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GOOD MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. TGIF!
INSIDE LISS-RIORDAN'S WAR CHEST — Shannon Liss-Riordan, the Democrat challenging Sen. Ed Markey in the 2020 primary, raised about two-thirds of her campaign contributions from out-of-state donors this quarter. It's not unusual for candidates to lean on friends, family and former colleagues in other states when getting a campaign off the ground, but her first campaign finance report shows she has a way to go to build a significant donor base in the Bay State.
"A person running for the first time, their early money is going to come from the people they know. She does not yet have the name recognition to be able to draw from small or large donors across the country," said Peter Ubertaccio, dean of the School of Arts & Sciences at Stonehill College and a writer for MassPoliticsProfs.
Liss-Riordan loaned $1 million of her own money to her Senate campaign, and raised an additional $145,000 from 227 individual contributions, according to her FEC report. Of those contributions, 150 were from out-of-state donors and 76 were from Massachusetts. Liss-Riordan received 68 contributions from California, 18 from Texas and drew money from 17 other states and Washington, D.C.
"The $1 million in self-support is going to raise some eyebrows," Ubertaccio told me. "That's going to give her the ability to get her name out there."
Liss-Riordan is going to need a lot of cash to be a serious competitor in a race against Markey. Markey raised $1 million this quarter, according to a Boston Globe report, and has $4 million in cash on hand. It's pretty typical for senators and Senate candidates to raise national money — Beto O'Rourke, for example, raised millions in out-of-state contributions for his unsuccessful campaign against Sen. Ted Cruz in 2018. The challenge is converting that cash into votes.
"At this point, July 2019, she does not yet have the kind of support among party activists or party regulars in Massachusetts to make much of a dent in terms of her donor base," Ubertaccio said.
Liss-Riordan spent $152,000 this quarter , which is slightly more than she raised from campaign contributions. Part of that money was spent on two political consultants who worked for former Gov. Deval Patrick. Liss-Riordan retained the services of Clare Kelly, who worked as an advocacy director and a field director on Patrick's campaigns, and DNM Solutions, which is run by Sydney Asbury, who managed Patrick's 2010 campaign and served as deputy chief of staff and political director in the Patrick administration.
Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget for the Playbook? Get in touch: smurray@politico.com.
TODAY — Boston Mayor Marty Walsh attends the opening night of the Boston Unity Cup. Rep. Ayanna Pressley testifies before the House Committee on Oversight and Reform about her visit to migrant detention centers in Texas. Sen. Ed Markey and Rep. Jim McGovern tour migrant detention facilities in Texas. Rep. Joe Kennedy III speaks at the Newton Lights for Liberty vigil to protest the treatment and detention of asylum seekers. Senate President Karen Spilka, Framingham Mayor Yvonne Spicer and state Rep. Maria Robinson speak at a Lights for Liberty vigil in Framingham. Rep. Seth Moulton, state Rep. Paul Tucker and state Rep. Lori Erlich speak at a vigil in Salem. Presidential candidate Cory Booker outlines his gun violence prevention plan in Boston.
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Want to know what's REALLY happening on Capitol Hill? Get in the game by reading the Huddle, POLITICO's fun and essential play-by-play guide to Congress. Melanie Zanona pulls back the curtain and takes you inside the backrooms on Capitol Hill to keep you apprised of the latest from both the upper and lower chambers. Sign up today.
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 | DATELINE BEACON HILL |
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- "COMPRESSOR OPPONENTS GAIN BIG NEW ALLY: THE MASS. SENATE," by Chris Lisinski, State House News Service: "Nearly three-quarters of the Senate penned a letter Thursday urging the Department of Environmental Protection commissioner to rescind approval for a controversial natural gas compressor station in Weymouth, a significant escalation from what had been mostly staunch local opposition. The two-and-a-half page letter, signed with bipartisan support by 29 of the Senate's 40 members, asks DEP Commissioner Martin Suuberg to reject the proposal. It was released one day before his final decision on whether to uphold an air quality permit under appeal is due. Warning that "public trust is lost" after the lengthy permitting process that saw outcry from environmental and health experts, the senators said the compressor plans sought by Algonquin Gas Transmission are a threat "to the Commonwealth as a whole" and could set a "dangerous precedent" for siting such facilities."
- "Baker seeks to expand early college," by Christian M. Wade, The Salem News: "On Beacon Hill, Gov. Charlie Baker is pushing to significantly expand such early college and career pathway programs, which operate under agreements between high schools, community colleges and state-funded universities. Currently there are 35 high schools - including Haverhill and Lawrence - and 18 public and private colleges in Massachusetts with early college programs. Baker, as part of an education overhaul package filed earlier this year, has proposed creating a new funding category for local school districts in their annual Chapter 70 allocations that gives participating high schools at least $1,050 per year for each student enrolled in an early college or career pathway program."
