New England Public Radio

Mass. Senator Lesser Wants To Abolish The Electoral College

A Massachusetts senator from Longmeadow is launching a long-shot effort to abolish the Electoral College. Democratic Senator Eric Lesser admited it’s a tough sell. He has filed a measure that would have Massachusetts send a message to Congress calling for a constitutional amendment to end the use of the Electoral College, the body that officially elects the president every four years.

Lesser supported Democrat Hillary Clinton, who is leading the popular vote but fell short of President-elect Donald Trump in the Electoral College. Lesser said he’s not challenging the legitimacy of Trump’s win, but pointed out that this is the second time in sixteen years that the winner of presidency did not win the popular vote.

“So I think when you have a situation like that, it’s prudent to begin a discussion about whether or not there’s something structural here that we need to look at,” Lesser said.

Typically, an amendment to the constitution originates in Congress. That process can start if two-thirds of the states call for a constitutional convention.

 

What Happens To Incumbents’ Campaign Money When There’s No Major Campaign To Run?

This election, just four of the nine House members of Massachusetts’ all-Democratic congressional delegation face Republican opponents. Worcester Congressman Jim McGovern is running completely unopposed, while Springfield Representative Richie Neal faces an Independent and a Libertarian challenger.

NEPR’s 2016 Voter Guide

Yesterday, we reported on the reasons why the Republican Party is skipping these races. One of the big factors is money. Jim McGovern has more than $450,000 in his campaign account. Richie Neal has over $3 million.

Congressman Richie Neal announces a grant for Springfield Technical Community College in October.
Congressman Richie Neal announces a grant for Springfield Technical Community College in October.

Recently, I caught up with Congressman Neal when he announced a federal grant for Springfield Technical Community College. He says raising campaign money is a reality for members of Congress, especially after Citizens United, which could leave him more vulnerable if he’s ever challenged by a well-funded opponent.

“Fundraising has really been transformative, and not to miss the point, it is a year-round endeavor,” Neal said.

He’s not kidding. Neal has received over $1.6 million since January of 2015. So if he has no active campaign, where does that money go?

Some of it goes to running a fundraising operation. According to Neal’s federal campaign finance filings, that includes office supplies, consultant fees, travel reimbursements and over $8,000 spent on flowers. Then there’s another big item.

“It’s kind of expected that they will turn over a few hundred thousand dollars to the party committees,” said Robert Boatright, a political science professor at Clark University. He said members of Congress can give unlimited amounts of money to their party’s campaign committee.

“That has really been the main vehicle by which the party campaign committees in the House and the Senate raise money,” Boatright said. “The Democrats, in particular, have been very organized about this.”

The numbers for Congressmen Neal and McGovern prove that. Neal has sent $300,000 to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee this election cycle. McGovern has given $200,000. According to Congressman Neal, the committee serves an important purpose: recruit new candidates and protect Democratic incumbents facing a serious challenge.

“It’s sort of like the Colgate Invisible Shield,” said Neal.

Just like brushing your teeth, Neal said, fundraising must be kept up regularly.

“You have to, on a year-round basis, provide the infrastructure to the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee to make sure that they have the resources to recruit and elect Democratic candidates,” Neal said.

I asked whether there’s a certain dollar amount the party expects from him.

“I think it’s very clear that the Democratic leader expects the Democratic family to do their share,” Neal answered.

So that’s why a safe incumbent like Neal does so much fundraising, but who is giving the money? Most of Neal’s funding comes from political action committees representing different interest groups, corporations and unions. And some comes from individual donors like Marilyn Yager.

Marilyn Yager, attorney at Alston & Bird LLP.
Marilyn Yager, attorney at Alston & Bird LLP.

“[Neal has] actually been a friend for a long time, and I do have other folks in Congress who began as friends before I did any work with them on the advocacy side,” Yager said.

Yager is a D.C attorney who lobbies for health care companies and hospital groups, including the Massachusetts Hospital Association. Yager told me she met Neal when he was a freshman congressman in the 1980s. In June, she donated $2,500 to Neal’s campaign, and said she sometimes advises him on policy.

