This week on The Horse Race, it’s money money money season on Beacon Hill. We’ll look at the House’s new tax cut proposal and their fiscal year 2024 budget with State House News Service reporter Chris Lisinski. Also, Steve Koczela delves into the new poll from UMassAmherst/WCVB.

This week on The Horse Race, the federal court case challenging the legality of Boston’s new voting map is underway, we’ll look at what both sides want with reporter Sean Phillip Cotter. And then, the MBTA needs to bolster its workforce but will more workers mean fewer problems for the Tee? MassLive's Chris Van Buskirk stops by to take a closer look at all things MBTA.

This week on The Horse Race, Elizabeth Warren makes it official; she’s running for a third term. Lisa Kashinsky and Steve Koczela look at what that means for the state’s restless bench of ambitious Democrats. Then, Governor Healey pushes for her proposed Secretary of Housing on Beacon Hill. SHNS reporter Sam Drysdale brings us an update.

This week on The Horse Race, what happened to #mapoli Twitter? Also, we dive into the state of polling, nationwide and here in Massachusetts. Then, the gig worker debate is picking up steam at the State House. Lisa Kashinsky and Jennifer Smith look at what both sides want.

This week on The Horse Race, what's the local impact of the collapse of Silicon Valley Bank in California and Signature Bank in New York? Then, we’ll have an in-depth conversation with State Auditor Diana DiZoglio, who recently announced a wide-ranging review of the Massachusetts House and Senate.

This week on The Horse Race, three major announcements from the state auditor’s office all within the past few days. The Supreme Judicial Court wrestles with wrongful death restrictions in cigarette suits, and we’ll look at the dilemma black business owners face after landing a big contract with Boston Globe Development Fellow, Julian Sorapuru.

This week on The Horse Race, it’s special election season. We’ll tell you who’s running, and who’s thinking about it. Governor Healey released her tax relief package this week, Lisa Kashinsky gives us the breakdown. Then, Boston Globe reporter Diti Kohli joins us to look at the city's resurgence after COVID and how some neighborhoods are coming back more quickly than others.

This week on The Horse Race, people are leaving Massachusetts in droves since the start of the pandemic. Why are they leaving? Where are they going? Also, Lisa Kashinsky gives us an update on the cash-strapped MassGOP. Then, we’ll take a closer look at Governor Healey’s early track record on transparency with Boston Globe political reporter Samantha Gross.

This week on The Horse Race, the chair of the Massachusetts Democratic Party steps down, who’ll step up to take his place? Then, GBH's Saraya Wintersmith and The Boston Herald's Sean Phillip Cotter help us take a closer look at the Boston City Council’s complex relationship with Mayor Michelle Wu. And we'll highlight a new Galentine's Day tradition that kicked off this week, thanks to Senate President Karen Spilka.

This week on The Horse Race, Marty Walsh is shipping back to Boston to run the NHLPA. A new poll of Massachusetts voters from MassINC Polling Group shows some concerning numbers for top Democratic leaders. And a key lawmaker looks to end term limits for the state’s Senate President.

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 take a closer look at the MBTA Communities law with MassINC President and CEO, Joe Kriesberg.

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 MassINC Polling Group and Amplify Latinx on the challenges facing Latino residents in Massachusetts. Then Steve sits down with Amplify Latinx President and CEO Eneida Román to talk about the findings. And oh yeah, The Bachelor is back!

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 Boston Globe reporter Taylor Dolven. But first, Lisa Kashinsky walks us through her recent conversation with newly sworn in Governor, Maura Healey.

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 COVID. The poll was conducted by MassINC Polling Group for EdTrust and The Barr Foundation. Then, we’ll preview the year ahead in Massachusetts politics with two local reporters; Mike Deehan from Axios Boston and Katie Lannan from GBH.

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 and lows, from a lack luster governor's race, to the passed ballot questions. Stay tuned until the end to see if you think the AI chatbots could be taking over our jobs soon! Have a happy holiday season and thanks for listening to The Horse Race in 2022.

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 much anticipated train line. Steve also digs in to some new polling for the 2024 presidential race, and what those numbers could mean even this far out from the election. Lisa tunes in from Washington, D.C. to run us through the representation of women in the MA legislature. Then later, Sean Cotter of The Boston Herald, drops by the pod to talk about potential changes to residency requirements for Boston city employees.

12/8/22-- This week on The Horse Race we're talking crypto and BPS parents. The team does a rapid fire news update in the intro, following up on the rail strike, the opening of the Green Line extension, and Mayor Wu and Gov. Elect Healey's first sit-down. Later, Stephanie Murray. alum of The Horse Race, drops by the pod to give us a crypto lesson. She explains what happened with the collapse of FTX and walks us through the Massachusetts connections. Then, Poll Maestro Steve walks us through a new poll from the MassINC Polling Group that surveyed Boston Public School parents.

12/1/22-- This week on The Horse Race the royals are in town! Lisa delivers a special report after seeing the Prince and Princess of Wales at an event Wednesday. Then Jenn and Steve dive into the news around a potential rail strike. Later, the team digs into what we can expect from Governor Elect Maura Healey's transition. Then Steph Solis of Axios, drops by the pod to chat about a recent article on a surge of migrants in the state.

11/24/22-- Happy Thanksgiving to our loyal fans and listeners! To express our gratitude, The Horse Race team is offering a behind the scenes look at our production. Please enjoy these bloopers as another side to your Thanksgiving Day feast. Thanks for listening, we'll be back with our regularly scheduled programming next week!

11/17/2022-- This week on The Horse Race, we start off the show with a rundown of the latest Thanksgiving trends before diving into your weekly dose of MA politics. Sean Philip Cotter of the Boston Herald joins the pod to run through Mayor Wu's first year in office. Then later the team discusses the future of the Mass GOP.

11/10/2022-- This week on The Horse Race, we have election results! After debriefing Lisa's late night pizza endeavors, the team walks through statewide results of the midterm elections. From a predictable yet historic win by Maura Healey for Governor, to down ballot races we’ve kept our eye on, MA delivered sweeping blue results. We also run through the latest on the results of the ballot questions and what polling looked like versus reality. Since recording, Question 1, or the Fair Share Amendment has officially passed.

11/3/22-- This week on The Horse Race, Lisa and Jenn are easing out of spooky season and into more T drama. Steve Poftak, current general manager of the MBTA, will be stepping down on January 3, only two days before a new governor will take office. Later in the show, the team sets the stage for election day with the help of Yawu Miller of the Bay State Banner. From the top of the ticket, to down ballot races, we run through what to watch in the upcoming week. Then Chris Oates, founder of Legislata, drops by the pod to talk Twitter. He's done research into the purpose of the app in the political sphere and who uses #mapoli (and how it's pronounced). Don't forget to listen to our ballot question rundown episodes if you haven't voted yet!

10/27/2022-- This week The Horse Race goes spooky right in time for Halloween. The thick fog we've experienced in Boston this week has helped to set the tone. The team dives into a few down ballot sheriff's races at the top of the show as election day approaches. Next, we're joined by Chris Lisinski of the State House News Service to run us through the latest happenings on Beacon Hill. From transportation woes to climate change, incoming elected officials will have a growing to-do list. Later, Gintautas Dumcius of the Dorchester Reporter drops by the pod to run us through the latest updates from the city council redistricting process.

10/20/22-- This week on The Horse Race the team finishes up the ballot question round-up! Before that, Steve and Jenn run through a new MassINC Polling Group transportation poll that covers everything from statewide elections to the state of the T. This week we take a deeper look at ballot question 4 on driver's license eligibility. The ballot measure would keep or repeal a law passed earlier this summer allowing all residents of the state regardless of immigration status to apply for driver’s licenses and learner’s permits if they meet all standard qualifications. We're joined first by State Senator Lydia Edwards to present the supporting viewpoint. Then John Milligan, of Fair and Secure Massachusetts, drops by the pod to present the opposing campaign's point of view. *We have re-recorded a segment of this podcast with the local opposition to ballot Question 4 after erroneously booking a representative of a national group with a similar name. We regret the error.

10/13/2022-- Today on The Horse Race, the team starts out with a quick Covid-19 update. Have you gotten your booster yet? Then Lisa runs through the latest with the migrant story we've been following in the past few weeks. It's another ballot question episode this week. Today we're running through Question 2. If passed, this ballot question would introduce new regulations on dental insurance companies in the Commonwealth. To offer the supporting argument, we're first joined by Brian Monteiro, director of governmental affairs and public relations at the Massachusetts Dental Society. Later we're joined by Doug Rubin, a political consultant and former chief of staff to Governor Deval Patrick, to talk us through the other side of the question.

10/6/22-- This week Jenn and Lisa kick off the show with an update on last week's Martha's Vineyard story. Then we dive into ballot questions 1 and 3 as election day approaches. Question 1, also known as the Fair Share Amendment or Millionaire’s tax, would impose an extra 4 percent tax on incomes over one million dollars, with the money designated for state education and transportation funding. On this episode we look at both sides of the question. Andrew Farnitano, communications director for the Yes on Question 1 campaign drops by the pod to present the supporting argument for the ballot question. Then Dan Cence, of the Coalition to Stop the Tax Hike Amendment, presents the case for the opposition. Afterwards, Jon Chesto of the Boston Globe joins Steve to talk about ballot Question 3 on expanded liquor licenses. Chesto recently wrote a piece for the Globe on why the question is supported by organizations you may not expect and why there also doesn't seem to be any strong opposition to the ballot measure.