- "FRIDAY SESSIONS SCHEDULED BUT STILL NO BUDGET," by Katie Lannan, State House News Service: "Both branches of the Legislature have scheduled rare Friday sessions as lawmakers continue their wait for the now 11-day late, $42.7 billion state budget. The Senate gaveled out at 11:30 a.m. Thursday, with plans to return Friday at 2 p.m., and later in the day, the House put its own Friday session on the schedule for 11 a.m. The two lawmakers present in the chamber when the House adjourned, Reps. Paul Donato of Medford and Donald Wong of Saugus, each pointed to the fact that the Senate was also coming in when asked about the House's plans for Friday. Wong, a Republican, said representatives would "wait and see what the Senate is going to be doing" and that he's heard the six budget conferees are "very close" to reaching a deal.
- "Somerville Legislator Wants To Make Police Body Camera Footage Unavailable To Public," The Associated Press: "A proposal to exempt recordings made from police body cameras from Massachusetts' public records law is being heard by a legislative committee at the State House. The bill (H.2120) was filed by Rep. Denise Provost, a Somerville Democrat. The public records exemption is part of a wide-ranging bill that would also create a task force charged with establishing statewide standards and regulations for bodycams worn by law enforcement officers. Secretary of State William Galvin, a Democrat whose office oversees public records, is urging lawmakers to reject the proposed exemption, calling it "completely unwarranted and unacceptable." He says it could defeat the goal of improving transparency through the use of the devices."
- "NEW DISCLOSURE SYSTEM CREATING HEADACHES FOR LOBBYISTS," by Matt Murphy, State House News Service: "With lobbyists and their clients staring down a Monday deadline to file public disclosures for the first half of the year, a new online reporting system implemented by Secretary of State William Galvin's office last month has been making life difficult for some influence peddlers on Beacon Hill. Multiple lobbyists told the News Service that over the course of the past week they've tried to input their data -- including bills that they're lobbying on, expenditures for clients and campaign contributions -- only to be unable to save their work, have the system crash or see their data erased. "The thing is a cluster...," said one frustrated lobbyist."
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| FROM THE HUB |
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- "Suffolk County DA On Recent Criticism: 'It's Very Easy To Monday Morning Quarterback,'" by Courtney Kennedy, WGBH News: "Suffolk County District Attorney Rachael Rollins is pushing back against the criticism that the policies she has implemented have led her office to be too soft on some accused criminals. And while she says her reform efforts are still a work in progress, she is not backing down on her overall plan. "I'm not apologetic," Rollins told Jim Braude on Greater Boston Thursday. "I think everything's a learning opportunity. .... I'm not going to apologize for being confident and bold in the things that I'm doing. But we're going to adapt when we look and see things we can do differently." A recent Boston Globe story raised questions about whether some of the cases Rollins' office has been dismissing might be a public safety concern."
- Advocates say Boston's policies don't do enough to keep police out of immigration matters," by Milton J. Valencia, Boston Globe:"As local officials seek to to build Boston's reputation as welcoming to immigrants, some advocates are calling on the city to follow the lead of other municipalities and do more to keep local law enforcement from collaborating with federal officials on deportations. Mayor Martin J. Walsh and other officials have recently sought to strengthen the 2014 Trust Act, which sets limits for police cooperation with Immigration and Customs Enforcement. They say that the parameters are vital because President Trump has threatened to round up those in the country illegaly — including with ICE raids this weekend in at least 10 cities."
- "How Jeffrey Epstein made himself into a 'Harvard man,'" by Zoe Greenberg, Boston Globe: "Before Jeffrey Epstein was disgraced — before he was arrested this month and charged with sex trafficking dozens of minors, before he received a slap on the wrist in 2008 for molesting girls at his mansion in Palm Beach, Fla. — he aimed to be a Harvard man. He contributed millions to the university, reportedly funding the construction of Harvard Hillel's building, and helping to establish the Program for Evolutionary Dynamics. He frequented an office blocks from campus, and flew up in his private plane to host seminars there with some of Harvard's most prominent professors, according to Alan Dershowitz, an emeritus professor of law at Harvard who served as one of Epstein's lawyers."
- "New Boston schools superintendent says her focus is on racial equity," by James Vaznis, Boston Globe: "Boston Schools Superintendent Brenda Cassellius said Thursday she was committed to helping disadvantaged students succeed, speaking a day after a civil rights group criticized her for being out of touch with the issues many black and Latino students encounter in trying to secure seats at the city's exam schools. "I think talking about equity is always a sensitive topic," said Cassellius, who is African-American and noted that she grew up in poverty. "It is my hope the community will come together and put children at the center, so we can create great schools in every neighborhood." Lawyers for Civil Rights said Cassellius missed the mark on Wednesday when she expressed shock on a radio program over the high cost of administering the Independent School Entrance Exam — $140 per student."
