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TRASH TALK — The fallout from racist remarks at Donald Trump’s Madison Square Garden rally on Sunday is reverberating in the Bay State and beyond. Many Massachusetts politicians rebuked
jokes comedian Tony Hinchcliffe made during his opening set, a bit that was peppered with slurs about Latinos, African Americans and other groups the Trump campaign is still trying to court. One comment that caught particular attention here: “There’s literally a floating island of garbage in the middle of the ocean right now. I think it’s called Puerto Rico,” Hinchcliffe said Sunday.
The comparison prompted outrage from Bay State officials like Jon Santiago, a former Democratic state representative who was born in Puerto Rico. “This weekend, my son was born on the same day his culture was called ‘garbage’
at one of the largest political rallies of the season. Nevermind that his dad has spent his life in service to his country or that his mom is an immigrant who's contributed more than she's taken,” Santiago, who’s now serving as the state’s secretary of Veterans' Services, posted on X. State Sen. Adam Gomez was on his way home from canvassing for Vice President Kamala Harris in New Hampshire when he heard the comments.
“This kind of derogatory humor does not simply reflect poor taste: It represents a deeper issue of systematic disrespect towards an entire community,” Gomez, who became the first Puerto Rican elected to the state Senate in 2020, told Playbook yesterday. In a statement last night, the Massachusetts Black and Latino Legislative Caucus condemned
Hinchcliffe’s comments as “deeply offensive and harmful,” calling them “a continuation of past disparaging statements that reflect deep-seated prejudice and disrespect for communities of color.” Gov. Maura Healey, Rep. Richard Neal and other state and
local
electeds joined the chorus of bipartisan bashing in statements and online. Backlash here might not swing the results of the election. But the remarks at the rally also rippled through states like Pennsylvania, home to nearly half a million people of Puerto Rican descent, where Harris and Trump are still scrapping for support.
And the Democratic National Committee and the Harris campaign were quick to run with it: The Harris team is up with a new digital ad off the comments, and the DNC is placing billboards in Pennsylvania where Trump is rallying today.
GOOD TUESDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. One week to go! TODAY — Gov. Maura Healey has no public events. Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll speaks at the University of Massachusetts Boston’s free tuition pledge event at noon in Boston.
Have a tip, story, suggestion, birthday, anniversary, new job, or any other nugget for the Playbook? Drop me a line: kgarrity@politico.com.
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 | DATELINE BEACON HILL | |
— “Mass. House Republican again blocks climate bill, forcing Democrats to table it until a formal vote,” by Matt Stout, The Boston Globe:
“For the second time in less than a week, the Massachusetts House’s top Republican blocked a sweeping climate bill from advancing Monday, forcing Democrats to table a vote until as yet-unscheduled formal session. State Representative Bradley Jones, the House’s minority leader, stymied Democrats’ plans to move the legislation through an near-empty chamber Monday by using the same procedural move he did last week to halt the House’s informal session and the climate bill.” —
“Convention Board Picks ‘Agent Of Change’ As Executive Director,” by Sam Drysdale, State House News Service (paywall):
“The Massachusetts Convention Center Authority Board voted Monday to appoint Marcel Vernon Sr. to lead the quasi-public agency into its next chapter, choosing the chief financial officer of a Boston-based social services organization with experience in state government over a leader from Washington D.C.'s convention center authority. The board voted 12-0 to tap Vernon on Monday afternoon, after holding final interviews of the two finalists in an open public meeting.”
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| FROM THE HUB
| | — “Boston nonprofits from Harvard to hospitals escape tax classification wars,”
by Joe Dwinell, Boston Herald: “Nonprofits, from Harvard to the giant hospitals, have ducked the city’s tax classification turmoil. Behind the scenes, the Wu administration is negotiating with these tax-exempt organizations — some of which pay salaries in the high six-figure range — to fork over their fair share. But it’s not happening quickly enough, some say.” —
“Reparations advocates urge city to pause plan to give away vacant lots to build housing,” by Paul Singer, GBH News:
“Advocates at a city-funded reparations event Saturday urged Boston to suspend a program to build affordable housing on vacant lots in Dorchester and Roxbury that were once owned by Black families. The event, organized by the local chapter of American Descendants of Slaves with funding from Boston’s reparations task force, was advertised as an opportunity to provide public comment to the task force as it continues its work to determine what reparations should looks like in the city.” —
“Boston City Council reschedules free museum hearing due to Wu administration absences,” by Gayla Cawley, Boston Herald:
“Two Boston city councilors critical of a mayoral program that limited free museum access to public school kids chose not to proceed with their long-awaited hearing on the matter after their preferred Wu administration invitees didn’t attend. Councilors Erin Murphy, the lead sponsor, and Ed Flynn, opted to reschedule a Monday morning hearing ‘to discuss the extension of free museum passes exclusively for Boston Public Schools families’ after the virtual Education committee session began, upon finding out about the administration absences.”