9/29/2022-- The Horse Race is back after a two-week break! Steve, Lisa and Jenn have lots to catch up on. The seasons have changed, the Orange Line is back, but where are the debates? The team chats about the lack of debates this season and what the Republican party is up against in MA. Earlier this month, Florida Governor Ron Desantis flew 48 asylum seekers from Texas to Martha’s Vineyard without notifying local officials and or residents. Migrants have been redirected to aid elsewhere on the coast after an outpouring of support from Vineyard residents. Sarah Betancourt of GBH News drops by the pod to fill us in on the latest legal developments of the story.

9/8/2022--- On this week's episode the team breaks down the results of the primaries in Massachusetts and who will be going head to head on the ballot in November. Steve discusses the significance of name ID in getting elected and how polling comes into play during primaries. Jenn also runs through the results of down ballot elections mentioned on previous episodes. Tune in for the full list of results and what these victories and losses could imply in the state.

9/1/22-- This week on The Horse Race there is just too much news! A report released this week by the Federal Transit Administration highlighted the failures of the MBTA when it comes to safety, staffing and system needs. We're less than a week away from primary day and candidates have been pushing to garner support. The team discusses the departure of Quentin Palfrey from the race for AG and what his endorsement of Andrea Campbell means. Then we dig into the controversy around DA hopeful Ricardo Arroyo. Later, The Horse Race goes back to school. Michael Jonas of Commonwealth Magazine drops by the pod to talk about recently raised MCAS testing requirements for high school graduation in the state.

8/25/22--- This week on The Horse Race Jenn and Steve are thrilled that it's cooled down. We then dive into Orange Line updates with Rowan Walrath of the Boston Business Journal. It's been nearly a week since the shutdown, but the full impact has not been quite felt as students have yet to return to school. Later, we talk to Bera Dunau of the Daily Hampshire Gazette about the race to fill Lieutenant Governor hopeful Eric Lesser's seat. There's also a three-way run for sheriff in Hampden County. Our BFF Katie Lannan of GBH News drops by the pod to run us through a recent story she wrote surrounding the history and current status of the Cambodian political community in Lowell.

8/18/2022 -- On this week's episode, the team breaks down a new MassINC Polling Group poll. The poll looks at upcoming policy questions like the Fair Share Amendment, as well as what the numbers look like for the upcoming democratic primary. Then Jenn talks to Yawu Miller of the Bay State Banner, and Marco Cartolano of the Worcester Telegram and Gazette about the domino effect of elected officials running for new seats.

8/11/2022 -- On this episode of The Horse Race, Steve and Jenn start the show off with updates of the ongoing MBTA woes. Then Lisa tunes in from the beach to give us a rundown of the latest election season updates. Later, Evan Allen of the Boston Globe, joins the pod to walk us through her recent investigative reporting surrounding controversy at the Suffolk County DA's office. With an election coming up on Sept. 6, we discuss what this could mean for the race.

8/4/2022 -- This week on The Horse Race Steve and Lisa start the show off with a rundown of the recent democratic primary debates. Then we dive into the Wednesday announcement from the MBTA: The orange line will be down for 30 days! Lisa gives us the rundown on what this means for riders. On Monday morning the legislative session ended after 23 long hours. During the marathon, lawmakers passed bills that legalized sports betting, expanded mental health support, reformed cannabis laws, and much more. Our own Lisa Kashinsky was there and we also have Katie Lannan of GBH News on to talk about the great all-nighter and clarify the opening time of Capitol Coffee House.

7/28/2022-- This week, a surprise amendment to the State Senate’s version of the economic development bill would give cities and towns the option of ending a decades-long ban on happy hour for their own municipalities. To talk about it more, Jenn and Steve are joined by the amendment's sponsor, Senator Julian Cyr. Later, Jenn takes a closer look at the history behind the ban and the other attempts to revive happy hour in Massachusetts.

7/21/2022-- This week is a scorcher! Jenn and Steve start the show off chatting about this extreme heat. There's talk of water restrictions in the Commonwealth within the next few weeks. Ironically enough, President Biden is in Mass this week talking about climate change. It also doesn't look like T service will be improving anytime soon. A shortage of dispatchers will continue to be a hurdle. State legislators passed a $52 billion budget to Governor Baker's desk on Sunday night. Once again Massachusetts is the only state left with a fiscal year that starts on July 1 where a budget has yet to be finalized. Mike Deehan, co-author at Axios Boston, joins the pod to break down the state budget. He also helps break down Taco Bell's brief roll-out of the Cheez-It Tostada. Later, Boston Globe reporter, Catherine Carlock joins us to discuss what the Supreme Judicial Court concluded last week about Boston’s municipal harbor plan and what it could mean for the rest of the state.

7/14/22-- This week we divert from our regularly scheduled programming for the first ever musical episode of The Horse Race! Jenn and Steve walk us through the seven official state songs one by one. Lenny Gomulka, writer and performer of "Say Hello to Someone From Massachusetts" joins the podcast to talk about the inspiration for the tune and how it came to be the official state polka. Later Joyce Linehan, local punk rock enthusiast and former chief of policy and planning for Marty Walsh, stops by the pod. She helps unravel the saga of the unofficial state rock song, "Roadrunner" by the Modern Lovers. Will MA ever have an official state rock song? Stay tuned until the end for a never before heard recording of the official state glee club song, "The Great State of Massachusetts" arranged and produced by Charlie Koczela and performed by Robert Goderich.

6/30/2022--This week on The Horse Race, Jenn and Steve unpacking the whirlwind of a news week that just was. Before diving into national news, a statewide race changed drastically this week when state senator and gubernatorial candidate Sonia Chang-Diaz dropped out of the race. She told reporters there was no reasonable path to victory, and she'll instead turn her focus to supporting down-ballot candidates with similar progressive views. Chang-Diaz's withdrawal makes Maura Healey the sole standing Democratic candidate for Governor. The Supreme Court on Friday overturned Roe v. Wade, prompting Governor Baker to immediately sign an executive order protecting access to reproductive health care services in the state. The order would protect providers who perform these services for out-of-state patients seeking the procedures in Massachusetts. Planned Parenthood has already reported an uptick in demand for services here in Massachusetts from people coming out of state. Finally, reporter Sam Gross of The Boston Globe stops by to talk to Steve about a law that will allow undocumented immigrants to apply for drivers licenses in Massachusetts. The legislature passed it into law earlier this month, and then voted to override Gov. Baker’s veto. Now, opponents of the new law have formed a ballot question committee and are collecting signatures to try to put the issue before voters in the fall.

6/23/2022--This week on The Horse Race, Steve and Lisa share their opinions on a *critical* Massachusetts food service matchup -- Dunkin' Donuts and Market Basket. If the two were on the ballot, which is securing your vote? Later, Rich Parr, Research Director at The MassINC Polling Group shares details on the newest MPG transportation poll. The statewide survey asked residents whether they support policies like free and discounted bus fares, and their feelings on the safety of transportation modes like highways and the T. The poll also asked about e-bike rebates, and to talk more about proposed legislation surrounding e-bikes, Galen Mook of the Massachusetts Bicycle Coaltion stops by. An Act relative to electric bicycle rebates would provide $500 rebates for general consumers and up to $750 for low to moderate income consumers.

6/16/2022--This week, Jenn and Lisa unpack a major development on the ballot question front -- the Supreme Judicial Court this week threw out a ballot question that would classify ride-share drivers as independent contractors. Jenn explains the court's reasoning behind the decision, and Lisa shares what it all means for the future of rides-hare drivers' fight to unionize. Tori Bedford, reporter at GBH, stops by The Horse Race to discuss her recent coverage on America's Test Kitchen employees' moves to unionize. Willow Montana works as a shift manager at a Cleveland Circle Starbucks location that has recently moved to unionize -- they share what the process of forming a union has looked like so far, Starbucks' response to the unionization effort, and the benefits unionizing Starbucks workers are seeking.

6/9/22- This week, Jenn fills us in on this weekend’s Dot Day and Dorchfest festivities while eating leftover cake. Steve counters an argument made in a recent episode of The New York Times’ podcast The Daily, that “polling on gun control gets it wrong,” explaining the key difference between issues polling and ballot question polling, and why, as he’s seen in ballot question campaigns throughout Massachusetts history, it’s difficult for ballot questions to receive broad public support. Next, Lisa gives us a rundown of what came out of the MassDems Convention. Who’s in and who’s out. Breaking news: the closest race is for state auditor. This week we feature another Statehouse Round-up with BFFs of the pod Katie Lannan and Chris Lisinski of the State House News Service. We talk about the state budget, gas prices, murmurs about the aid in dying bill, Baker’s “revenge porn” bill, and whether the East-West Rail will come to fruition. -- This episode of The Horse Race was brought to you by Benchmark Strategies [strategies.com">www.benchmark-strategies.com] Benchmark is setting a new standard as Boston's fastest-growing public affairs consulting firm. To know more, connect with Benchmark on Twitter @benchmarkBoston.

6/2/2022--This week, Jenn is gearing up for an exciting weekend Dorchester Day activities, and wants to see you all there. Meanwhile Lisa is keeping an eye on all the intraparty drama happening in the leadup to the 2022 MassDems Convention this weekend. Steve, Jenn, and Lisa discuss the upcoming convention as well as the recent MassGOP convention, and what we can possibly expect come the September primary. Later, MassINC Education Equity Fellow Simone Ngongi-Lukula stops by the virtual bunker to discuss her recent op-ed in the Boston Globe, "Massachusetts’ failure to forestall growing segregation." She talks about the well-documented benefits of magnet schools that draw students from varying racial, socioeconomic, and ethnic backgrounds, and how Massachusetts' move to stop funding magnet schools in the nineties has set them back in terms of integration in schools. And that is despite a vast majority of Massachusetts parents wanting more integration in schools. -- “This episode of The Horse Race was brought to you by Benchmark Strategies [strategies.com/">https://www.benchmark-strategies.com/]. Benchmark is setting a new standard as Boston's fastest-growing public affairs consulting firm. To know more, connect with Benchmark on Twitter @benchmarkBoston.

