Warren’s one-woman show

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THE CHALLENGE WITH NO CHALLENGERS — Elizabeth Warren’s reelection campaign is nearly a month old, and right now it feels like it’s missing a key ingredient: an opponent.

While risky if you draw a savvy one, a solid competitor also draws a crowd and gets people invested. There’s nothing to wager when someone’s in the ring shadowboxing.

In 2012, Warren faced Republican incumbent Scott Brown.

In 2018, her foil was Donald Trump, as Democrats rallied to oppose the sitting president.

But now — with the state’s Republican Party tied up with its own conflicts and the bench of GOP candidates looking slim — Warren’s running on big national issues, like abortion and banking reform, without a foil to channel the energy into just yet.

“In 2012, Warren laid out her agenda,” a Warren adviser told Playbook. “This 2024 campaign is about what Warren has delivered and what she is still fighting for.”

The conservative Supreme Court also makes for a natural foe: On Monday, she’s helping to kick off a 20-stop national bus tour calling for new transparency at the Court in the wake of ethics questions surrounding Justice Clarence Thomas.

It’s still early, of course, and right now, Warren’s campaign has more than $2.8 million on hand, which is significantly below other blue-state Democrats also up next year. New York Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand has more than $6.2 million on hand (though she announced earlier than Warren), and Connecticut Sen. Chris Murphy, who announced his reelection bid around the same time as Warren, has $5.8 million in the bank (he pulled in more than $2.4 million in the first quarter of 2023).

Warren benefits from high name recognition, which probably dampens the need to run as many ads as other candidates, but it never hurts a campaign to close a fundraising gap, real or perceived. And with an average campaign contribution of $22 coming in, she’ll have to convince voters that there’s a reason to spend money on her.

Luckily for her, she doesn’t mind life on the trail: “Oh, it’s fun,” Warren told Playbook.

GOOD FRIDAY MORNING, MASSACHUSETTS. Gov. Maura Healey’s MBTA board of directors appointments are in — and they include Thomas Glynn, Thomas McGee and Eric Goodwine. Glynn, the former MBTA general manager and Massport CEO, will be chair.

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TODAY — Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll delivers remarks at Salem Pantry’s “The Market” storefront opening at 5:30 p.m. Secretary of Veterans’ Services Jon Santiago and executive director for homes and housing and acting superintendent Robert Engell will tour the newly constructed Community Living Center at the Veterans’ Home in Chelsea at 1 p.m.

THIS WEEKEND — Rep. Jim McGovern is on WBZ’s “Keller @ Large” at 8:30 a.m. Sunday. State House Ways and Means Chair Aaron Michlewitz is on WCVB’s “On the Record” at 11 a.m. Sunday.

THE LATEST NUMBERS

— “Boston COVID wastewater, cases and hospitalizations drop, Massachusetts virus cases down 21%,” by Rick Sobey, Boston Herald: “On Thursday, the Massachusetts Department of Public Health reported 1,242 virus cases over the last week. The daily average of 177 COVID cases from the last week was a 21% decrease from the daily rate of 224 virus infections during the previous week.”

DATELINE BEACON HILL

— “Beacon Hill‘s online lottery push meets resistance from package, convenience stores,” by Chris Van Buskirk, MassLive: “As state lawmakers line up behind the idea of legalizing online lottery sales, convenience and package store owners asked them on Thursday to slow down and consider the impact digital offerings may have on retail locations.”

— ENDORSEMENT ALERT: 10th Suffolk state representative candidate Robert Orthman was endorsed by UAW Region 9A, his campaign said.

FROM THE HUB

— “BAA says it ‘did not deliver’ on promise of inclusive Marathon after police interaction with racially diverse run clubs,” by Sahar Fatima, Boston Globe: “The Boston Athletic Association said Thursday that it did not deliver on its promise to make the Boston Marathon a great day for everyone, three days after videos surfaced of a police interaction with racially diverse spectators.”

— “Boston pitches libraries, affordable housing as perfect match,” by Jennifer Smith, CommonWealth Magazine: “The city is set to join a handful of other places that combine public libraries with affordable housing, a popular pairing that addresses increasingly pricey housing markets and limited land for new development.”