Yager insisted she doesn’t expect her gift to sway Congressman Neal on any particular issue. Same goes for Bruce Percelay, a Boston-based real estate developer. He gave Neal $1,000 in June, and said he likes his record on business.

Bruce Percelay, Chairman and Founder of the Mount Vernon Company.
Bruce Percelay, chairman and founder of the Mount Vernon Company.

“There was an old line that Democrats love employees, they just hate employers,” Percelay said. “He is not one of those people. He gets it.”

Percelay also said he’d like to see a lower corporate tax rate. “To punish companies for their success is counterproductive,” he said.

Meanwhile, Congressman Neal told me one of his top priorities for the next term is tax reform.

“President Obama has said we need to address a lower corporate rate,” Neal said, “and at the same time, acknowledge that America, we have five percent of the world’s population, and on an international basis, we need in this atmosphere of globalization to make sure we’re competitive.”

If he’s re-elected, Neal will be in a good position to work on that. He’ll start his 25th year on the House Ways and Means Committee, where he also serves on the subcommittee on tax policy.

 

The Short List: Morse On Marijuana, Mass. Gets Zika Funding And This Week’s Overlooked Stories

NEPR'S WEEK IN REVIEW

What made The Short List this week?

  • Holyoke Mayor Alex Morse supports the marijuana legalization ballot question.
  • We look at Zika, and the opioid crisis, in terms of funding.
  • And we put a spotlight on some overlooked stories of the week.

Click the audio player above to hear New England Public Radio’s Carrie Healy explore these issues with Cynthia Simison, managing editor of the Springfield Republican newspaper and with Western Mass Politics and Insight editor Matt Szafranski.

Markey Undecided On Iran Deal

Massachusetts US.. Senator Ed Markey says he still hasn’t decided how he will vote on the nuclear deal with Iran.

During a visit to Springfield Tuesday, Markey said there is one area he continues to focus on as he ponders how to vote on the agreement.

“The key is to make sure that there is a verifiable inspections regime, which is in place in order to determine the efficacy of the deal long term,” Markey says.

If Congress votes on a resolution not accepting the Iran accord, the President can still get the deal through if he can find enough lawmakers to uphold his likely veto.

Markey’s Senate colleague, Elizabeth Warren, and Congressman Jim McGovern have already announced their support of the deal while Congressman Richard Neal has not said publicly which way he will vote.

Neal Chalks Clinton Foundation Controversy Up To Presidential Politics

Massachusetts Congressman Richie Neal is dismissing recent criticism of Hillary Clinton over foreign donations to the Clinton foundation while she was secretary of state. Neal chalks the issue up to presidential politics.

“The Clintons have been subjected to, over many years, inquiries, time and again, and virtually all of them have proved to be fruitless,” Neal says. “I think what you’re seeing here is the beginning of the political season. It’s interesting that our Republican friends have spent more time criticizing Hilary Clinton than they have on their own candidacies and the reason for that candidacy.”

Neal, a Democrat, is supporting Clinton in the 2016 presidential race. As for the candidacy of U.S. Senator Bernie Sanders, Neal says the Vermont Independent will “liven up” the Democratic primary.

Neal Frustrated In Delay In Re-Opening North Adams Regional Hospital

Massachusetts Congressman Richard Neal is expressing frustration at the pace of the federal permitting process involved in re-opening the former North Adams Regional Hospital.

The permitting process involves the Centers For Medicare and Medicaid Services, also known as CMS. Neal says the delay is partly due to roadblocks in getting the hospital designated as a “critical care” facility. The Springfield Democrat says the designation would allow the hospital to get more money from Medicare and Medicaid.

“There are some arcane rules and procedures that appear not to be very much until there’s a problem. And then those rules and procedures are revisited from a different perspective. So I think that CMS is taking every necessary precaution. But not to miss the point, we’ve been very assertive in suggesting that that hospital in some shape and form needs to be re-opened,” Neal says.

Also complicating the hospital’s re-opening is a bankruptcy hearing, scheduled to continue on Thursday in Springfield, involving the hospital’s creditors, the state and the parent company of Berkshire Medical Center, which is negotiating to re-open at least part of the closed facility.