5/25/22-- This week on The Horse Race, Steve, Jennifer, and Lisa begin on the somber note brought about by yet another shooting tragedy, this time in Uvalde Texas, where 19 children and 2 teachers were killed at Robb Elementary School. This comes soon after 11 people were shot and killed in a racist attack at a Buffalo supermarket. Congressional delegates from Massachusetts expressed sadness and called for action, including disbanding the NRA (Rep. Jake Auchincloss) and abolishing the filibuster and passing gun safety legislation (Sen. Ed Markey). A Massachusetts Senate survey conducted in 2019 found what the Boston Globe called an environment of harassment among Senate employees. The report was never publicly released, but the Boston Globe obtained the report and shared the findings this week. Samantha Gross, who covered it, drops by The Horse Race to discuss what Senate staffers expressed, and how the lack of action surrounding instances of harassment contributed to a recent push to unionize. According to a 2020 study conducted by The Hope Center for College, Community, and Justice, more than a quarter of 4-year college students experienced food insecurity nationwide. Proposed legislation would take aim at that problem here in Massachusetts. Gina Plata-Nino, an attorney with Mass. Law Reform Institute and one of the co-chairs of the Hunger Free Campus Coalition, shares details on the bill and explains why food insecurity is such a persistent problem on Massachusetts college campuses.

5/19/2022-- This week, Jenn and Lisa begin discuss what’s happening in the race for State Auditor – current Auditor Suzanne Bump endorsed candidate Chris Dempsey as her successor, calling him a “true progressive.” She had previously refuted some of the claims made by Diana DiZoglio, another candidate, about the purview of the auditor’s office. Our first guest this week is Caroline Vanasse, Project Manager for the MBTA Bus Network Redesign. She shares details of the redesign, explaining the MBTA’s plans for more reliable and expansive bus service. Finally, Dr. Todd Ellerin, director of infectious diseases and chief of medicine at South Shore Health in Weymouth joins the show to share what he knows about the worrying new Omicron subvariant that is dominating Massachusetts, BA.2.12.1.

5/5/2022-- Today on The Horse Race, Steve and Lisa begin the episode by running through the newest fundraising numbers of the candidates running for statewide office. Plus, Lisa breaks down the results of the special election for the District 1 Boston City Council seat. The MassINC Polling Group is out with new data on how parents feel about their children's academics and wellbeing in school. Compared to the last wave of education polling, Steve explains, this time around parents aren't quite as optimistic. In the fall, parents were largely confident their children would catch up and get back on track academically given the new all in-person school format. So far, reality has not quite lived up to those expectations. Read more about the poll at massincpolling.com. Finally, the leaked Supreme Court draft opinion that would overturn Roe v. Wade sent shockwaves throughout the country. Today's guest, Rebecca Hart Holder, executive director of Reproductive Equity Now, joins the hosts to explain what the implications would be in Massachusetts if and when the landmark decision falls away. This episode of The Horse Race was brought to you by Benchmark Strategies. Benchmark is setting a new standard as Boston's fastest-growing public affairs consulting firm. To know more, connect with Benchmark on Twitter @benchmarkBoston. Full transcription found here: https://www.massincpolling.com/the-topline/episode-212-scotus-shockwaves-could-shake-mass

4/28/22--This week, Steve and Lisa discuss the state of COVID rates in Massachusetts, and what we might be missing when we talk about numbers of positive cases. New data from The MassINC Polling Group shows there are disparities between the households that use at-home tests to test for COVID and those that get tested at a testing site. That means we may be undercounting cases in specific places and groups. Wealthier people are more likely to have been testing themselves at home, where positives would not be reported. Schools and lower-income areas are perhaps overrepresented since they would potentially be caught in official reporting channels. Later on in the show, Steve is joined by Manny Cruz, Director of Advocacy in Massachusetts for Latinos for Education, and Ralph Saint-Louis, a Policy Fellow at Teach Plus Massachusetts and a science teacher at Lowell High School, to discuss the Educator Diversity Act, which, if passed by the legislature, would seek to make Massachusetts educators a more diverse workforce. As of now, 42% of all students in Massachusetts identify as students of color, but only 10% of all teachers in the state identify as Black, Latino or API.

4/21/22-- Today, The Horse Race is breaking down two state-focused polls out this week. The first is a poll conducted by the UMass Lowell Center for Public Opinion, which asked likely Democratic primary voters about their choices in the 2022 races for governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, and state auditor. The poll shows gubernatorial candidate Maura Healey with a strong lead over opponent Sonia Chang-Diaz, which grew since The MassINC Polling Group's poll on the candidates from January. A second poll released this week was conducted by The MassINC Polling Group and its research director/guest co-host for this week's episode, Rich Parr. The MPG/Boston Globe poll surveyed Massachusetts residents about their opinions on climate change. This poll is one of a series of statewide climate surveys, and it found that residents consider climate change to be less of a concern than in 2019, when the last wave was conducted. However, that's not to say residents don't feel climate change is a serious threat. Majorities say that climate impacts, including heat waves (58%), coastal flooding (60%), and more powerful storms (62%), are already or very likely to hit the state in the next 5 years. The poll included additional responses from Black, Latino, and Asian residents, to enable a closer look at opinion between and within each group. Consistent with national polling, Black and Latino residents are more likely to say climate change is a “very serious” problem for the state. This poll also echoes national polling in showing a large partisan gap in concern about climate, with 62% of Democrats and Democratic-leaning independents calling it a very serious problem, compared to just 22% of Republicans and Republican leaners. Click here to read more about the poll: https://www.massincpolling.com/the-topline/poll-massachusetts-residents-see-climate-change-as-a-serious-problem-for-state -- A statement from a spokesperson for the state Cannabis Control Commission in regard to a prior episode of The Horse Race: "On March 14, the Boston Globe reported that Creative Services, Inc. (CSI) was exposed to a data breach that compromised the information of 164,000 individuals, including 1,982 individuals who are associated with Massachusetts cannabis licenses or license applications, as well as 75 Cannabis Control Commission (Commission) staff. In an interview during the March 31 episode of The Horse Race, the guest falsely stated that the Commission had been exposed to a data breach. The Commission does require all individuals listed on an initial license application to have a background check performed, via the Commission, with CSI. However, it is important to clarify that the Commission does not require, nor recommend, any particular company to perform background checks on the employees and/or agents they hire. Please note: as of the Commission’s April public meeting, there were 19,358 active agent registrations in Massachusetts’ adult-use cannabis industry, and 9,117 active agent registrations in the medical use industry. The guest being interviewed also suggested that, because of this event, the Commission should be audited. Regarding any comments as to whether the Commission has been audited, there is currently an audit by Auditor Bump’s office underway and has been for some time."

4/14/2022-- The Masachusetts House of Representatives released their FY 2023 budget proposal this week, and friends of the pod as well as State House News Service reporters Katie Lannan and Chris Lisinski are here to break down the line items as well as the differences in budget priorities between Governor Baker and the House and Senate. Chris and Katie also dive into the news of a union in the works among Senate staffers who say they are seeking pay equity and a culture change in their workplace. Plus, a new study finds an uptick in the number of reporters covering state houses across the country.

4/7/2022--This week on The Horse Race, we bring you another of the Internet's Finest: a list from anytimeestimate.com ranking Boston as the fourth-best "pizza city" in the U.S. In case you were wondering, it ranks above both New York City and Chicago. Steve and Jenn dissect the list's confusing criteria for assembling such a list. Please do let us know your thoughts on this -- does Boston deserve its place on the list? Tweet at us @The_HorseRace. For our first segment, Steve and Jenn discuss the new developments in statewide races this week. Progressive Massachusetts released more endorsements this week, lending their support to Quentin Palfrey for attorney general, Chris Dempsey for state auditor, and Tanisha Sullivan for secretary of the commonwealth. The group has already endorsed Sonia Chang-Díaz for governor and Rep. Tammy Gouveia for lieutenant governor. The hosts also discuss the financial status of each of the campaigns in the races for attorney general and governor. President Joe Biden and Prime Minister Boris Johston issued a joint statement last year agreeing to share best practices on regional economic regeneration. That’s exactly what’s been happening since October of last year here in Massachusetts. The UK Consulate of Boston has visited five Gateway Cities in Massachusetts, learning how these communities grow prosperity and sharing the UK’s approach to regional economic growth. Peter Abbott, the British consul general to Boston, drew up the findings and joins Jenn and Steve on The Horse Race to share those findings.

3/31/22--It shouldn't be too difficult to sit back, relax and enjoy this week's episode of The Horse Race because, according to a WalletHub study (https://wallethub.com/edu/most-stressful-states/32218), the state of Massachusetts ranks among the least stressed states in the nation. Jennifer, Lisa, and Steve have a lot to say about the accuracy of this study. Later, in light of Governor Charlie Baker's HireNow program geared towards getting people back to work and meeting employers needs, we discuss why so many people across the country are leaving their jobs in the first place. MassINC Polling Group research associate and producer of the pod Libby Gormley talks through a Pew Research poll documenting U.S. workers' reasons for quitting jobs in 2021. (https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2022/03/09/majority-of-workers-who-quit-a-job-in-2021-cite-low-pay-no-opportunities-for-advancement-feeling-disrespected/) Finally, this week Governor Charlie handed out his first endorsement in a statewide race this year. It went to Republican candidate for state auditor, Anthony Amore. Amore joins us on the show to discuss his approach to the race as the sole Republican, his priorities if elected, and how his background as a federal agent, Homeland Security official, and museum security director has prepared him to take on the office.