- "Boston mulls Election Day holiday," by Sean Philip Cotter, Boston Herald: "Election Day could become a holiday for city workers in Boston, under a proposal aimed at increasing voter turnout. "Robust voter participation is one of the most robust parts of a healthy and functioning democracy," said Councilor Matt O'Malley during Wednesday's council meeting, as he introduced his bill to hold hearings on the topic. O'Malley said the city could create a new paid holiday for its workers or shift an existing one from a different holiday, such as Columbus Day or Presidents Day. The Jamaica Plain councilor noted that Boston has a history of creating local holidays for occasions it considers important, like Bunker Hill Day and Evacuation Day, so adding one to the "sacred Tuesday" of Election Day wouldn't be too revolutionary."
- "Protesters Formed "People-Protected Bike Lanes" in Boston," by Spencer Buell, Boston Magazine: "Sometimes pleading (and tweeting and rallying) about protected bike lanes in Boston only gets you so far. Sometimes you've got to protect them yourself. That's the strategy the city's bike advocates deployed once again Thursday in a push to get safer cycling infrastructure added to Boston's busy, and often perilous, streets. More than 100 turned out for the early morning demonstration to stand between the painted barrier between cars and bikes along the intersection of Fenway and Brookline Avenue, forming what protesters called 'people-protected bike lanes.'"
- "Wynn offers investors a glimpse of Everett's development potential," by Jon Chesto, Boston Globe: "We know what the new Encore Boston Harbor casino looks like, in all its glory: an oasis of Vegas glitz in an otherwise low-key stretch of Everett, on Boston's doorstep. But what about Encore's encore? Investors in Wynn Resorts, the company that opened the $2.6 billion casino last month, received a glimpse of what could be on the way on Wednesday. In a presentation at the casino, Wynn Resorts highlighted all its parcels in the neighborhood on one slide. The map on that slide shows the company has accumulated 12 acres across Broadway (Route 99) from the casino and luxury hotel. For now, these parcels are primarily used for temporary parking. But they're far too valuable to stay that way."
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| DAY IN COURT |
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- "ACLU sues MassDOT over surveillance data," by Sarah Betancourt, CommonWealth Magazine: "THE HITS WON'T STOP for the state's Department of Transportation. The issue this time? The use of the state's driver's license database for surveillance by federal agencies. The ACLU of Massachusetts filed a Superior Court lawsuit against MassDOT Wednesday, alleging the Registry of Motor Vehicles was sharing its database of ID photographs with agencies such as the FBI and Immigrations and Customs Enforcement. The ACLU says such information sharing is unconstitutional, a violation of privacy rights under the First and Fourth Amendments."
- "Agreement with AG forces Premier Education Group out of Massachusetts; for-profit colleges to forgive $1.6M in student debt," by Jeanette DeForge, Springfield Republican: "A for-profit two-year career training school has agreed to waive $1.6 million in student debt and stop enrolling all Massachusetts students by the end of the year. The Premier Education Group, of Pennsylvania, entered into a settlement agreement with Attorney General Maura Healey after being accused of failing to provide students with information on job placement, loan repayment and graduation rates, as required by state law, according the attorney general's office."
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| WARREN REPORT |
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- "How Elizabeth Warren would address immigration reform," by Quint Forgey, POLITICO: "Immigration reform? Now Elizabeth Warren has a plan for that, too. The Massachusetts senator, whose 2020 presidential campaign has become defined by her stockpile of policy proposals, unveiled Thursday a package of ideas to restructure the government's approach to immigration "to create a rules-based system that is fair, humane, and that reflects our values," she wrote in a blog post. The rollout comes as Warren and other national Democrats have accused the Trump administration in recent weeks of exacerbating a humanitarian crisis along the southern border by failing to provide basic necessities and sanitary conditions for migrants held in detention centers."
PLEASE DO YOU RESEARCH ON THE HISTORY OF A CANDIDATE BEFORE SUPPORTING THAT CANDIDATE. JOE BIDEN AND KAMALA HARRIS ARE BIG CORPORATION CANDIDATES, WITH NO PROGRESSIVE HISTORY. SEE:
- "A Rising Warren Has Made Policy A Central Part Of Her Brand," by Anthony Brooks, WBUR: "It's been a good week for Sen. Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts. Her presidential campaign announced strong fundraising numbers from the last three months, while recent polls place her in the top tier of a crowded Democratic field. All this is happening as she continues to pump out policy proposal after policy proposal -- the latest just Thursday, to decriminalize unauthorized border crossings as part of a sweeping reform of the country's immigration system."
