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GOOD MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS.
MOULTON'S ANTI-NANCY MOVES — Less than 24 hours after Democrats flipped the House, Rep. Seth Moulton was already on a call talking strategy with other House members. The topic? You guessed it: options for House Speaker who are not Nancy Pelosi. The call lasted 90 minutes, according to a source with knowledge of the call.
When it comes to Pelosi, Moulton is the Massachusetts delegation's chief defector. He's been outspoken in his belief that the House needs new leadership. But if Pelosi secures the votes she needs to become Speaker, which she says she will, Moulton could be on the outs for the next couple of years. Nationally, a number of newly-elected House members campaigned on ditching Pelosi as the party's top lawmaker. Here in Massachusetts, Congresswomen-elect Ayanna Pressley and Lori Trahan haven't said whether they will support Pelosi.
HEALEY'S APPEAL — In some of the state's most liberal spots — Northampton, Somerville, Cambridge and Amherst — Attorney General Maura Healey got more than 90 percent of the vote on Tuesday. Not exactly a shocker. But what's worth paying attention to are the places where Healey was the top vote-getter and Gov. Charlie Baker also won.
Healey topped the ticket in more than two dozen cities and towns that also went for Baker, including Gloucester, Lynn, Springfield and Worcester. So the same municipalities with an appetite for a Republican governor who keeps Trump at arm's length also overwhelmingly chose an attorney general who goes all in on opposing the president.
While Baker won by being moderate and measured, Healey railed against the president and came out swinging for progressive causes and new candidates. Healey was among the first of the state's top Democrats to endorse Congresswoman-elect Ayanna Pressley in her primary race against Rep. Mike Capuano. That endorsement came at a time when Pressley was trailing in the polls and many others (former Gov. Deval Patrick, Boston Mayor Marty Walsh, etc.) were siding with the old guard.
Healey also threw support behind Tram Nguyen, who upset conservative state Rep. Jim Lyons, and progressive Andrea Harrington, who was elected district attorney in Berkshire County. It shows she's got a knack for sensing where going out on a limb will work. Somewhere it seems that might not have worked: Healey, a top Democrat, did not launch her own bid for governor this year.
WHAT WARREN 2020 WOULD LOOK LIKE — Sen. Elizabeth Warren's reelection win on Tuesday night is already providing a glimpse of what's to come if she runs for president in 2020. Expect to see a focus on women, aggressive organization and pushback against Donald Trump.
"The road to the Democrats winning back the House was on the shoulders of women, and most of them living in the suburbs," political consultant Mary Anne Marsh told me last night. "They have led the resistance against Trump, from the March on Washington to deciding to become candidates, to giving money and volunteering, the Kavanaugh hearings, all of it. Women have had it and I think that's what Warren has tapped into."
In Massachusetts, Warren cleaned up in the state's most progressive areas — Greater Boston, Western Mass and the outer Cape and islands, and got 60 percent of the statewide vote against the closest candidate the state had to a Trump stand-in this cycle, Republican Geoff Diehl.
Warren also saw success in many of the areas Gov. Charlie Baker won, which Marsh and others have attributed to unenrolled suburban women voters. Nationally, Republicans are fretting about their poor performance among suburban women in some districts.
"That doesn't mean she's going to be successful, but when you look at this map, it's the road map," Marsh said.
Listening to Warren's victory speech, likely as much a parlay to 2020 as it was closure on the 2018 race, she tapped into her struggle as a young mother of two trying to balance parenthood and a career and her determination to take on Trump.
"When you listen to that speech last night, that's who she was appealing to. You're starting to see the rationale she's putting forth and what kind of candidate she would be," Marsh said.
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 attends a Veterans Day celebration at the Chelsea Soldiers' Home. Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito and Boston Mayor Marty Walsh attend the Greater Boston Food Bank 13th Annual Chain of Giving with Attorney General Maura Healey and Treasurer Deborah Goldberg.
Secretary of Health and Human Services Marylou Sudders chairs a Health Connector Board meeting. Rep. Richard Neal is honored with "A Better Life" award by the Massachusetts Senior Care Association. Rep. Katherine Clark speaks about her two opioid bills that were signed into law at the New England Summit for Clinical Excellence.
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 | DATELINE BEACON HILL |
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- "Charlie Baker Says He'll "Let It Rock" In His Second Term. What Does That Mean?," by Adam Reilly, WGBH News: "During his victory speech Tuesday night, Charlie Baker gave a preview of his second term that made a lot of people's ears prick up. 'That's gonna be nonstop, pedal-to-the-metal, let it rock!' Baker said exultantly. But what does that memorable turn of phrase actually mean? A few different possibilities spring to mind."