3/24/2022--This week on The Horse Race, a new development in the Republican primary race for governor. Candidate Geoff Diehl announced his running mate, Leah Cole Allen. Allen served briefly as a state representative in YEAR before becoming a nurse. "She keeps Diehl's ticket firmly in conservative territory," Lisa explains. Allen is anti-abortion, anti-mask and vaccine mandates, isn't vaccinated herself, and and told reporters she thinks there’s “enough evidence” to support the possibility of widespread fraud in the 2020 election. The race for Secretary of the Commonwealth also saw some developments this week. Candidate Tanisha Sullivan enjoyed a suite of endorsements from state Reps. Russell Holmes, Nika Elugardo and Liz Miranda; and Boston City Councilors Julia Mejia, Ruthzee Louijeune, Ricardo Arroyo, Kendra Lara and Tania Fernandes Anderson. Last month, Senate President Karen Spilka appointed a new Senate Chair of the Joint Committee on Transportation -- Brendan Crighton. Sen. Crighton drops by The Horse Race to talk about leading on transportation in a time when congestion on the roads is as bad as it ever was and T ridership is a fraction of pre-pandemic levels. Finally, Lisa delivers a recap of Wednesday's virtual event hosted by State House News wherein House Speaker Ron Mariano and Senate President Karen Spilka provided insight into the priorities for the rest of this legislative session. Also, in a surprising turn of events. Mariano disclosed his endorsement for the Massachusetts governor's race in candidate and current state Attorney General Maura Healey.

3/17/2022-- Happy St. Patrick's Day from all of us at The Horse Race! Steve and Jennifer discuss the return of the in-person St. Patrick's Day breakfast, happening this Sunday. It's an almost annual tradition of Massachusetts politicians gathering and making jokes at one another's expense for what Jennifer describes as "basically a big Irish roast." Plus, big news coming out of the U.S. Senate-- a bill passed that would make Daylight Saving permanent, ending the ritual of turning the clocks forward and backward and gracing us all with an extra hour of daylight in the winter. The development has Sen. Ed Markey who proposed the bill "walkin' on sunshine." The Census undercount also made headlines this week. So far the U.S. Census Bureau has only released the national numbers, but if the nationwide undercount scales down proportionately to the state level, what could that mean for Massachusetts? Boston Indicators' Luc Schuster drops by The Horse Race to answer that question and more. For one thing, Luc says, "It would mean we missed almost 47,000 Latinos living in Massachusetts." Finally, Matt Murphy of the State House News Service explains the proposed changes to our liquor license laws, brought to lawmakers by the Massachusetts Package Stores Association. It would effectively double the number of allowable licenses any one retailer can hold to 18 by 2031, but also reduce the cap on licenses for the sale of all alcoholic beverages from nine to seven. But it faces severe opposition from many food industry groups.

3/10/11-- This week, while certain industries are seeing patrons come back in droves amid the bottoming out of COVID cases -- arts and culture venues, restaurants, gyms -- one space that has yet to see such an influx are corporate office. Steve wrote about the risk this phenomenon poses to downtowns like Boston in CommonWealth. And later, it's caucus season in Massachusetts. Yawu Miller, reporter for The Bay State Banner covered the ins and outs of the 2022 Massachusetts season. He stops by to share his insights about the importance of Ward 18, drastic changes to the caucus landscape since the 90s and even the 2010s, and what it all means for the electorate writ large.

3/3/2022--This week on The Horse Race, Jennifer, Steve, and Lisa discuss the growing field of candidates in two major statewide races: attorney general and lieutenant governor. Republican Jay McMahon, who’s run for political office in Massachusetts before, stepped into the race for state attorney general. Anthony Amore, the 2018 secretary of state candidate is now running for state auditor. And former state rep Kate Campanele joined as Chris Doughty’s running mate, making her the first Republican to enter the race for lieutenant governor. Later, state Senator Diana DiZoglio drops by The Horse Race to talk aout her bid for state auditor. She explains her goal of bringing more transparency and accountability to how taxpayer money is spent, shares the details of her social justice plan, and, as Republican Anthony Amore makes his entrance into the race, discusses whether there is a partisan angle to the office.

2/24/2022--This week, the hosts are off for February school vacation. Please enjoy the 2022 edition of Horse Race outtakes, and we'll be back to our regularly scheduled programming next week.

2/17/2022--Today on The Horse Race, we look ahead to next week’s reopening of the State House. After more than 700 days of closure due to COVID, doors open on Tuesday, and legislators will return to their offices. In this week’s installment of State House Roundup, friends of the pod Katie Lannan and Chris Lisinski of State House News Service break down the ramifications of the in-person return and highlight the major policies being tackled on Beacon Hill now— namely, voting reform, a bill to create a pathway for undocumented immigrants to obtain drivers licenses, and a drug pricing transparency bill. This week also saw the exit of Harvard professor Danielle Allen from the governor’s race. Allen cites the caucus and nominating process as major barriers to nontraditional candidates’ access to the ballot. Her departure leaves two remaining candidates in the Democratic primary — Attorney General Maura Healey and state Senator Sonia Chang-Diaz. Full transcript: https://www.massincpolling.com/the-topline/episode-202-state-house-roundup-back-to-beacon-hill

2/10/2022-- This week on The Horse Race, Lisa and Jenn discuss this week’s announcement out of the Governor’s office that the mask mandate for schools will end Feb. 28 and the reactions from the candidates running for Governor which, unsurprisingly, follow party lines. In the first of a series of segments interviewing State Auditor candidates, Jenn, Steve, and Lisa speak with Chris Dempsey, who speaks about his plans to audit the State Police and create an Auditor's commission on environmental justice.

2/3/2022--- This week on the horse race, Jenn, Steve, and Lisa discuss their brushes with the 24- hour record-breaking blizzard that hit the northeast this past weekend. Shifting to the many races of 2022, Boston City Councilor Andrea Campbell announced her campaign for Attorney General. Lisa spoke with Campbell about how policing reform fits in to the Attorney General’s office. Meanwhile, in the race for Massachusetts governor, GOP candidate Geoff Diehl made waves as he hired Corey Lewandowski as a campaign senior advisor. Trump’s old super PAC & South Dakota Gov. Kristi Noem cut ties with Lewandowski last fall after allegations that he made unwanted sexual advances toward a Trump donor at an event. Steve shares the results of a new statewide poll stacking up Democratic primary candidates. Many voters are undecided but as of now, Maura Healey has the biggest swath of likely Democratic primary voter support of all the announced candidates. The survey asked people their support of issues such as rent control and early college. Today's guest is Tanisha Sullivan, NAACP Boston Branch President, visits The Horse Race to share why she is running for Secretary of the Commonwealth, and what she'll do to expand voting rights and increase transparency in the state government.

1/27/2022--This week brings a handful of new campaign announcements. Among them, Secretary of the Commonwealth Bill Galvin who confirmed he is seeking his eighth term in office, State Treasurer Deb Goldberg who is running for re-election, labor attorney Shannon Liss-Riordan who announced her bid for Attorney General, and Chris Doughty, a moderate Republican businessman from Wrentham and new entrant into the race for governor of Massachusetts. Jenn, Steve, and Lisa discuss Governor Baker's final State of the Commonwealth address that included plans for a slew of tax breaks. The special guest on today's show is Boston Mayor Michelle Wu. After just over two months in office, she answers questions regarding her major policies thus far, and her plans for the future.

1/20/2022--This week on The Horse Race, two big campaign announcements hit the news. First, it's the one we've been waiting on for months. Attorney General Maura Healey is running for Governor. She enters the race after much anticipation and speculation with a rate of name recognition and funding that dwarfs that of her competitors. Tanisha Sullivan, President of the Boston NAACP, announced her candidacy for Secretary of the Commonwealth. Bill Galvin, who has been in the position for almost three decades, has not yet announced whether he’ll run again. Vaccine mandates for indoor businesses went into effect throughout Boston this past weekend. Jenn and Lisa talk about the Twitter conversations circulating among people who’ve experienced gaps in enforcement — some businesses don’t check for vaccine proof, others do. Also recently implemented is the state’s vaccine passport system which Massachusetts residents can use to access digital proof of their vaccination status. Issues remain with that program as well, like incomplete information for veterans and residents who received jabs out of state. Our guest this week is State House reporter for MassLive, Alison Kuznitz. She explains the state’s decision to move away from their current test-and-stay program that allows asymptomatic students to stay in school so long as they test negative for five straight days. The plan is to replace it with a program wherein students receive at-home rapid tests on a biweekly basis.