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| MOULTON MATTERS |
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- "Rep. Moulton: Democrats shouldn't go on 'moral crusade' against Trump," by Zach Montellaro, POLITICO: "Rep. Seth Moulton thinks voters know Donald Trump is an "asshole" — but he says Democrats are wasting their time launching a "moral crusade" against the president. Moulton is polling at the back of the pack seeking the Democratic nomination for president, and he didn't make it on the stage for the first primary debate last month. But from his perspective, his party is overestimating its chances at beating Trump in 2020, Moulton said Thursday in a wide-ranging interview with POLITICO reporters and editors."
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| FROM THE DELEGATION |
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- "Markey campaign raises $1 million in latest fund-raising haul," by Aidan Ryan, Boston Globe: "US Senator Edward J. Markey has raised about $1 million since April for his 2020 reelection, according to his campaign. Spokeswoman Giselle Barry said this week that the Malden Democrat will report more than $4 million in cash on hand in his second-quarter fund-raising. Markey's primary challenger, Shannon Liss-Riordan, said earlier this week that she loaned her campaign $1 million and raised just under $145,000 in the second quarter. She will report about $990,000 in cash on hand."
- "Ayanna Pressley: Nancy Pelosi's Take on Progressive Defectors Is 'Demoralizing,'" by Alyssa Vaughn, Boston Magazine: "Ayanna Pressley is getting frustrated with the way House Speaker Nancy Pelosi seems to be targeting her and other members of the so-called "Squad" made up of fellow freshman congresswomen of color Ilhan Omar, Rashida Tlaib, and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez. Pelosi is facing sharp criticism for comments she made about the group in a New York Times interview published this weekend, but Pressley and her compatriots are saying it's just one example of the Speaker's attempts to isolate them in recent weeks."
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| EYE ON 2020 |
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- "Bill Keating is 'not OK': In search of a progressive challenger for my business-as-usual representative," by Stephen Kinzer, Boston Globe: "MANY AMERICANS FACE the same electoral dilemma that frustrates me. We are outraged by the corruption of our political system, and by the suffering it is causing countless human beings around the United States and beyond. Yet when we look at our own representatives in Congress, we see the same bland, business-as-usual, go-along-to-get-along politics that created this matrix of crisis. We burn with envy at people in congressional districts from New York to Seattle who have elected dynamic legislators blazing with passion to fight injustice at home and aggression abroad."
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| ABOVE THE FOLD |
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— Herald: "PRIORITY ONE," — Globe: "More surgery for Ortiz, but no answers," "Trump backs down on census question," "END OF THE LINE." |
| FROM THE 413 |
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- "Amherst, UMass negotiate on strategic partnership," Scott Merzbach, Daily Hampshire Gazette: "A long-running agreement between Amherst and the University of Massachusetts expired July 1, but negotiations are underway to continue what is known as the strategic partnership. Last updated in December 2015 when then interim Town Manager David Ziomek and UMass Chancellor Kumble Subbaswamy signed the deal to run through June 30, 2019, Town Manager Paul Bockelman said Tuesday that town staff are beginning to have discussions with UMass representatives. Bockelman said his understanding is that, despite the expiration, terms of the arrangement are still in place. This was confirmed by UMass spokesman Edward Blaguszewski."
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| THE LOCAL ANGLE |
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- "In Massachusetts, An Uneven Impact From Rising Rents," by Isaiah Thompson, WGBH News: "The majority of people living in Massachusetts' biggest cities are renters. Renters make up about two-thirds of occupied housing units in the city of Boston, as well as in neighboring Cambridge and Somerville, and renters make up more than half of residents in all of Massachusetts' 15 largest cities. And the cost of rent has gone up in recent years — an overall increase of about 15 percent since 2011 in the commonwealth's 15 largest cities. The increase has been much sharper in many communities. In Cambridge, gross rent has increased by about 23 percent, or nearly a quarter, since 2011; in Lynn, it's increased by about 19 percent, or just less than one-fifth."
- "Groundbreaking held for Worcester's Polar Park," by Cyrus Moulton, Telegram & Gazette: "To Gene Zabinski, a postcard-writing campaign to persuade the Pawtucket Red Sox to decamp from Rhode Island to Worcester was a "pipe dream." "Nobody believed it would ever happen, neither did I," Mr. Zabinski, president of the Canal District Alliance, said Thursday. "I thought it was a joke; but what a joke it was." Oh, it was no joke, as Mr. Zabinski related the tale to hundreds of people gathered Thursday at the ceremonial groundbreaking for Polar Park, the future home of the Worcester Red Sox."
HAPPY BIRTHDAY - to Charlestown state Rep. Dan Ryan, Daily Hampshire Gazette reporter Scott Merzbach and Paul Shone.
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