- "Retail sales close as independent labs cleared to test Massachusetts marijuana, state regulators say," by Gintautas Dumcius, MassLive.com: "Two independent laboratories can begin testing marijuana and marijuana products as Massachusetts readies for the opening of retail pot shops. The commission said Wednesday that MCR Labs LLC in Framingham and CDX Analytics in Salem were told they're allowed to commence operations. The labs are key parts of the marijuana supply chain in Massachusetts, since state law requires testing of marijuana products."
- "In Winthrop, a DeLeo rebuke of sorts," by Danny MacDonald, Boston Globe: "Massachusetts House Speaker Robert A. DeLeo did not have an opponent this year, but voters in his North Shore district still gave him a rebuke of sorts at the ballot box on Tuesday. According to results posted on the town's website Tuesday night, the majority of voters in his hometown of Winthrop and the portion of Revere he represents voted in favor of a pair of nonbinding questions intended to specifically needle DeLeo, who has represented the seaside communities as a state representative since 1991."
- "Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker pledges to stay all four years of second term," by Gintautas Dumcius, MassLive.com:"Massachusetts Gov. Charlie Baker had a one-word answer when asked, the day after voters granted him a second term, whether he plans to serve all four years. 'Absolutely,' the Swampscott Republican said to reporters gathered for a post-election press conference at the State House. Another reporter asked whether he plans to go for a third term. Baker laughed, scratched an eyebrow, and turned to look at his running mate, Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito."
- "DEMS PICK UP THREE SEATS TO BUILD ON SUPERMAJORITIES," by Colin A. Young and Katie Lannan, State House News Service: "As Republicans celebrated the first time a governor from their party was elected to a second term in nearly a quarter-century Tuesday, the GOP lost ground in both state legislative chambers and will be even more of a minority on Beacon Hill come January. Democrats dominated the contests for 28 open seats in Tuesday's elections and flipped at least one seat in each chamber of the Legislature from red to blue to add to their House and Senate supermajorities."
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| TRUMPACHUSETTS |
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- NEAL SEES HEALTH CARE, DRUG COSTS, TRADE AND TAX RETURNS ON AGENDA," by Nicole DeFeudis, State House News Service: "With Democrats now poised to seize control of the U.S. House from Republicans, Congressman Richard Neal of Springfield is ready to take on a more powerful role and said Wednesday that his plans include protecting Social Security and the Affordable Care Act, and requesting President Donald Trump's tax returns."
- "Mass. lawmakers warn of 'constitutional crisis' after Sessions ouster," by Danny McDonald, Boston Globe: "Political and civic leaders from Massachusetts reacted to President Trump's dismissal of Attorney General Jeff Sessions on Wednesday with a mix of concern over the ouster and criticism of Sessions. Some lawmakers called for the protection of special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into whether the Trump campaign coordinated with Russia and whether the president attempted to obstruct justice."
- "Powerful Mass. Democrats show willingness to work with Trump," by Liz Goodwin and Libby Berry, Boston Globe: "With Democrats taking over the House for the first time in eight years, Massachusetts' all-Democratic delegation stands to regain clout in the Capitol, with two likely chairmen poised to help shepherd the Democratic agenda in the chamber. But they and their party will face a conundrum when coming up with that agenda — do they work with the unpopular president or satisfy their fired-up base with obstruction and aggressive oversight?"
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| MIDTERM POSTMORTEM |
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- "Dems Have Retaken The House. What Does That Mean For Massachusetts?" by Andy Metzger, WGBH News: "Democrats' victories on Tuesday night wrested control of Congress from the Republican Party and will usher in a new era of Bay State influence over national politics. Massachusetts politicians have hardly been absent from the national stage, but the Bay State's past dominance of the House has waned since the days when the late Tip O'Neill, a Cambridge Democrat, presided over the chamber in the 1980s. With the balance of power shifting back to the Democrats two years in the Trump administration, two Massachusetts congressmen are poised for powerful committee chairmanships and another member of the delegation is making a move for the fifth-highest position in leadership."
- "Local Congress members reflect on Democrat takeover," by Jonathan Phelps, MetroWest Daily News: "Being in line to become chairman of the House Rules Committee, U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern wants to focus on integrity. He called the Rules Committee the "traffic cops" of Congress with every bill passing through. On Tuesday, the Democrats took back control of the House of Representatives for the second time in McGovern's more than 20 years in Congress."
- "Massachusetts Goes Purple As Baker And Warren Both Win Big," by Antonio Caban, WGBH News: "Rain failed to deter Massachusetts voters who turned out in robust midterm numbers Tuesday to reelect Republican Governor Charlie Baker and Democratic U.S. Senator Elizabeth Warren by commanding margins. Their decisive victories are the strongest indication that Massachusetts, a historically dark blue state, continues to be much more willing to send a Republican to the State House than they are to the U.S. Congress. Aside from Baker, Democrats claimed victory in every other major statewide race."