1/13/22--Today on The Horse Race, Jenn and Lisa discuss the biggest headlines of the week so far -- the continued issues around in-person schooling during a surge in COVID-19 cases, the newest entrant in the race for Lieutenant Governor (Salem Mayor Kim Driscoll), and the Boston's self-imposed deadline to clear tents from the Mass & Cass area wherein 140-plus people currently reside. Executive Director of the Massachusetts Cultural Council Michael Bobbitt provides a glimpse into the arts and culture communities throughout Massachusetts--how are they navigating the ever-changing landscape that COVID-19 creates? As arts venues go from gearing up for reopening to welcoming back patrons to shutting down performances due to omicron infections, Bobbitt explains how arts consumption is changing, and people's expectations for art is evolving. Finally, new data out today from The MassINC Polling Group finds Massachusetts voters are amenable to shifting the cost of public transportation away from riders and toward high-income taxpayers. Friend of the pod and MPG Research Director Rich Parr explains the majority support for what's known as the "millionaire's tax" bodes well for its performance on the November ballot. The poll also asked about registered voters perceptions on transportation's climate preparedness, low-income fare discounts, fare-free modes of transportation, and what kind of condition they find the state's transportation system. This episode of The Horse Race is sponsored by Benchmark Strategies. Benchmark is setting a new standard as Boston's fastest-growing public affairs consulting firm. To know more, connect with Benchmark on Twitter @BenchmarkBoston.” Full transcript here: https://www.massincpolling.com/the-topline/episode-197-the-long-intermission

1/6/2022-- After ringing in the first Horse Race episode 2022, Steve, Jenn, and Lisa discuss poll results just out from The MassINC Polling Group. The statewide poll on Massachusetts residents found just around a quarter of them feel as though the situation around the COVID-19 pandemic in Massachusetts is better than it was this time last year. The poll also found that unvaccinated people feel the safest doing activities like going to a movie and dining indoors, while people who are the most protected (the vaccinated) feel the least safe doing the same activities. Steve also shares the favorables of each candidate in the race for Massachusetts Governor, showing Attorney General Maura Healey with the highest rate of name recognition, although Healey has yet to officially announce whether she's running. Later, CommonWealth reporter Shira Schoenberg shares the details of her recent article detailing Massachusetts schools' struggles with staffing amidst a devastating COVID surge as schools came back in session this week. Remote schooling is not an option, as the Department of Elementary and Secondary Education ordered last year, so schools are left to either scramble to fill in the staffing gaps or close school down and make up the days in the spring. Full transcript here: https://www.massincpolling.com/the-topline/episode-196-new-year-same-covid This episode of The Horse Race was brought to you by Benchmark Strategies. Benchmark is setting a new standard as Boston's fastest-growing public affairs consulting firm. To know more, connect with Benchmark on Twitter @benchmarkBoston.

12/23/21--On the last episode of 2021, Steve and Lisa discuss their holiday plans that have largely been rearranged thanks to the brutal arrival of the Omicron variant. It's a reality confronting people across Massachusetts, and as folks plan to safely convene with friends and family, the lack of available COVID testing is making that near impossible. With case numbers rising across the country and here in Massachusetts, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu this week announced an indoor mask mandate. Meanwhile, Governor Charlie Baker unveiled a mask advisory, a move that, through the eyes of several public health advocates and political figures in the state, falls short. Joining Lisa to talk about the escalating public health crisis at the intersection of Massachusetts Avenue and Melnea Cass Boulevard (or Mass. and Cass.) are two reporters who have been following the situation for a while now. Tori Bedford is a reporter for GBH News, Sean Cotter for the Boston Herald. They explain the genesis of the tent city and open air drug market, which all began after the shutdown of the Long Island Bridge in 2014. Now, as the substance abuse, homelessness, and violence increase, and as the months get colder, the demand for adequate housing and resources becomes more dire. In the span of a little over a year, three Boston mayors have tried to adequately rectify the situation-- former Mayor Marty Walsh, acting Mayor Kim Janey, and current Mayor Michelle Wu. Tori and Sean break down each leader's approach and impact, and look ahead to Mayor Wu's plan not just for the immediate future, but for the long-term health and safety of the people who live there.

12/16/21--Newsrooms across the country are pushing to unionize. And those in Massachusetts are no exception. Today on The Horse Race, Jenn sits down with three guests who can speak to newsroom union negotiations from experience. State Rep. Lindsay Sabadosa is one of the columnists taking part in the strike at the Daily Hampshire Gazette in support of the paper’s union. The columnists have told Newspapers of New England, which owns the Gazette, that they will not be writing any more columns until the company agrees to a contract with its employees. Reporters Ally Jarmanning of WBUR and Kevin Slane of The Boston Globe and Boston.com talk about their experience with contract negotiations — WBUR employees having gone through both establishing a union as well as well as negotiating contracts, and Globe employees undergoing a three-year-long process of contract negotiations. Full transcript here: https://www.massincpolling.com/the-topline/episode-194-the-push-to-unionize-newsrooms

12/9/21--Today on The Horse Race, a roundup on what's happening on Beacon Hill. Reporters Katie Lannan of State House News Service and Shira Schoenberg of CommonWealth stop by to break down what is inside the $4 billion ARPA spending bill headed for Charlie Baker's desk (and why it took so long to reach this point). Plus, Lisa provides the scoop on the down-ballot races heating up across the state.

12/1/21 --After two terms, Governor Charlie Baker has announced he will not be running for re-election in 2022. The statement led to a frenzy of reactions and speculations throughout the Massachusetts political scene, and many names were bandied about of who might throw their hat in the ring. Co-host Lisa Kashinsky has been on the ground watching it all unfold. She provides analysis on what Baker's (and Lieutenant Governor Karyn Polito's)decision will mean for the race and the Massachusetts political landscape at large. Later, the hosts are joined by Massachusetts state representative serving the 9th Suffolk district and Boston Medical Center emergency room doctor Jon Santiago -- he explains the concern behind the omicron variant of coronavirus, what Massachusetts is doing to prepare for its arrival, and what the future might hold for a vaccine passport system in the state.

11/18/21--This week, a solo Jenn speaks with MassINC Polling Group Research Director Maeve Duggan about the latest survey on Massachusetts parents of K-12 students. While parents are largely optimistic about the rest of the in-person school year and their children's success, inequitable access to resources remains. Plus, a deep dive in what is likely to be the most expensive ballot question of 2022. If passed, it would establish that platform based drivers would be considered independent contractors and set certain required benefits specifically for those workers while exempting the companies from providing benefits required by state law for employees. We hear from the "Yes" campaign, represented by Conor Yunits, senior VP at Solomon McCown & Cence and spokesperson for the Massachusetts Coalition for Independent Work, as well as the "No" campaign, represented by labor attorney Shannon Liss-Riordan,

11/11/21-- This week, Steve and Lisa are back in the virtual bunker to celebrate a birthday, rejoice in vaccinations for children, and discuss the latest in the #mapoli scene. A new mental health bill unveiled by the state Senate would revolutionize treatment. Co-chair of the Joint Committee on Mental Health, Substance Use, and Recovery Sen. Julian Cyr stopped by to explain the mechanics, the goal for mental and phyiscal health parity, and what the pandemic meant for the genesis of the bill. Later, Lisa rehashes what went down on Beacon Hill during the drawing of congressional districts. A heated debate broke out regarding the 9th and 4th districts--Lisa explains why the final decision could determine who ends up with more federal aid and political aid.

11/4/21-- This week on The Horse Race, Steve, Jenn, and Lisa review the elections that took place all over the state. They break down all the highlights of the mayoral election, plus results of the at-large and city council elections and ballot questions. Later, Rich Parr, research director at The MassINC Polling Group joins in to talk about the notable elections that took place in cities throughout Western Massachusetts.

10/28/21--Happy Halloween from The (Headless) Horse Race! This week, Jenn, Steve, and Lisa discuss the final Boston mayoral debate before the election, the makeup of the House of Representatives's spending plan for the states remaining American Rescue Plan Act funds, plus, of course, Halloween. Later, state Senator Sonia-Chang Diaz drops by to break down the racial equity scorecard used to assess how the House's ARPA spending plan tackles issues of racial injustice.

10/21/21--This week, a poll from Public Policy Polling finds Governor Baker's approval ratings have dipped quite a bit among likely 2022 Republican primary voters. Lisa says this reinforces what anecdotal evidence has suggested for a while, that he's more popular among Democrats and Independents than those in his own party. In a hypothetical matchup with Geoff Diehl, Baker trails 50 to 29. Jenn, Steve, and Lisa rehash the major takeaways from Tuesday night's second Boston mayoral debate between Michelle Wu and Annissa Essaibi-George, noting that this was the first significant moment in which frontrunner Wu was in the hot seat--faced with tough questions from both moderators and Essaibi-George. Later, Deanna Moran of the Conservation Law foundation describes what is in store for Boston and the rest of Massachusetts as the effects of climate change begin to manifest. Sooner than we are perhaps prepared for, we will be faced with weather events that threaten our critical infrastructure. Moran says, there's so much more the state needs to do to become more climate resilient.

10/13/21--This week, Steve shares findings from the latest poll on the Boston mayoral race. He spells out just how strong Michelle Wu's lead is so far over Annissa Essaibi-George, and how likely voters' priorities for the city differ based on who they plan to vote for. Later, Lisa and Steve are joined by state Rep. and member of the Special Joint Committee on Redistricting, Andy Vargas. Rep. Vargas explains the redistricting process, what the goals for redistricting are, and the challenges that the redistricting committee has faced so far. The Texas abortion law instated in early September is one of the strictest measures in the nation, banning abortion at six weeks -- when many women don't even yet know they are pregnant. Rebecca Hart Holder, executive director at NARAL Pro-Choice Massachusetts explains what it means that this law made it on the books, and what the implications are for the future of Roe v. Wade.

10/7/21--The MBTA is prone to some bad press, but things have been especially bleak in the past couple of weeks. Candidates in the gubernatorial and Boston mayoral races alike have pointed to the T as a problem area they vow to work on fixing. Some have clung to the idea of a free MBTA. But how exactly would that work? Today's guests walk us through what it would take to get such a project started. Lizzi Weyant is the Director of Government Affairs at the Metropolitan Area Planning Council, and Marie-Frances Rivera is the President of the Massachusetts Budget and Policy Center.

9/30/21--This week on the podcast, Jenn and Lisa are joined by two longtime friends of the pod, Katie Lannan and Chris Lisinski of State House News Service. They explain all the headline bills being worked on, what's going on with the T after numerous disasters, and when the State House itself might be opening up for members and the public alike.

