in September 2017, providing parents an app allowing them to schedule rides between homes, schools, and the over 70 registered destinations, mostly in Newton. A single ride, which was in a 2016 Land Rover LR4 topped with a school bus sign with leather seats and Kindles with Wi-Fi to keep kids entertained, cost $17." - "Blue Cross wants to reward hospitals — for keeping patients out of hospitals," by Priyanka Dayal McCluskey, Boston Globe:"Massachusetts' largest health insurer is trying a new strategy to tackle health care costs: put hospitals on a budget. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Massachusetts will announce Tuesday that it is developing a program to pay hospitals not for every patient they admit and every procedure they do, but for how well they control costs while helping to keep patients healthy." - "Speaking in Boston, Jeff Sessions says he may pursue death penalty against Pittsburgh shooter," by Matt Stout, Boston Globe: "Attorney General Jeff Sessions told a gathering of conservative lawyers in Boston that the massacre of 11 congregants at a Pittsburgh synagogue over the weekend was an 'attack on all people of faith' and suggested he could be open to pursuing the death penalty against the alleged shooter." - "MBTA sinks $6M a year into costly ferry services," by Sean Philip Cotter, Boston Herald: "The T will have to pay millions more a year to float ferry commuters after the agency awarded a new contract that hikes the cost by 40 percent — an increase one fiscal watchdog said is 'unacceptable.' The MBTA only received one bidder for the ferry system — which soon will be costing about $6 million more than it brings in, with no ticket-price increase planned ." - "Dempsey and Baxandall: Coming up short on transportation," by Chris Dempsey and Phineas Baxandall, The MetroWest Daily News: "Want a peek at Massachusetts' transportation system five years from now? The state's recently approved capital investment plan (CIP) provides that blueprint, spelling out how much money is set aside through 2023 for specific bridges, roads, public transit, and airports. The $17.3 billion plan says a lot about where we will be improving Massachusetts transportation - and also what will be missing." - "In debates with Geoff Diehl, Elizabeth Warren shows signs of a 2020 campaign," by Victoria McGrane, Boston Globe: "When she takes the stage Tuesday night for her final debate against Republican challenger Geoff Diehl, Senator Elizabeth Warren is likely to once again aggressively and directly attack the Whitman Republican. It probably won't be because she fears he's gaining ground; the latest Suffolk University/Boston Globe poll shows her with a 22-point lead in the closing days of the race. Rather, analysts see it as yet another way the Cambridge Democrat is working to position herself for an all-but-declared run for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020."

WARREN REPORT

- "In debates with Geoff Diehl, Elizabeth Warren shows signs of a 2020 campaign," by Victoria McGrane, Boston Globe: "When she takes the stage Tuesday night for her final debate against Republican challenger Geoff Diehl, Senator Elizabeth Warren is likely to once again aggressively and directly attack the Whitman Republican. It probably won't be because she fears he's gaining ground; the latest Suffolk University/Boston Globe poll shows her with a 22-point lead in the closing days of the race. Rather, analysts see it as yet another way the Cambridge Democrat is working to position herself for an all-but-declared run for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2020." - "Elizabeth Warren's New Housing Proposal Is Actually a Brilliant Plan to Close the Racial Wealth Gap," by Mehrsa Baradaran and Darrick Hamilton: "Last month, Sen. Elizabeth Warren released a $450 billion housing plan called the American Housing and Economic Mobility Act. The proposal is a comprehensive and bold step toward providing affordable housing for the most vulnerable Americans. The bill is the first since the Fair Housing Act with the explicit intent of redressing the iterative effects of our nation's sordid history of housing discrimination. Critically, it has the potential to make a substantive dent in closing our enormous and persistent racial wealth gap."

THE TSONGAS ARENA

- "Tense exchanges in final 3rd District debate," by Chris Lisinski, The Lowell Sun: "Third Congressional District candidates met Monday for their final debate before Election Day in a forum that at times turned fiery and contentious. Rick Green, the Republican nominee, on several occasions criticized organizers of the debate, arguing that topics were irrelevant or avoiding questions altogether. The fast-paced event, hosted by The Sun and UMass Lowell, stretched across areas familiar and fresh, from the opioid epidemic to the apparent killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi to NATO and more."

ABOVE THE FOLD

— Herald: "VICTORY!" "FLOAT THEIR BOAT," — Globe: "One more celebration ready to roll," "Hernandez drug details concealed by officials."

BEHIND THE TOFU CURTAIN

- "Report: No staff wrongdoing in Smith College incident," by Dusty Christensen, Daily Hampshire Gazette: "Smith College has released a third-party investigative report into an apparent incident of racial profiling on campus this summer, which found no wrongdoing on the part of staff. The investigation was conducted by the Sanghavi Law Office, of Boston, after a college employee called campus police on a black student worker, Oumou Kanoute, who the employee said seemed to be 'out of place' while Kanoute was on her lunch break in a residence hall."

THE LOCAL ANGLE

- "Coke is shutting down bottling operations in Needham, and 146 jobs will be cut," by Allison Hagan, Boston Globe: "Coca-Cola Bottling Co. of Northern New England says it will cease manufacturing operations at its factory in Needham by the end of the year, resulting in 146 layoffs. The New Hampshire-based company plans to use the space, on B Street near Needham Crossing, as a warehouse, said Nick Martin, a spokesman for Coca-Cola of Northern New England." - "Anthony Amore, candidate for secretary of commonwealth, calls on incumbent Bill Galvin to fix 'signature fiasco' in Hampden County deeds race," by Stephanie Barry, Springfield Republican: " The fallout over a signature-forging controversy in the Hampden County register of deeds race continues, seeping into a statewide contest as Secretary of the Commonwealth William Galvin's Republican challenger seized on the issue. Galvin challenger Anthony Amore held a press conference Monday at a local GOP campaign office, where he denounced recent revelations that dozens of signatures were apparently forged on register of deeds Democratic candidate Cheryl Coakley-Rivera's nomination papers." SPOTTED - At the MIT Solve event at the State Department's U.S. Diplomacy Center ... Pooja Wagh, Elle Carbury, Neeta Bhandari, Gary Kraiss, Caitlin Bergin, Christine Johnson, John Jones, Katherine Foster, Maria Barker, Michael Carney, Young Nelson, Bradford Jensen, and James Adams. HAPPY BIRTHDAY - to Newton state Rep. Ruth Balser, Glenda Izaguirre, district representative for Rep. Bill Keating ; and Boston Globe reporter Jeremy C. Fox. DID THE HOME TEAM WIN? Yes! The Patriots beat the Bills 25-6. 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.