Your weekly look at politics, policy and elections in Massachusetts
12/3/20-- Steve and Jenn are back in the bunker after an atypical (but very 2020) Thanksgiving celebration. After a quick excoriation of the cast of characters on The Bachelorette, the hosts transition to a development on the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court.
Kimberly Budd was sworn in Monday as chief justice of the SJC, succeeding the late chief justice Ralph Gants. This makes her the first Black woman to lead the high court. Justice Dalila Wendlandt was confirmed as the first Latina justice on the Supreme Judicial Court. The composition of the state’s highest court looks to be historically diverse, with three jurists of color on the bench for the first time in its 328-year history.
--
Other state developments include the movement of a police reform bill. After months of negotiation, the Massachusetts House and Senate sent a compromise bill to Governor Baker's desk for revision this week. MassLive reporter stopped by The Horse Race this week to walk through the many elements of the bill she describes as "massive." Central tenets include a ban on no-knock warrants when children and people 65 years old and older are home, a ban on facial recognition for government officials and agencies excluding the RMV, and the creation of a Police Officer Standards and Training system and database on officers, among others.
--
The MassINC Polling Group released the results of a poll Wednesday that asked Massachusetts residents about proposed MBTA service cuts. In short, residents largely don't approve of the proposed cuts. About two-thirds of them oppose system-wide service cuts, and a roughly similar proportion would rather the State Legislature give the transit agency more funding to close its budget gap. President of The MassINC Polling Group and Horse Race host-turned-guest Tenacious Titan of Transportation Tracking, Steve Koczela runs through the numbers.
This week on The Horse Race, sports betting is now live in Massachusetts! Then, Lisa Kashinsky joins us to talk about the change in leadership at the top of the MassGOP. Finally, we’ll …
This week on The Horse Race, municipal elections are coming and that means an interesting choice on mail-in ballots. Also, we have a new poll from …
01/19/23-- This week on The Horse Race, we’ve got trains and transitions. We’re diving into a dysfunctional MBTA car factory in Springfield with …
This week on The Horse Race, we have a new state-wide poll about the challenges facing parents and students as they try to recover academically after …
12/22/22-- This week on The Horse Race we're recapping the year in Massachusetts politics, policy and elections. Steve and Jenn run through the highs …
12/15/22-- This week on The Horse Race, our hearts are warmed by the opening of the Green Line extension! Folks came out early to take a ride on the …
You can listen to episodes right here on the website, or if you prefer, in a podcast app. Listening in an app makes it easier to keep track of what you’ve already heard, listen without using your data plan and many other conveniences.