9/23/21--Eleven cities across Massachusetts held preliminary mayoral elections this week. On The Horse Race this week, we're joined by three guests, each of whom have in-depth knowledge on particular races throughout the state. Matt Szafranski, Editor-in-Chief of the Western Mass Politics and Insight blog has been covering the Holyoke race; Juana Matias is the COO of MassINC, a former state representative of Massachusetts' 16th Essex district, and a current resident of Lawrence and follower of the race there; and Greta Jochem is a reporter at the Berkshire Eagle, who's been keeping a close eye on the action in North Adams.

9/16/21--The Horse Race rides again! We are back in the saddle after being put out to pasture for a summer, producing Mass Reboot (listen right here in this feed if you haven't yet!). In our first episode back we are joined by brand-new co-host, Lisa Kashinsky! Lisa is the author of the Politico Massachusetts Playbook, formerly of The Boston Herald, and a decorated veteran of Horse Race guesthood. This week, Steve, Jenn, and Lisa unpack the results of the Boston mayoral preliminary election. They discuss the reasons behind the painstaking wait for the tallies to come in, what voter turnout looked like this year compared to elections past, and what the shakeout of this historic preliminary election says about Boston. Intro and outro music credit: Charlie Koczela and Sound of Picture.

8/19/21--On the finale episode of Mass Reboot, we examine the early days of the pandemic when elected officials' jobs quickly got even more complicated and important. State Senator Adam Hinds, State Representative and Boston Medical emergency room physician Jon Santiago, and State House News Service Reporter and president of the Massachusetts State House Press Association Katie Lannan discussed what legislating was like back in those days. Now, as we look forward to a slightly more open, but still worrisome future, we have to ask, how will our leaders learn from what came before? What is informing their decisions? What can we expect to change, and stay the same? -- Mass Reboot is a production of The MassINC Polling Group, in association with CommonWealth Magazine. Our music is from Blue Dot Sessions. This week’s episode is sponsored by Rasky Partners. They’re a long-time supporter of ours and a nationally recognized government affairs and communication firm. For over 30 years the team at Rasky has worked with all types of organizations, large and small, helping each one reach their business objectives through advocacy and storytelling. Find out more about Rasky Partners at rasky.com.

8/12/21--When the pandemic hit, just about every aspect of our lives changed. And that includes our relationships-- with family, friends, and partners. Whether you were single, dating, married, or divorced during the pandemic, chances are, dynamics changed at least slightly. Today, we hear from two sets up couples -- Honey Goodenough and Kenneth Dyer, and Eden Heller and Dan Hopkins -- about their experiences together during the pandemic, as well as the Boston Globe Love Letters columnist Meredith Goldstein about the patterns she saw emerge among people navigating love and dating before, during the height of the pandemic, and now. Next week: Government. -- Mass Reboot is a production of The MassINC Polling Group, in association with CommonWealth Magazine. Our music is from Blue Dot Sessions. To help us make more episodes, donate at patreon.com/mass_reboot. This week’s episode is sponsored by Rasky Partners. They’re a long-time supporter of ours and a nationally recognized government affairs and communication firm. For over 30 years the team at Rasky has worked with all types of organizations, large and small, helping each one reach their business objectives through advocacy and storytelling. Find out more about Rasky Partners at rasky.com.

8/5/21-- School administrators, teachers, parents, and students were all thrown for a loop when COVID shut down school buildings and demanded immediate innovation. Some schools, and some students, were better off than others. So much depended on available resources like technology, Internet, and childcare. Families that lacked any one of these struggled with remote school and hybrid school. Learning loss was certainly a symptom of the COVID school year, but the voices on today’s podcast emphasize that it should not be the sole focus as we look towards recovery--that addressing students’ grief; relationships; and physical, social, and emotional well-being takes precedence over reaching a certain benchmark in reading or math. Takeru Nagayoshi of New Bedford High School, Tracy O’Connell Novick of the Worcester School Committee, Tanya Nixon-Sillberg of Little Uprisings, and Senate Chair of the Joint Committee on Education Jason Lewis reflect on the past year and a half of school plagued by COVID interruptions and provide insight on what the next academic year could and should provide for teachers, students, and their families. Next week: Love. -- Mass Reboot is a production of The MassINC Polling Group, in association with CommonWealth Magazine. Our music is from Blue Dot Sessions. To help us make more episodes, donate at patreon.com/mass_reboot. This week’s episode is sponsored in part by Rasky Partners. They’re a long-time supporter of ours and a nationally recognized government affairs and communication firm. For over 30 years the team at Rasky has worked with all types of organizations, large and small, helping each one reach their business objectives through advocacy and storytelling. Find out more about Rasky Partners at rasky.com. Episode 3 is also sponsored by the Massachusetts Business Roundtable, an employer-driven member organization comprised of CEOs and Senior Executives from large employers. Through the Roundtable, business leaders engage with the public and private sectors to advance policies that support the state’s competitiveness and long-term economic prosperity.

7/28/21--Each episode of Mass Reboot thus far has touched on one thing over and over again-- a particular, consuming aspect of our lives: work. Restaurant workers lost jobs due to the pandemic. So did artists. Work has, for the most part, dictated where we live, and how and where we travel day to day. If any one event had the ability to upend work as a grounding force in our lives, it was the COVID-19 pandemic. Suddenly, people lost that root--either they were laid off or lost wages. Or, they kept their jobs but took their work from the office to the home. Others still who remained in in-person jobs had to face the looming threat of COVID when they went to work. When the distribution of vaccines began, many workers and their bosses looked forward to a hybrid work format that would offer the best of both worlds: the ability to collaborate in person with colleagues some days, but enjoy the comfort of working from home other days. Now, however, with COVID cases rising in all states, that future is up in the air. Yajaira Toribio of Dreams Nail Lounge, Segun Idowu of the Black Economic Council of Massachusetts, Maeghan Welford of the MITRE Corporation, JD Chesloff of the Massachusetts Business Roundtable discuss their perspectives on how our ideas of work changed during the pandemic, and what work looks like in the coming months and years. Next week: Love. Mass Reboot is a production of The MassINC Polling Group, in association with CommonWealth Magazine. Our music is from Blue Dot Sessions. To help us make more episodes, donate at patreon.com/mass_reboot. This week’s episode is sponsored in part by Rasky Partners. They’re a long-time supporter of ours and a nationally recognized government affairs and communication firm. For over 30 years the team at Rasky has worked with all types of organizations, large and small, helping each one reach their business objectives through advocacy and storytelling. Find out more about Rasky Partners at rasky.com.

This week on Mass Reboot, the pandemic’s impacts fell heavily on restaurants. What did industry professionals do to survive the pandemic, and how are they bouncing back as eager diners return in droves as the state reopens? Find out on Episode 4, Food. Bob Luz, President and CEO of the Massachusetts Restaurant Association, describes what it was like reckoning with an entire sector of the economy screeching to a halt almost overnight, and what it took to keep restaurants afloat during that time. Former Lawrence mayor Dan Rivera remembers the quick mobilization of a local coalition when COVID hit-- to both support restaurants and provide food assistance to those who needed it. Restaurant employees Ashley, Caroline, and Bruno anticipate a return to full restaurants and bars, but wonder whether Boston will remain the thriving hub of lunch spots and after-work drink hangouts if remote and hybrid work continues to be as popular as it has been. Next week: Work. Mass Reboot is a production of The MassINC Polling Group, in association with CommonWealth Magazine. Our music is from Blue Dot Sessions. To help us make more episodes, donate at patreon.com/mass_reboot. This week’s episode is sponsored in part by Rasky Partners. They’re a long-time supporter of ours and a nationally recognized government affairs and communication firm. For over 30 years the team at Rasky has worked with all types of organizations, large and small, helping each one reach their business objectives through advocacy and storytelling. Find out more about Rasky Partners at rasky.com.

7/8/21--Welcome to the third episode of Mass Reboot, a summer podcast series about restarting Massachusetts after COVID-19 and what we lost along the way. Each week, we’ll dive into a sector of life in the commonwealth, exploring how the pandemic hit it, how it adapted, and how the people inside it envision a new normal. This week: Transportation. The pandemic swiftly brought the traffic crisis well-known to Bay Staters to a halt. But that didn't last long. As businesses, office, and schools reopen, traffic is back with a vengeance. Meanwhile, the public transit system is only getting a fraction of the ridership it received before the pandemic. State Representative William Straus describes a need for better connectivity throughout the state. He represents parts of the South Coast, where drivers to Boston spend about 5 hours round-trip on the road. Monica Tibbits-Nutt, executive director of the 128 Business Council, sees public-private partnership is a key to closing transit gaps, and incentivizing commuters out of their cars and onto public transportation options. ---- Mass Reboot is a production of The MassINC Polling Group, in association with CommonWealth Magazine. Our music is from Blue Dot Sessions. To help us make more episodes, donate at patreon.com/mass_reboot. This week’s episode is sponsored in part by Rasky Partners. They’re a long-time supporter of ours and a nationally recognized government affairs and communication firm. For over 30 years the team at Rasky has worked with all types of organizations, large and small, helping each one reach their business objectives through advocacy and storytelling. Find out more about Rasky Partners at rasky.com. Episode 3 is also sponsored by the Massachusetts Business Roundtable, an employer-driven member organization comprised of CEOs and Senior Executives from large employers. Through the Roundtable, business leaders engage with the public and private sectors to advance policies that support the state’s competitiveness and long-term economic prosperity.

