Keller: Deaton's Senate rerun almost set

Keller at Large

EDITOR’S NOTE: A clarification has been added to this post after John Deaton announced his Senate candidacy.

The sun comes up this week on the best chance Massachusetts Republicans have had to win a U.S. Senate race since Elizabeth Warren waxed incumbent Scott Brown in 2012.

But that’s not saying much. The coming-out party for John Deaton, poised to repeat his 2024 run against Warren, is set for Worcester’s Off the Rails bar, aptly named given the local GOP’s modern-day ineptitude when it comes to winning federal office here. And the erstwhile candidate tells MASSterList he’s actually not formally announcing pending a late-November endorsement vote by the Republican State Committee that could clear the primary field for Deaton.

“If I don’t have to spend all my time trying to convince Republicans I’m the right choice, I can spend my time talking to independents,” says Deaton, not to mention raising the necessary dough and taking potshots at Democratic incumbent Ed Markey, Congressman Seth Moulton, and potential challenger Rep. Ayanna Pressley.

After Monday’s night’s emphatic announcement that he’s running, we circled back to Deaton, who reiterated that the only conceivable roadblock would be if a serious primary challenger with Trump’s backing emerged, forcing him into a costly, time-consuming battle for the nomination. Says Deaton: “I’ll cross that bridge then.”

A State Committee nod wouldn’t necessarily guarantee Deaton a primary pass. Anyone with around $20,000 to drop on buying nomination signatures and the ability to marshal 15% support from the trail mix at the State GOP convention could get on the ballot and at least distract Deaton. And there’s also the impossible-to-predict deployment of the Democrats’ not-so-secret weapon, Donald J. Trump, not known to be fond of never-Trump Republicans like Deaton. If the president were to endorse some other candidate, that might be a deal breaker for Deaton.

But if the whole thing seems a tad iffy, the Deaton rerun is not without a sane rationale.

CONTINUE READING…

HAPPENING TODAY

8:00 | Secretary of Education Pat Tutwiler visits the Rebecca M. Johnson School during a live “Breakfast in the Classroom” demonstration. Breakfast participation in Springfield Public Schools has increased from 44% in 2015 to 84% today. | 55 Catharine St., Springfield

10:00 | Housing Secretary Ed Augustus announces the fourth round of awards under the Climate Ready Housing Program, which supports deep energy retrofits in multifamily affordable housing. He’s joined by Energy and Environmental Affairs Secretary Rebecca Tepper, Beverly Mayor Mike Cahill and Harborlight Homes Executive Director Andrew McKenzie-DeFranza. | Turtle Woods Apartments, 339 Essex St., Beverly

12:00 | Gov. Maura Healey holds an availability on SNAP benefits and Affordable Care Act premium tax credits. | Governor’s Reception Area, State House, Boston

3:00 | As preparations ramp up for the 2030 U.S. Census, Secretary of State Bill Galvin meets with officials from Cape Cod, Martha’s Vineyard and Nantucket to discuss strategies to reach a complete count of residents. | Tilden Arts Center, Cape Cod Community College, 2240 Iyannough Road, West Barnstable

7:30 | John Deaton, a Republican attorney who unsuccessfully ran for Senate in 2024 against Elizabeth Warren, makes a “special announcement.” | Off the Rails, 90 Commercial St., Worcester

COLETTA ZAPATA SECURES COUNCIL PRESIDENCY

First in MASSterList – East Boston’s Gabriela Coletta Zapata has the votes to become the next City Council president. The 33-year-old said she has secured “more than a majority” of the votes needed to lead the 13-member body starting in January.

Outgoing City Council President Ruthzee Louijeune, who topped the ticket citywide in November but faces a term limit on the internally elected presidency, is among her supporters.

“I’m really grateful and I can’t wait until we can work together to move in unity,” Coletta Zapata said.

Councilor Brian Worrell was a contender for the job, which comes with a larger office and more money for staffers, while Julia Mejia waged a last-minute campaign last week for the presidency through social media posts.

