Keller at Large
Those are some wicked bad numbers for President Trump in the latest Commonwealth Beacon/MassINC Polling Group survey of likely Massachusetts voters. Red Sox vs. Yankees numbers.
Just two years ago Trump grabbed 36% of the vote here. But his standing has since cratered. His overall favorability here is 25%, worse than the Yankees. Independents (20-70 fave/unfave) can’t stand him. Women (19-73!) loathe him. He’s deep underwater with every demographic except Republicans, all six of them.
It’s no wonder Maura Healey’s re-election pitch essentially fuses Trump and GOP challenger Mike Minogue into a single noun. (Minump? Trogue?) A robust 19% of voters cite voting against Trump as their chief motivation, second only to the cost of living.
Their animus is Healey’s political security blanket. Six in ten voters say dealing with cost inflation has been her least successful area. But when asked to name who’s most responsible for our onerous energy prices, only 13% name Healey, while 32% finger Trump.
Poor Minogue has to run with Trump’s 17 stone dangling from his neck. Only 14% of Healey voters say they’re voting to stop Minogue; 37% say it’s about opposition to Trump.
Our larger-than-life president even drags down GOP Senate nominee John Deaton, one of his party’s most persistent Trump critics, who blames recent vandalism of his East Providence law office on the Democrats’ smearing him with the MAGA label.
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HEARD AROUND TOWN
… A pair of former governors and one-time electoral rivals are now united in support of the ballot question that would scrap the state’s party primary system and put all candidates on a single primary ballot. Republican Gov. Charlie Baker joined his Democratic predecessor Deval Patrick in endorsing Question 3 Monday, as did Patrick’s lieutenant governor, Tim Murray. “All-party primaries will give voters more choice and our elected officials will have to reach across the aisle to voters from other parties if they want to be successful,” Baker said in a statement…
…The campaign behind Question 6, the ballot measure aiming to create a dedicated funding source for land and water conservation, is out with its first ad. The 30-second spot features Mass Audubon wildlife biologist Lyra Brennan, The Trustees park ranger Matt Zieper, and a butterfly, along with nature scenes. Yes on 6 says the ad, which touts the question as a way to protect forests and wetlands and build parks and trails, is part of a seven-figure media buy through Election Day and will air initially on digital channels and connected TV. The Boston City Council endorsed the ballot question last week...
…Actor (and cannabis farm owner) Jim Belushi endorsed the "No on 8" campaign that's trying to keep recreational marijuana legal in Massachusetts. "Everybody needs medicine! People have always reached for something to make them feel better. I'm happy more and more people are reaching for cannabis," Belushi said in a statement from the campaign. "It's safe. It's tested. It's generous and gentle, whether you're looking for relief from pain, stress, anxiety, sleeplessness and hopelessness, or you just want to feel good for a little while"...
HAPPENING TODAY
8:30 | Harvard students, faculty, researchers, alumni speak at press conference outside the Moakley Federal Courthouse, coinciding with two days of arguments as the federal government appeals in two cases that the university filed and won. The lawsuits involved federal funding freezes to Harvard and attempts to block the enrollment of international students | 1 Courthouse Way, Boston
9:00 | Lt. Gov. Driscoll delivers the keynote address at the Statewide Municipal Partnerships Conference, hosted by the Massachusetts Association of Regional Planning Agencies and the Division of Local Services | Hogan Campus Center, College of the Holy Cross, Worcester | More Info and Register
9:00 | Supreme Judicial Court hears arguments in six cases, including defendants who were not able to appear at previous trials due to federal immigration enforcement actions | John Adams Courthouse, Room 1, 1 Pemberton Square, Boston | More Info and Livestream
10:00 | Gov. Healey announces actions her administration says will "lower winter energy bills for households across Massachusetts." She will be joined by Energy & Environmental Affairs Secretary Tepper, Housing & Livable Communities Secretary Matias, and Citizens Energy President Joseph Kennedy III | Edward G. Connolly Center, 90 Chelsea St., Everett
11:00 | House meets in informal session | House Chamber
11:00 | Senate meets without a calendar | Senate Chamber
11:00 | U.S. Sens. Katie Britt (R-AL) and Peter Welch (D-VT) participate in The Senate Project conversation series, moderated by FOX News Channel's Martha MacCallum. The discussion will focus on bipartisan collaboration, including efforts on social media, and youth mental health and forecasting water-related disasters | Edward M. Kennedy Institute, Boston | FOX News, More Info