PLANES, TRAINS AND AUTOMOBILES

— “‘You people are evil’: Voicemails aired at MBTA board meeting show riders’ rage against slow subway service,” by Daniel Kool, Boston Globe: “As many T riders know, complaining about the latest MBTA struggles can feel like shouting into the abyss. No matter how angry or frustrated commuters feel, nothing seems to improve. With the T’s service levels seemingly plumbing new depths, riders have only gotten angrier — especially during the agency’s board of directors monthly meetings, when public commenters get to vent to the top brass.”

— “Worcester area buses to remain free for at least another year,” by Sam Turken, GBH News: “The WRTA will use about $3.6 million in federal pandemic relief money to cover lost fare revenue from the free buses. The vote ensures the WRTA remains one of the few transit systems nationwide with a no-fare policy.”

— “MBTA Preparing To Tap Reserve $$$ Amid Plateaued Subway Ridership,” by Chris Lisinski, State House News Service (paywall): “MBTA overseers want to press ahead with a budget that uses hundreds of millions of dollars in one-time funding to boost the agency’s spending by nearly 7 percent next fiscal year, much of it on new safety and training initiatives. The T’s Board of Directors on Wednesday unanimously approved a $2.72 billion preliminary budget for fiscal 2024, sending it to an outside organization for review ahead of a final vote expected in the summer.”

ON THE STUMP

— “Three candidates seek two seats on Wilmington Select Board,” by Peter Currier, The Lowell Sun: “A new elementary school and 40B housing rank among the main concerns shared by all three candidates in the race for two Select Board seats in Saturday’s town election.”

IT'S NOT EASY BEING GREEN

— “New Commissions Will Tackle Energy Siting, Offshore Wind Pressure Points,” by Sam Drysdale, State House News Service (pay wall): “As the state creeps closer to deadlines on its climate targets, the Healey administration will launch two commissions aimed at easing the transition to clean energy infrastructure in Massachusetts.”

FROM THE 413

— “After ‘ladies’ controversy in Easthampton, second superintendent finalist withdraws amid students reporting ‘conservative transphobic’ Facebook posts,” by Rick Sobey, Boston Herald: “After the top pick for Easthampton’s superintendent lost his job offer when he used the term “ladies” in an email, the second choice for the district has withdrawn herself from running the school system amid students reporting her past Facebook posts.”

THE LOCAL ANGLE

— “North Brookfield Select Board rescinds permit for drag show, with chair calling it inappropriate,” Kiernan Dunlop, MassLive: “After initially granting a community group permission to have a pride event, the North Brookfield Board of Selectmen rescinded the permit on the grounds that a planned drag show during the event constituted adult entertainment.”

— “Stockbridge residents will see only a modest increase in their tax bills, pending approval of the budget at the annual town meeting,” by Clarence Fanto, Berkshire Eagle: “The town’s property owners will see only a modest increase in the tax bite for 2023-24. At a recent meeting, members of the Select Board approved a streamlined warrant for next month’s annual town meeting. And it won’t include a highly controversial bylaw proposal for Accessible Dwelling Units, deemed not ready for prime time pending further work on it.”

MEANWHILE IN NEW HAMPSHIRE

— “Who will run for New Hampshire governor if Chris Sununu runs for president?,” by Steven Porter, Boston Globe: “Governor Chris Sununu seems to have grown less subtle about his aspirations for the White House … That leaves an obvious question: If he runs for president, then who will run for governor? … The potential Republican candidates whose names come up most often among political insiders include former New Hampshire Senate president Chuck Morse, current education commissioner Frank Edelblut, and former US senator Kelly Ayotte.”

— WHO IS SUNUNU? The New Hampshire governor was an answer on “Jeopardy!” last night. Tweet.

HEARD ‘ROUND THE BUBBLAH

HAPPY BIRTHDAY — to Ronia Stewart, Henry Brechter and Chuck Colbert.

HAPPY BIRTHWEEKEND — to Yasmina Vinci and Evan Dobelle who celebrate Saturday; and to Sunday birthday-ers state Rep. Brian Ashe, 90 West founder and CEO Alex Goldstein, Taylor Pederson, Terrence Clark, Kerry Talbot, Geoff Diehl and former Massport Police Chief Joe Lawless.

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