6/30/21--Welcome to the second episode of Mass Reboot, a summer podcast series about restarting Massachusetts after COVID-19 and what we lost along the way. Each week, we’ll dive into a sector of life in the commonwealth, exploring how the pandemic hit it, how it adapted, and how the people inside it envision a new normal. This week: Home. In a state where housing costs were already sky-high, what did the pandemic mean for people who lost jobs and wages? Did the shifting of populations and economic upheaval budge the housing or rental markets? And how did our ideas of home change when it became our only safe space for 15 months? These are the questions hosts Libby Gormley, Steve Koczela, and Jennifer Smith seek to answer this week. Guests Denise Matthews-Turner of City Life / Vida Urbana, Jessie Partridge Guerrero of the Metropolitan Area Planning Council, and Symone Crawford of the Massachusetts Affordable Housing Alliance weigh in on what they witnessed during the pandemic and what they predict the future holds for Massachusetts. Next week: Transportation. -- Mass Reboot is a production of The MassINC Polling Group, in association with CommonWealth Magazine. Our music is from Blue Dot Sessions. To help us make more episodes, donate at patreon.com/mass_reboot. A big thank you to our sponsor this week, Rasky Partners. They’re a long-time supporter of ours and a nationally recognized government affairs and communication firm. For over 30 years the team at Rasky has worked with all types of organizations, large and small, helping each one reach their business objectives through advocacy and storytelling. Find out more about Rasky Partners at rasky.com.

6/23/21--Welcome to the first episode of Mass Reboot, a summer podcast series about restarting Massachusetts after COVID-19 and what we lost along the way. Each week, we’ll dive into a sector of life in the Commonwealth, exploring how the pandemic hit it, how it adapted, and how the people inside it envision a new normal. This week: Art. Hosts Libby Gormley, Steve Koczela, and Jennifer Smith of The Horse Race are spending time in Boston’s Theater District and Dorchester, then taking a wide view of the Massachusetts arts world over the past year. Joe Spaulding, CEO and President of the Boch Center, describes the shock of a silent Wang Theatre and the long and unsteady road back to a vibrant performance space. Emma Leavitt, of the Dorchester Art Project and Brain Arts, recounts the struggles of the local arts program to continue supporting and reaching its diverse arts community. As for impacts across the state, and the long-term inequities that still exist in the arts space, Executive Director of the Massachusetts Cultural Council Michael Bobbitt breaks down the scale of creative losses and the need to rethink arts sector power structures. Next week: Home. -- Mass Reboot is a production of The MassINC Polling Group, in association with CommonWealth Magazine. Our music is from Blue Dot Sessions. To help us make more episodes, donate at patreon.com/mass_reboot. A big thank you to our sponsor this week, Rasky Partners. They’re a long-time supporter of ours and a nationally recognized government affairs and communication firm. For over 30 years the team at Rasky has worked with all types of organizations, large and small, helping each one reach their business objectives through advocacy and storytelling. Find out more about Rasky Partners at rasky.com.

What happens when you reboot a whole state? Yesterday, after one year, three months, and five days, the COVID-19 state of emergency ended in Massachusetts. With millions vaccinated across the state and with summer on its way, the gears are beginning to turn again. Things that stopped are starting. Things that were closed are re-opening. That leaves a big question. What does a post-pandemic Massachusetts look like? The team behind The Horse Race, Massachusetts’ favorite political podcast is back with a new summer podcast. Mass Reboot is a 10-episode series on restarting Massachusetts after COVID-19 and what we’ve lost along the way. Steve Koczela, Jennifer Smith, and longtime Horse Race producer Libby Gormley will share hosting duties, telling the stories of Massachusetts residents as we emerge from the pandemic. Each week, they will explore a new area of Massachusetts society - from housing and government to sports and food. The first episode, “Art” will post June 23rd. New episodes of Mass Reboot will post weekly on Wednesdays and will be available wherever you get your podcasts. Subscribers to The Horse Race and The Codcast will find the podcast in their feed. Mass Reboot is a production of The MassINC Polling Group and CommonWealth Magazine and is sponsored by Rasky Partners.

5/12/21--Listeners, The Horse Race is taking a step back for a few weeks as we prepare to bring you a brand-new series this summer! So be sure to stay on the lookout for that, and in the meantime, we leave you with this last episode where Steve and Jenn are joined by the founding members of The Horse Race -- original cohost Lauren Dezenski and original producer Hannah Chanatry. The four reminisce on the nearly four years since the podcast began and the many guests, segments, live shows, and horse puns that came along with it. Enjoy, and we'll be back in your ears soon!

5/5/21-- It's a bittersweet day here in the virtual bunker because it is Stephanie Murray's last appearance as co-host of The Horse Race! She is taking a new role at Politico as author of The Morning Score, a national weekly newsletter. Stick around to the end of the episode to hear how Stephanie has scene the political landscape change in her years on the #mapoli beat. But to begin, we're talking about a persistent debate among Massachusetts officials about whether to make vaccines mandatory for public workers. Many Democratic officials and public figures say yes. Governor Baker's stance is a hard no. Later in the show we're joined by Miles Howard, a freelance journalist who recently published a column in the Boston Globe posing the idea of turning empty office space into desperately needed affordable housing in Boston. He explains how it might work, what's standing in the way, and whether we can predict a return to offices or the continuation of widespread remote work. Finally, Jenn and Steve grill Stephanie on her time covering Massachusetts politics and engage in a #mapoli lightning round digging up her favorite moments as a reporter and, more importantly, a proud Bay Stater.

4/28/21--This week on The Horse Race, we bring you some bittersweet news. Our very own, extremely talented, reporter and co-host extraordinaire, Stephanie Murray, will be joining us for just one more episode of The Horse Race! She has been promoted to a national position for Politico, so keep an eye out for her as the new author of The Morning Score. In other big #mapoli news, Massachusetts is making big reopening moves. New reopening guidelines include, effective May 29th,(dependent on public health and vaccination data) gathering limits will increase to 200 people indoors and 250 people outdoors; May 10th will bring the opening of amusement parks and water parks at 50% capacity; and on August 1st other industries will be permitted to open such as nightclubs, saunas, and ball pits (?). Jenn has been closely following the Boston mayoral race and analyzes the newest development, or lack thereof. State senator Nick Collins announced he will not be running for mayor of Boston. Many had speculated he might jump into the race, but his official decision not to run means in all likelihood, the race for Boston mayor will for the first time in history not include a white man. Steve sounds off on Secretary of the Commonwealth Bill Galvin's deflection on the question of whether he'll run for re-election. Galvin has been in office since 1995, and his response to the State House News Service that he "enjoy[s]" his job indicates he might run for an eighth term. -- New data from the 2020 Census is out this week. Some states’ Congressional seats will change as a result, but Massachusetts will keep its same nine. Stephanie Murray explains what the data tells us about our districts and provides national context as well. -- In the wake of devastating mass shootings this year, a Massachusetts reporter looked into why the commonwealth's rates of gun deaths are the lowest in the country. Sarah Betancourt's Guardian article details the work of John Rosenthal, co-founder of Stop Handgun Violence, an organization that is in part responsible for the low gun death rates. She stopped by The Horse Race to tell us what gun restrictions contribute to our state's performance and explains in what other ways Massachusetts is in fact contributing to the gun violence epidemic.

4/21/21--This week, there's good news surrounding the vaccine in Massachusetts. Saturday marked a happy milestone in that the state surpassed 2 million residents fully vaccinated against COVID-19. In national news, all eyes were on Minneapolis Tuesday night when a verdict came down on the Derek Chauvin trial. Chauvin was convicted on all charges in the death of George Floyd. Massachusetts political figures have since been responding to the decision, including the six Boston mayoral candidates during a forum Tuesday night. Jenn and Stephanie parse the candidates' responses during the forum to issues including racism, police accountability, the Boston Planning and Development Agency, affordable housing, and education. Later, the hosts are joined by Boston Globe reporter Matt Stout, who wrote about a puzzling development upon an election that occurred more than a year ago. He explains why a former write-in candidate for the Republican state committeewoman is suing the Secretary of State's office.

4/14/21-- This week, there is a lot of #bospoli news to discuss, and it begins with the Boston Police Department. Acting Mayor Kim Janey on Tuesday named the executive director of Boston’s first Office of Police Accountability and Transparency. This comes as the department is reeling from two major scandals. Jenn and Stephanie discuss where things stand now, and what the future may hold the BPD. Next, Steve Koczela has new data from a poll conducted by The MassINC Polling Group and sponsored by WBUR and The Dorchester Reporter. The poll asked Boston residents who they're voting for in the mayoral election, what issues are most important to them, and what they'd like to be done about the lack of affordable housing in the city. Finally, we are joined by Nicole Calabrese, the leader of a ballot committee urging Wakefield residents to vote "no" on the question of whether to keep Wakefield Public Schools' current logo. The logo, which depicts an Indigenous person, has drawn debate for years. And recently, the rhetoric surrounding it has gotten so vitriolic as to polarize the town. Calabrese explains how things got so bad and what will happen next. Full transcript here: https://www.massincpolling.com/the-topline/episode-177-mayorals-for-spring-groundbreaking

4/7/21-- This week, Steve, Jennifer, and Stephanie discuss the #bospoli news that Acting Mayor of Boston Kim Janey is in fact running for full-term mayor. She made the announcement Tuesday morning, alongside the release of a campaign ad that speaks to Boston's long history of white male leaders as well as her promises to address issues such as housing and income inequality. She will have been mayor for eight months by the time the election rolls around, giving her a significant incumbency advantage over her peers also running for the office. -- And speaking of running for office, former state senator and once-co-host of The Horse Race Ben Downing stopped by the virtual bunker to discuss his officially campaign for Governor. The Democrat also recently released his climate plan that he says goes further than the recently passed legislation under the Baker administration. -- Finally, Stephanie asks pollster Steve and law scholar Jennifer about the recent Supreme Court decision that allows the use of auto-dialers to cell phones. The move significantly shifts the polling landscape and is a resolution that has come after a decade of litigation and millions of dollars spent. Full transcript here: https://www.massincpolling.com/the-topline/episode-176-born-to-be-dialed

3/31/21--After weeks of COVID cases on the decline in Massachusetts, data show that they are on the uptick. Not just here in the Bay State, but in states across the nation. This week CDC Director Rochelle Walensky said she felt a sense of "impending doom" and stressed the necessity for people to "hold on a little while longer." In #mapoli news, state Senator Sonia Chang-Diaz has said she's "seriously considering" a run for governor in 2022, which brings Steve to take a look at the most recent approval ratings for Governor Baker out from Suffolk University and the Boston Globe. He explains the context behind the governor's high ratings. -- We're joined this week by two guests. Ally Jarmanning, senior reporter for WBUR, covered the recently published report out of Suffolk County that found not prosecuting low-level crimes led to less crime overall. Then, State Director at Climate XChange for Massachusetts Tim Cronin stops by to break down the landmark climate bill that was just passed into law late last week.

