Roundup: Neal trouncing challengers in money race; Herr, Lamb trade charges

Continuing their look at the finances of candidates for Congress in Central Massachusetts, the Telegram reported Wednesday that Rep. Richard Neal (D-Springfield) had nearly $3 million in his bank account at the end of the most recent filing period, far outpacing the two Republicans vying for the nomination to oppose him in November.

According to Federal Election Commision reports, Jay Fleitman (R-Northampton) had a little over $54,000 remaining, putting the physician at a 48-to-1 disadvantage to Neal. Tom Wesley (R-Hopedale) had even less money to spend, reporting under $27,000 in available cash. The sum is more than 111 times less than Neal has banked.

Both candidates have heavily self-financed, with Fleitman loaning his campaign over $73,000 and Wesley lending around $33,000 to his effort.

One of the best ways to cope with a lack of funds is through free media, and both Fleitman and Wesley have taken advantage of the opportunities over the last few days. On Tuesday, the two appeared on Channel 22 in Springfield for a televised debate.

Wesley appeared on WHYN-AM Radio in Springfield to talk about his campaign.

Fleitman also did a radio gig, speaking with Bax and O'Brien on WAQY-FM.

The Springfield Republican previewed the race between Fleitman and Wesley, anointing Fleitman as the "higher profile" candidate.

Neal visited manufacturing facilities in Webster and Spencer, talking to employees and entrepreneurs about jobs and international competition.

Third Congressional District
The big news in the Third District was also about campaign finance, but instead of discussing how much was raised, two of the GOP candidates for the nomination were sniping back and forth about House ethics and FEC rules violations. From the MetroWest Daily News:

With less than a week before the primary, two Republicans in the 3rd Congressional District race exchanged broadsides yesterday, accusing each other with not following election rules.


The dispute between Brian Herr of Hopkinton and Marty Lamb of Holliston stems from Herr's failure to meet a May deadline for turning in a financial disclosure form listing personal income, assets and liabilities. The snag was first publicized by the Daily News, not Lamb's campaign.

The dispute has devolved into a nice bit of schoolyard taunting:

"I am very disappointed that Mr. Herr would blatantly attempt to mislead voters, but it seems to be a pattern with him," Lamb spokesman Shane Hayes said in the statement.

Herr said his campaign would not have mentioned the filings had Lamb not repeatedly raised the tardy financial disclosure form.

"The issue here is people who live in glass houses shouldn't throw rocks," he said.

The Telegram and Worcester Magazine have more. CMassPolitics.com posted both Herr's and Lamb's press releases on Wednesday.

One candidate who hopes the voters send both candidates to detention is Michael Stopa (R-Holliston). Stopa has been making the rounds on local radio, touting his platform yesterday on WCRN-AM's Peter Blute Show and speaking this morning with WTAG's Jim Polito.

Fifth Congressional District
The Lowell Sun rounds up the voting records of the four Republican candidates for the seat currently held by Niki Tsongas (D-Lowell). While earlier coverage had focused on Jon Golnik (R-Carlisle) and his eight-and-a-half year refusal to even register to vote, the Sun's piece points out that most of the other candidates also have their gaps:

...Westford's Tom Weaver was the only one of the four Republican candidates to vote in the October 2007 special election that sent Tsongas to Congress to replace former U.S. Rep. Marty Meehan, who resigned to become chancellor of UMass Lowell.

"I think your public history matters, and that's comprised of voting record, community service and involvement and where you've worked," Weaver said. "People have to put whatever weight they feel is important on that, but I've been saying, tongue-in-cheek, that I'm the only candidate who has been running against Niki Tsongas since 2007."

Golnik, Sam Meas of Haverhill and Robert Shapiro of Andover all failed to vote in that special election that gave Tsongas her first electoral victory by just 6 percentage points over Republican Jim Ogonowski of Dracut.

Tsongas is scheduled to be a guest on Channel 5's "On the Record" Sunday morning. Portions of the interview have been made available online. 
 
First Congressional District
Rep. John Olver (D-Amherst) touted the American Reinvestment and Recovery Act in a visit to North Adams, saying the economy needs more stimulus spending in the near future to continue recovery.
 
A post on the liberal site Firedoglake.com touts Michael Engel (U-Southampton) as a "True Activist Progressive Leftist" and says he "is a true grassroots reformer, a democratic socialist in the mold of Bernie Sanders."

Congressional Roundup: Democrats "slightly ahead" in fundraising by huge margins

Congressional fundraising reports were due last week and now that the numbers are in, it looks like the Republicans running for Congress will have their work cut out for them. We start in the Fifth Congressional District, where the Sentinel and Enterprise headline writer says "Tsongas slightly ahead":

BOSTON -- Sluggish fundraising from the four Republican candidates running in the 5th Congressional District could put the winner of the primary election, now less than two weeks away, at a marked disadvantage against U.S. Rep. Niki Tsongas, who out-raised all of her opponents combined over the past two months....