12:00 | Gov. Healey gives remarks at AstraZeneca Research and Development Hub grand opening | 290 Binney St., Kendall Square, Cambridge
1:00 | Massachusetts education, civil rights, parent and community organizations launch a statewide coalition urging the state not to participate in a new federal scholarship tax credit program. The program provides tax credits to donors who contribute to scholarship-granting organizations that can provide funds for students to attend private schools | Room 350
2:45 | Sen. Markey will join Revere officials to celebrate the $2.5 million grant the city secured through a FEMA program | Revere Fire Station 1, 360 Revere Beach Parkway, Revere
4:00 | Congresswoman Pressley, Boston Mayor Wu and Boston City Council President Liz Breadon host a press conference on the Postal Service's plan to not reopen the Allston branch | For press conference address, contact [email protected]
5:00 | Cambridge hosts a public lottery event to select 40 residents who will serve on the Civic Assembly, a new community engagement process to guide the future of public safety and surveillance technology in the city. City officials said 15,000 randomly selected Cambridge households received mailed invitations during the week of Sept. 7 | Cambridge City Hall, Sullivan Chamber, 795 Massachusetts Ave., Cambridge
7:00 | U.S. Senate candidate John Deaton holds a town hall | American Legion Post 69, 43 Wigglesworth St, Malden
JOB BOARD
Justice Geraldine S. Hines Legal Fellowship — NEW, Massachusetts Office of the Inspector General
Senior Transportation Engineer, City of Newton
Financial Investigator III, Mass Gaming Commission
Vice President of Administration and Finance, Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts
Government Relations Officer, Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts
1099 Admin Hourly, Shepherd Strategies
Assistant Attorney General, Office of the Massachusetts Attorney General
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ON BEACON HILL
UP AND DOWN: The MBTA started taking down ads describing Boston Public Schools as "failing" children a day after putting them up. The ads, from Next Chapter Boston, said 70% of the school district's third graders can't read or do math at grade level. | State House News Service (gift link)
THE GUV'S BALLOT: Gov. Healey says she's voting to keep adult-use marijuana legal in Massachusetts with a "no" on Question 8 and is "not sure about" the all-party primary system proposed in Question 3. | WCVB
BIG BUCKS: Republican candidate for governor Mike Minogue, who's running a largely self-funded campaign, spent $6.1 million in September, a monthly record for a gubernatorial hopeful but not the most ever for a statewide candidate. | Boston Globe
TREASURY ISLAND: Both candidates, incumbent Democrat Deb Goldberg and Republican challenger Elizabeth Dionne, check in from a "surprisingly fierce" race for treasurer. | NBC10 Boston
LAST CALL: New alcohol guidance from the Department of Public Health emphasizes the risks of moderate drinking, one glass a day for women or two for men. | WBUR
NEWS NEXT DOOR
BROKEN WINDOW: After a window was shattered at U.S. Senate candidate John Deaton's East Providence law office, the Bolton Republican is pointing a finger at Sen. Ed Markey's campaign rhetoric, saying the incumbent incited anger by “smearing me as a ‘Trumper,’ a ‘Trump sycophant,’ and a ‘MAGA Republican.’” A Markey spokesman denounced the vandalism, which local police say they are investigating. | WPRI
ICY HOTLINE: In launching a new tip line to report commercial truck drivers who are in the country illegally, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials cited a case with Massachusetts ties that resulted in the death of a Pennsylvania state trooper this summer. | Boston Herald
FROM THE HISTORY BOOKS: The country’s first socialist mayor was elected in the 1890s, leading Haverhill for two one-year terms. | Eagle-Tribune
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MORE HEADLINES
JOB BOARD
Lead Organizer / Civic Engagement Coordinator, Mass Alliance of HUD Tenants
Deputy General Counsel, Executive Office of Housing and Livable Communities
Vice President of Membership and Engagement, Association of Developmental Disabilities Providers
Staff Attorney, Disability Law Center
Chief Financial Officer, Boston Public Health Commission
Financial Investigations Manager, Mass Gaming Commission
Deputy General Counsel and Clerk of the Commission, Civil Service Commission
Behavioral Health Coordinator, For Kids Only Afterschool
Assistant Secretary / MEPA Director, Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs
Director, Finance & Accounting, AIDS Support Group of Cape Cod
Director of Grants Development, Boston Public Health Commission
Chief Procurement Officer, Barnstable County
Deputy Comptroller, City of Newton
Associate General Counsel-MRSB, Office of the State Treasurer and Receiver General
Utilities Program Manager, MassDevelopment