3/24/21-- It's a momentous day in Boston as the city swore in its first non-white non-male mayor in Kim Janey. Stephanie Murray says it's "hard to overstate" just how historic the moment is, as Janey takes on the new role in a ceremony including Ayanna Pressley and Kimberly Budd who are Massachusetts history-makers as well. Later, Stephanie and Steve are joined by outgoing mayor of Lynn, Tom McGee. McGee is one of eight Massachusetts mayors who won't be seeking re-election this year. The news comes as we enter the second year of the pandemic. McGee says the past three years have felt like 25. While he has no plans for the future, he's certain that stepping away from the mayor's office will not mean discontinuing his passion -- working to make change for the better of his community. Full transcript here: https://www.massincpolling.com/the-topline/episode-174-mayor-may-not

Full transcript: https://www.massincpolling.com/the-topline/episode-173-orange-you-glad-we-didnt-say-red-line 3/17/21-- Happy St. Paddy's Day, listeners! All three co-hosts are back in the virtual bunker, and there's a whole lot to discuss. The Baker administration announced Wednesday the timeline for all remaining groups to receive the vaccine. In not so pleasant news, the Orange Line derailed. Steve brings up the grim award the MBTA carries for ranking high on a list of transit systems with the most derailments. We're joined this week by Danielle Allen, a Harvard professor who has announced she is exploring a run for Governor. She explains what she sees as the divided nature of the commonwealth and discusses her views on transit, the economy, and education. Later, MassINC Polling Group Research Director Maeve Duggan stops by to break down the results of the latest MPG poll of parents of K-12 students in Massachusetts. According to the data, parents are split over whether the state should focus on getting all kids back into school full-time or work on improving remote school.

3/10/21--This week, Jenn and Stephanie discuss the Baker administration's announcement of a new vaccine preregistration system. The centralized tool allows people to preregister for a vaccine appointment in any of the state's seven mass vaccination sites. Jenn is also keeping an eye on the continued tensions in state leadership, where, after a year of Governor Baker operating under a state of emergency, she describes an "active effort by a few state legislators to hem in Baker’s emergency power." We're joined this International Women's Week by two excellent reporters. The first is CommonWealth Magazine's Sarah Betancourt, who broke a story surrounding a 2017 provision designed to increase women's access to birth control by allowing them to receive a 12-month supply all at once. Sarah discovered that very few people knew this provision existed, and when some women had tried to take advantage of it, they were often met with obstacles. Later, Melissa Hanson of MassLIVE has been covering schools' reactions the announcement that Massachusetts elementary schools are to return to in-person learning on April 5. She details the Worcester Public School district's attempt to get a waiver to delay the full-time in-person transition.

3/3/21--Stephanie and Jenn regroup in the virtual pod bunker, starting the episode with a quick recap of a special election. Jeff Turco pulled off a victory in the 19th Suffolk district Democratic primary to replace Bob DeLeo. Stephanie breaks down the contributing factors to Turco's win, including the fallout from allegations of sexual misconduct aimed at then-candidate Tino Capobianco. Later, the hosts are joined by a pair of student journalists who covered the COVID outbreak and breakdown at UMass Amherst at the beginning of the spring semester. Cassie McGrath and Will Katcher describe a scene in which thousands of students were welcomed back to campus without preparations in place prevent and/or treat a massive spike in COVID-19 cases. The fallout has left many students with a bad taste in their mouths and the university with an image to clean up.

2/24/21-- A year ago this week marks one of the last weeks before a state of emergency was declared in Massachusetts and self-isolation began. In that time, schools throughout the state have implemented remote learning for at least a portion, if not most of that time when the school year was in session. Massachusetts Education Commissioner Jeff Riley on Tuesday called for elementary school students to return to in-person learning five days a week in April. Jenn and Stephanie discuss the implications for both students and teachers, who, as a category are not yet eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine. The hosts also discuss the new entry to the Boston mayoral race: state Senator and Boston Medical Center emergency room doctor Jon Santiago. Finally, guests Tori Bedford of GBH and Lisa Kashinsky of the Boston Herald stop by the virtual bunker to share their coverage of the race to replace former House Speaker Bob DeLeo in the 19th Suffolk District. Allegations of sexual misconduct were made against candidate Valentino Capobianco on Tuesday, as reported by Tori. She and Lisa break down the ramifications of these allegations and the future of the race.

2/17/21-- The vaccine rollout continues here in Massachusetts, and while this week bring some good news -- the state now ranks 10th in the country in vaccinations per capita. Still, officials across the state are criticizing Charlie Baker's administration for its vaccine rollout thus far for a few reasons. It got off to a notoriously sluggish start, and the disparities in vaccination rates between racial groups indicate massive inequity in distribution, to name just two. Jennifer and Stephanie dig into the details of these issues and break down which officials had what to say about the Baker administration's rollout thus far. Later, Sean Cotter of the Boston Herald drops by to discuss U.S. Attorney Andrew Lelling stepping down from his post to make way for a Democratic appointee now that the Biden administration has begun. Cotter discusses what kind of legacy Lelling leaves behind, and what Massachusetts residents can expect to see change with the installation of a new top prosecutor.

2/10/20-- This week on The Horse Race, Jenn and Stephanie bring you something a little different than the usual programming. Boston Mayor Marty Walsh sat through a Senate confirmation hearing last week as President Biden’s pick for Labor Secretary. It looks very likely that he will be confirmed. If that happens and the mayor leaves office before March 5, normally the rules say we would have to have a special election. But given that we are still in the middle of a pandemic and a mayoral election year already, the Boston City Council discussed a proposal to scrap the special election. They sent a home rule petition cancelling the potential special up to the mayor, and so far it has not yet been filed in the legislature. The terms say that Council President Kim Janey would be acting mayor until the winner of the regularly scheduled November election is sworn in immediately after certification of the votes. Joining Jenn and Stephanie to talk about the city charter more broadly, special elections, the history of the home rule petition, and the run-up to the Boston municipal election is a panel of Boston experts-- City Councillor Lydia Edwards, Jon Hillman of Rivera Consulting, and Bill Forry, editor and publisher of the Dorchester Reporter.

2/3/21-- Steve, Jennifer, and Stephanie are back in the virtual bunker, each with a different opinion on this week's snowfall. Vaccine rollout rolls on throughout the country, but unfortunately, Massachusetts doesn’t rank too highly in terms of distribution. Steve points to a comparison conducted by NPR which finds the Bay State ranking 37th for efficiency (proportion of doses administered to doses received) and 39th for percent of overall population that’s gotten at least one dose. There are also big disparities in terms of who’s getting the vaccine. Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley called the distribution so far “vaccine redlining,” according to the Boston Herald, which pulled a statistic from the state Department of Public Health last week that found "Black people account for less than 3% of those who have received at least one vaccine dose in Massachusetts, while Hispanics were at 3.3%” Steve also relays reporting from the Boston Globe that found many of the people who showed up and were first in line at a vaccination site in a Roxbury were white. Roxbury is a predominantly Black neighborhood. This is happening across the country, Steve points out. “The share of people who are getting vaccinations does not correspond with the racial makeup of that area’s population.” -- Later, state Senator Sonia Chang-Diaz and Beth Huang of the Massachusetts Voter Table stop by to discuss this year's redistricting effort. Beth is a member of the Drawing Democracy Coalition which has asked the Massachusetts Senate President and House Speaker to appoint a Joint Committee on Redistricting that is racially and geographically representative. -- A new poll out from Gallup asked Massachusetts high schoolers about their experience learning during the pandemic. Unsurprisingly to Steve, who has conducted surveys on Massachusetts parents of K-12 students, remote and hybrid learning has had the worst impacts on students. Kids partaking in these models of learning are far less likely to say they learn a lot every day, as compared to kids learning in person full time. Social and emotional health has also declined among students learning at least part-time remote.

1/27/21-- It's a new week back in The Horse Race virtual bunker, but Jenn's laser focus on Boston matters has not wavered one bit. Be sure to tune in a couple weeks from now for a special episode covering the Boston City Charter, including a look at this year's special election debacle after Mayor Walsh left his post to join the Biden administration, leaving it open before his term ends. This week, the Massachusetts vaccine rollout continues to receive criticism from various groups. Teachers pushed back on the Baker administration's decision to bump teachers back in the vaccine queue. Meanwhile, people trying to register newly eligible adults 75 and older for a vaccine appointment are reporting long wait times, difficulty navigating the website, and not enough vaccination location options. -- Boston Globe Senior Opinion writer Kimberly Atkins stops by to break down what she expects to see from the Massachusetts delegation under the new Biden administration. She anticipates seeing representatives and senators from the Bay State "being the forward face of a lot of policy and politics in the year ahead." She discusses the possibility of filibuster elimination, but says, ultimately, "What most people in Massachusetts and beyond are concerned about is, can Congress get stuff done? They don’t need to eliminate the filibuster to do their jobs.”