Tsongas raised $121,323 in July and August, leaving her with about $517,000 on hand as she prepares to enter the general election campaign. Though she has far surpassed her opponents' fundraising efforts, her less-than-sizable war chest could force her campaign to make decisions down the stretch about where they want to spend and where they can cut back.

The cash-on-hand tally, according to the Sentinel:
Niki Tsongas (D-Lowell): $517,000
Jon Golnik (R-Carlisle): $77,600
Sam Meas (R-Haverhill): $28,600
Bob Shapiro (R-Andover): $3,300
Tom Weaver (R-Westford): Did not report

Pretty tough news cycle when your six-and-a-half to one money advantage is considered a "slightly ahead"...

Third Congressional District
According to the Telegram and Gazette, Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Worcester) has a slightly better than slight lead--as in a 64-fold advantage--over his opponents:

With nearly $1 million in the bank, U.S. Rep. James P. McGovern is easily winning the fundraising battle against his six challengers.

Five Republicans and one independent candidate are also running for the 3rd district seat in the U.S. House of Representatives. According to reports filed with the Federal Election Commission this week, the best financed Republican in the race, Brian J. Herr of Hopkinton, has $14,603 on hand, compared to Mr. McGovern's $964,303.

The Telegram's cash-on-hand tally:
James McGovern (D-Worcester): $964,303
Brian Herr (R-Hopkinton): $14,603
Marty Lamb (R-Holliston): $9,505
Michael Stopa (R-Holliston): $7,544
Bob Delle (R-Paxton): $4,600
Patrick Barron (U-Worcester): $2,500
Robert Chipman (R-Plainville): "almost nothing"

Yesterday, McGovern was the keynote speaker at the Labor Day breakfast in Worcester. According to the Telegram, he told the audience that he was tired of Republican criticism on the economy. "The people who drove us into this ditch shouldn’t be complaining about the size of the tow truck to get us out of the ditch," he said.

Late last week, McGovern visited a factory in Fall River that makes camouflage material for military uniforms. McGovern also appeared on WICN-FM Radio to talk about the issue of global hunger. Visitor's to McGovern's website can sign up before tomorrow to get a special web-only video announcement.

Lamb was also on the airwaves over the weekend, appearing with Rachel Miselman on the BlogTalkRadio.com network.

Not to be outdone, Delle has released his first radio ad.

Second Congressional District
Finally, Jay Fleitman (R-Nothampton) spoke out against the Democrats' handing of the economy at a Republican candidates' forum in South Hadley late last week.

Thursday Roundup: Out of Afghanistan

Third Congressional District Rep. James McGovern (D-Worcester) was in Attleboro yesterday, where he  served ice cream and called for President Barack Obama to end the war in Afghanistan. From the Sun-Chronicle:

The congressman said the Afghan government is corrupt, that it stuffed ballot boxes during the last election and that Americans should not die to prop it up.

The billions of dollars being spent on nation building in Afghanistan could be put to better use domestically, he said.

"We need to bring this war to an end and start investing in jobs at home," he said.

Roads, bridges and schools are being built in Afghanistan with American taxpayer money, he said. McGovern said America can better protect itself by striking at al-Qaeda throughout the world with a "lean, mean, fighting machine," rather than by occupying Afghanistan.

Challenger Brian Herr (R-Hopkinton) unveiled his second radio ad of the cycle, touting himself as the best person to "put the brakes" on Washington spending. No word on if the sound of brakes in the background was recorded while he was jaywalking in a recent Web video.

Elsewhere...
 
Fifth Congressional District
Fallout from the revelation that Jon Golnik was arrested for DUI following an AC/DC concert nine years ago continued. The Eagle-Tribune suveyed local political analysts who believe that Golnik's record of not voting for eight-and-a-half years may have more of an effect on his campaign than his old arrest. 
 
Jim Peters, brother-in-law of Niki Tsongas (D-Lowell), checks in from the campaign trail with a post at RichardHowe.com.
 
First Congressional District
John Olver (D-Amherst) outlined the biggest difference between his approach to economic recovery and those of his opponents in an interview with the Berkshire Eagle:

"Tax-cutting is the least efficient way of to have an impact upon the economy," he said. "The things that have the greatest impact are those which are immediately spent like food stamps ... and unemployment compensation."

Olver also predicted Democrats will keep control of both houses of Congress in the November election.

Congressional Roundup: Niki Tsongas? "Voters hate her."

The four Republicans running for the chance to defeat Fifth Congressional District Rep. Niki Tsongas attacked her repeatedly in a debate in Methuen Monday night. From the Lowell Sun:

METHUEN -- The four Republican candidates running for 5th Congressional District didn't do much to put distance between themselves during a debate last night....

"Voters hate her," said candidate Robert Shapiro of Andover during a debate last night hosted by the Eagle-Tribune of Lawrence. "I think any one of the four of us has a decent shot."

Along with Shapiro, candidates Jon Golnik of Carlisle, Sam Meas of Haverhill and Tom Weaver of Westford tried to set themselves apart from the competition. They agree on several issues, such as the deficit being too high, job growth being low and government spending leading to problems.

