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Boston's Morning Newsletter
Where the candidates for governor stand on this year's 4 ballot questions
Editor's Note: This is an excerpt from WBUR's daily morning newsletter, WBUR Today. If you like what you read and want it in your inbox, sign up here.
Next up in local celebrity Halloween costumes: our multi-platform editor Meghan Kelly's dog Bandit, in proper business casual attire. He'll be hard to top.
Still making up your mind on this fall's ballot questions? You're not alone. With less than two weeks to go until Election Day, even some of the people on the ballot haven't fully decided. (I'm biased, but I highly recommend they read our excellent ballot question explainers!) We asked the two major candidates to be Massachusetts governor — Democratic Attorney General Maura Healey and Republican former lawmaker Geoff Diehl — for their positions. Here's what they said.
- Question 1: Healey said in a debate last week that she will vote yes on the millionaire's tax proposal, saying it will "sustain important revenue for infrastructure, transportation and education." Diehl said he will vote no, arguing that the state has "plenty of money" and that the tax would "drive out capital" from Massachusetts
- Question 2: Healey's campaign told me she has yet to decide how she'll vote on the dental insurance question. Diehl's campaign told me he will vote no, due to concerns it would increase the cost of dental insurance premiums for consumers.
- Question 3: Healey also has yet to make up her mind on the proposal to expand beer and wine licenses, according to her campaign. Diehl's campaign says he's voting yes on the question "under the belief that it will help businesses."
- Question 4: Healey says she's voting yes. "Seventeen other states have it for good reason: It's important for public safety," she said during the debate last week. Diehl, meanwhile, has rallied behind the effort to repeal the new law. "It's a Band-Aid to the real problem, which is immigration law," he said.
- Zoom out: While local Democrats and Republicans are largely lining up on opposite sides of Question 1 and Question 4, not a single statewide elected official has come out for or against Question 2 or Question 3 (the yes campaigns for both questions do each tout about a dozen endorsements from state legislators).
- Why the lack of love? UMass Boston political science professor Erin O'Brien tells me there's not much upside for politicians in staking out a stance on such "minutia policy questions that matter quite a bit to the affected groups" but not as much to the broader public. Nor do they draw on political parties' policy priorities, like Question 1 and Question 4. "Why annoy insurance companies, dentists, small business, or big grocery chains?" O'Brien said.
Officials in the town of Kingston are scrambling to accommodate over 100 mostly Haitian migrants — including roughly 60 children — they say have been put up in a local hotel by state officials. While the state is providing food and shelter for the group, Kingston officials told WCVB they're concerned about the strain on their schools.
- The group is part of a larger influx of immigrants the state has seen this year, as officials push for more federal help. WBUR's Gabrielle Emanuel reports that some estimate nearly 2,000 migrants have arrived in Massachusetts between May and August.
Almost two years after Massachusetts voters approved an updated "right to repair" law, the legal battle over it is still stretching on in court. The Boston Globe reports that General Motors is arguing it is "impossible" to comply with the law, which requires them to share wireless "telematics" data with independent repair shops.
- They're not the only ones putting up a fight. Subaru and Kia have disabled the telematics systems in new cars they sell in the state. And the court fight doesn't look like it will end anytime soon.
We told you earlier this week about the three down-to-the-wire House races in New England this fall. But with polls tightening, the race for U.S. Senate in New Hampshire is also picking up national attention.
- NPR reports that rising costs and abortion access are driving the race between Democratic Sen. Maggie Hassan and Republican challenger Don Bolduc — who will debate today at noon.
- WBUR's Anthony Brooks also recently reported on the race. Hassan says Bolduc is trying to "mislead people about how extreme he really is." Bolduc, meanwhile, has zeroed in on inflation concerns.
P.S.— High prices and talks of a potential economic downturn also have some people rethinking their finances. Have you started budgeting for the first time? Are you keeping track of expenses or eliminating some all together? Our business reporter Yasmin Amer wants to hear from you for a potential WBUR story! Just email her directly at yamer@wbur.org to get in touch!