- "Political Changes Came Earlier In Mass. On Tuesday, Mostly Stability," by Steve Koczela, WBUR: "In a tumultuous political year around America, change came early in Massachusetts, then gave way to a mostly quiet general election. A rollicking September primary saw a longtime congressman lose his seat, two reformers chosen for district attorney, and two high-ranking legislative leaders sent packing. But on Tuesday, the general election came and went with few surprises and little change to the political structure in the state."
- "These Mass. women made waves on Election Night," by Stephanie Ebbert, Boston Globe: "Women dominated the midterm elections, with a record number of them running, and a sizable share of them winning, as they channeled their frustration with the male-dominated political discourse into campaigns of their own. Massachusetts was no exception."
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| THE 'NO' VOTE |
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- "Question 1 lost, now what? Massachusetts Nurses Assoc. says it will 'evaluate all options' on failed staffing ratio measure," by Dan Glaun, MassLive.com: "The Massachusetts Nurses Association union is regrouping and considering its next steps after its latest attempt to enact nurse-patient ratios in hospitals was rejected by voters on Tuesday night. Ballot question 1 was soundly defeated, with 70 percent of voters opposing the measure, according to preliminary results. The union faced strong political headwinds coming into election day, with polls showing rapidly declining support of the proposal -- from 52 percent in favor in mid September to 59 percent against in late October."
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| WARREN REPORT |
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- "What the 2020 candidates learned from the midterms," by Natasha Korecki, POLITICO: "Potential Democratic presidential contenders went into the midterm elections with questions about how to approach the 2020 primary season. They didn't get any conclusive answers Tuesday night. The Republican House fell, but the GOP grip on the Senate tightened."
- "From a cheerful Texas stadium to an anxious Boston party, here's what the 2020 starting line felt like." by Dan Zak and Ben Terris, Washington Post: " Elizabeth Warren would win. Beto O'Rourke would lose. She by a lot, he by a little. On Tuesday, out here in their respective corner pockets of the American pool table, the results seemed preordained yet somehow beside the point. In the desert chill of El Paso, there would be destiny in defeat. In rain-soaked Boston, there would be prologue in victory. Tuesday may not have been a massive wave, but for Democrats, it felt like a preview."
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| MOULTON MATTERS |
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- "Serve America PAC helps take back the House," by Ethan Forman, The Salem News: "Congressman Seth Moulton's strategy of recruiting and supporting veterans and service-oriented candidates, many of them women or political newcomers, helped flip the U.S. House of Representatives from red to blue. Of the 34 Democratic congressional candidates Moulton endorsed through his Serve America PAC during this election cycle, at least 18 of them won their races while 11 lost, but even many of those losses were by razor-thin margins."
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| DATELINE MERRIMACK VALLEY |
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- "Baker, Rivera warn 'frustration' will continue," by Kiera Blessing, The Eagle-Tribune: "Gov. Charlie Baker and Mayor Daniel Rivera told reporters Wednesday that while they are hopeful Columbia Gas will hit its new Dec. 16 deadline, residents can expect the situation's frustrations to continue until restoration has been completed. Columbia Gas estimated that approximately 3,000 customers, or 30 percent of those affected by the Sept. 13 gas disaster, would have to wait beyond the company's original Nov. 19 deadline to see their gas service restored."
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| ABOVE THE FOLD |
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— Herald: "HARD PRESSED" — Globe: "Sessions forced out, raising concerns about Mueller probe," "For Democrats, pragmatism carried the day." |
| WAY OUT WEST |
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- "Paul Caccaviello concedes Berkshire DA race to Andrea Harrington," by Haven Orecchio-Egresitz, Berkshire Eagle:"Berkshire County District Attorney Paul Caccaviello has officially conceded Tuesday's election to Andrea Harrington. She appreciated the hard-fought race, he said in a phone interview from his Dalton home just before noon Wednesday. ... Harrington, who in January will be sworn in as Berkshire County's first female district attorney, earned nearly 30,000 of the more than 50,000 votes cast in 30 communities — Sheffield and Richmond have yet to report their vote totals."
- "That long, lonely stretch of the Mass. Pike may get a new exit," by Adam Vaccaro, Boston Globe: "You don't want to miss Exit 3 on the Mass. Pike when you're headed to the Berkshires. Way out there, it's another 30 miles to the next exit. ... Now there's hope the long stretch of highway between Westfield and Exit 2 in Lee could be broken up by a new interchange. The Massachusetts Department of Transportation is wrapping up a study of the question, and an earlier presentation by officials showed seven different options for a new exit that could connect with local roads in either Becket, Otis, Blandford, or Russell."
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