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BALLOT BATTLES | | —
“Billionaire Mike Bloomberg funnels $2.5M toward opposing MCAS ballot measure,” by Suevon Lee, WBUR:
“Former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg has donated $2.5 million to the ‘Vote No on 2’ campaign that opposes a ballot measure to remove the MCAS high school graduation requirement in Massachusetts, campaign finance filings show. The donation was made in the past week, according to filings on the Office of Campaign and Political Finance's website. It's the single largest contribution to the ‘No on 2’ campaign, with less than a week left until the election.” —
“WMass mayors back psychedelic ballot question, citing mental health crisis,” by Jim Kinney, The Springfield Republican: “Citing the impact mental health issues have on their communities – including panhandling and homelessness – mayors William C. Reichelt of West Springfield and Joshua A. Garcia of Holyoke are backing Question 4 – which would legalize psychedelics in therapeutic settings.”
— “Do SouthCoast Uber drivers need a union? Rideshare drivers say gig work 'not like it was',” by Emily Scherny, The Herald News.
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| YAHD SIGNS AND BUMPAH STICKAHS | |
FIRST IN PLAYBOOK — Sen. Ed Markey has endorsed Democrat Kevin Kalkut
in his bid for the 9th Norfolk District House seat currently held by state GOP Rep. Marcus Vaughn. Kalkut has been “engaging, collaborative, and thoughtful in his outreach, especially surrounding federal support for migrant housing funding,” Markey said in a statement. — “Number of unenrolled voters rise in the state, but not high-ranking independent lawmakers,”
by Jim Hand, The Sun Chronicle. — “U.S. Rep. Richard Neal touts accomplishments as he seeks 19th term in Congress,” by Emilee Klein, Daily Hampshire Gazette.
— “Nadia Milleron ready to fight on behalf of people of Neal’s 1st Congressional District,” by Emilee Klein, Daily Hampshire Gazette.
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FROM THE DELEGATION | | —
“‘You can be nice and polite, and tough as nails’: How Katherine Clark wields power in Congress,” by Shirley Leung, The Boston Globe: “Katherine Clark is already one of the most powerful women in Congress, but her influence will be magnified if the Democrats regain control of the US House of Representatives on November 5. It’s a big if
for the Revere Democrat, who’s been crisscrossing the country fund-raising and rallying support for her party’s candidates in 27 states where there are hotly-contested congressional races. The Democrats need to net just a handful of seats to reclaim the majority, but just like the race for the White House, it’s all too close to call.”
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| MARIJUANA IN MASSACHUSETTS | |
— “Cannabis Commission chooses former employee as executive director,” by Bhaamati Borkhetaria, CommonWealth Beacon:
“The embattled Cannabis Control Commission on Monday offered the agency’s executive director position to a candidate familiar both with the agency itself and cannabis regulation more broadly. David Lakeman is currently the head of the cannabis division at the Illinois Department of Agriculture – a position he has held since September 2020. He is familiar with cannabis policy in Massachusetts and the commission itself, having served as head of government affairs at the Cannabis Control Commission between 2018 and 2020. The agency has been without an executive director since the fall of 2023 when Shawn Collins resigned from the post.”
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THE LOCAL ANGLE | | —
“How Massachusetts politics made Jill Stein run,” by Adam Reilly, GBH News. —
“Wildfires spread across Massachusetts amid dry, windy weather,” by Tréa Lavery, MassLive: “Recent dry and windy weather in Massachusetts has led to a series of wildfires throughout the state, covering large areas in smoke. According to the state Department of Fire Services, 18 active brush fires were reported in the last 24 hours as of Monday, and 47 since the start of the weekend.” —
“Reproductive rights experts wary of more restrictions,” by Anastasia E. Lennon, The New Bedford Light:
“Massachusetts is known as a blue state where access to abortion is one of the most expansive, but legal and reproductive health experts caution that the promise of continued care is tenuous, even here, if former President Donald Trump is re-elected. Experts are concerned a second Trump administration could use existing federal law — the Comstock Act of the 1870s — to knock down access across the country.” —
“Attleboro water supply 'becoming a critical concern',” by George W. Rhodes, The Sun Chronicle.
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| HEARD ‘ROUND THE BUBBLAH | |
HAPPY BIRTHDAY — to POLITICO’s Steve Heuser, Joanne Goldstein, Paolo Martins, Leora Eisenberg and Daisy Letendre.
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