Coletta Zapata, who has Italian and Mexican heritage, is chair of the Council’s Government Operations Committee and notably shepherded Boston Mayor Michelle Wu’s property tax shift proposal through the council. The proposal sailed through the House before dying in the Senate.

Coletta Zapata’s district includes Charlestown, East Boston and the North End. She faced a nominal challenger and won reelection in November with 82% of the vote.

When she was first elected in 2022, she succeeded her former boss, Lydia Edwards, who ran for state Senate. Coletta Zapata has also worked for the New England Aquarium, Mass. Women’s Political Caucus, and Rep. Adrian Madaro. — Gintautas Dumcius

STARTER HOMES BALLOT CAMPAIGN PLANS ‘DAY OF ACTION’

Supporters of a ballot question seeking to overhaul zoning rules and calling its Legalize Starter Homes are planning to rally supporters ahead of a signature-gathering deadline.

Events are set for Sunday, Nov. 16, in Cambridge, Salem, Boston and Brookline. “Last week’s elections made it clear that affordability is top of mind for voters,” said Cambridge Councilor Burhan Azeem. “The number one cost for almost every family in Massachusetts is housing. It’s time to finally legalize starter homes again by allowing smaller lot sizes and more modest, lower-cost single-family homes.”

Organizers said they’ve gathered almost 70,000 signatures out of the 74,574 needed to qualify for the 2026 ballot by Nov. 19. — Gintautas Dumcius

FROM BEACON HILL

SNAP AND SHUTDOWN LATEST: A deal to end the federal government shutdown passed the Senate last night. Sens. Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey voted against the measure, which now heads to the House. Warren and Markey said the deal does not include a guarantee for the extension of Affordable Care Act subsidies. Back home, Gov. Maura Healey and Attorney General Andrea Campbell lashed the Trump administration’s attempt to take back SNAP benefits. – Boston Globe and MassLive

ENERGY FIGHT: Climate activists are rallying to fight a top House lawmaker’s plan to pull back on the state’s climate targets and the energy efficiency program known as Mass Save. Rep. Mark Cusack said, “I have not found anyone who says that we are going to make our mandates.” – CommonWealth Beacon

NEW FACE AT CANNABIS AGENCY: Carrie Benedon, who works in Attorney General Andrea Campbell’s office as the director of the Division of Open Government, is the newest addition to the five-member Cannabis Control Commission. The commission, which has been down to three voting members for months, will be back up to four with the joint appointment from the governor, attorney general and the treasurer. – State House News Service

REQUEST DENIED: The State Police denied a Herald request for information on the background check on the fired western Massachusetts aide to Gov. Maura Healey, LaMar Cook. – Boston Herald

WRONG DIRECTION: The UMass Amherst/WCVB poll last week showed a plurality of state residents say Massachusetts is on the “wrong track.” In a poll that took place Oct. 21-29, 43% said the state is on the wrong track, a plurality for the first time since 2020. – UMass Amherst/WCVB

NEWS NEXT DOOR

WORLD CUP BOSTON: Organizers of the World Cup celebration taking place in Foxborough are having trouble fundraising for their $100 million tab, amid other big Massachusetts events and uncertainty caused by President Trump’s comments about taking away the games from Boston, which is not Foxborough. – Boston Globe

CLEAN ENERGY CENTER: Emily Reichert, the head of Mass. Clean Energy Center, a state economic development agency funded at $20 million in this fiscal year’s budget, is stepping away later this month. – State House News Service

FED JUDGE RESIGNS: Mark Wolf, appointed to the federal bench in 1985 by President Reagan, is resigning his seat from the U.S. District Court for Massachusetts. In a piece for the Atlantic, he said “the White House’s assault on the rule of law is so deeply disturbing to me that I feel compelled to speak out” after his resignation. – The Atlantic

BIDEN TO NANTUCKET: Former president Joe Biden is expected to make his annual Thanksgiving trip to Nantucket. – Nantucket Current

BOSTON STREETS CHIEF: Boston Mayor Michelle Wu’s chief of streets, Jascha Franklin-Hodge, is leaving the administration at the end of the year. His successor hasn’t been announced. – Dorchester Reporter