The Eagle-Tribune has more on the debate. They have also posted video of the forum on their site (although I haven't been able to get it to play).

Third Congressional District
The symbolic issue du jour led the Telegram's coverage of a Congressional forum held in Worcester yesterday. Each of the candidates who attended the taping of Charter TV's "Hank Stolz Experience" weighed in on the proposed Islamic Center a few blocks from the former site of the World Trade Center in Manhattan:

Candidate Michael P. Stopa of Holliston said he suspects terrorists would use the center to plot attacks. He said he wouldn't oppose construction if he knew the mosque would be under FBI surveillance once it opened.

“If violence is being planned, we have a right to defend ourselves,” he said this afternoon at a taping of “The Hank Stolz Experience” on Charter TV3. All five Republican candidates for the district were invited to the forum; four attended.

Brian J. Herr of Hopkinton immediately disagreed with Mr. Stopa, saying there is no need to spy on a house of worship. But Mr. Herr opposes the plan to build the Islamic center because he feels it is insensitive to 9-11 families and to people who live and work near ground zero.

Robert A. Delle of Paxton, formerly of Westboro, said he was concerned about something bigger — the growth of Islam.

MetroWest Daily News columnist Rick Holmes calls out Delle and fellow candidate Robert Chipman (R-Holliston) for their contention that Barack Obama is a secret Muslim:

Anyone who says Obama is a Muslim is either ignorant or unprincipled. Either they don't know the truth, or truth means nothing to them.

The Telegram also caught up with Herr, who has admitted to twice missing campaign finance reporting deadlines. As could be expected, the missing forms earned a slap from the McGovern campaign.

First Congressional District
John Olver (D-Amherst) joined HUD Secretary Shaun Donovan and Gov. Deval Patrick to announce a $24 million project to renovate Gardner's former Heywood-Wakefield factory into an assisted-living facility.

Congressional Roundup: GOP candidates on their own

The Sentinel and Enterprise reports today that despite Republican optimism inside the Fifth Congressional District, the National Republican Congressional Committee is not planning on spending any money to oppose Rep. Niki Tsongas (D-Lowell):

BOSTON -- The national Republican Party, eyeing a possible takeover of the U.S. House of Representatives this fall, has not been fully sold on the chances of Bay State congressional GOP candidates to tap into the Scott Brown magic.


In the 5th District, that could mean another election cycle that the Republican nominee will have to go it alone against a better-funded U.S. Rep. Niki Tsongas, who is seeking a second full term after her special election victory in 2007.

Despite the insistence that Tsongas could be vulnerable this fall, national Republicans are not yet willing to commit any resources to a race in Massachusetts still considered a reliable Democratic stronghold, even after U.S. Sen. Scott Brown's upset victory in January over Attorney General Martha Coakley.

The article discusses the chances of either Jon Golnik (R-Carlisle) or Sam Meas (R-Haverhill) to upset Tsongas. Tom Weaver (R-Westford) and Bob Shapiro (R-Andover) are relegated to the dreaded "also running" status.
 
That hasn't stopped Weaver, who took a shot across Golnik's bow with a press release calling news of Golink's eight-and-a-half year voting hiatus as a distraction and asserting that only Weaver's "resume" was strong enough to defeat Tsongas.
 
The Boston Herald looks at WTKK-FM radio host Lawrence “Huggy” Bergman, who doubles as a "campaign operative" for Meas. Bergman insists that there is no conflict of interest.
 
Meas continues to garner national recognition for the story of his emigration from Cambodia, this time in the Wall Street Journal.
 
In a post at Blue Mass Group, Tsongas uses the 90th anniversary of women's suffrage to argue for her re-election.
 
Third Congressional District
Three of the five contestants for the Republican nomination squared off in a televised debate in Hopkinton. Michael Stopa (R-Holliston), Robert Delle (R-Paxton), and Brian Herr (R-Hopkinton) differed on the size of the federal workforce and the acceptance of Race to the Top education funding. Video of the forum is available on the HCAM-TV website.
 
Rep. James McGovern (D-Worcester) visited Somerset to discuss future development possibilities on the town's waterfront.
 
Marty Lamb (R-Holliston) continues to get mileage out of his barf bag gimmick, with coverage on WCVB-TV and in the Attleboro Sun-Chronicle.

Tuesday roundup: More missing votes in MA-05

The Lawrence Eagle-Tribune followed up their weekend expose of Jon Golnik (R-Carlisle) and his eight-and-a-half year absence from the voting booth with a look at the 2007 special election won by Niki Tsongas (D-Lowell). It turns out that Golnik wasn't the only Republican in the Fifth Congressional District race who missed that ballot:

There are four Republicans campaigning against incumbent Democrat Niki Tsongas in the 5th Congressional District, but only Tom Weaver can say he voted against her in 2007....

Weaver voted for Ogonowski, but all three of his opponents in the upcoming Sept. 14 primary — Sam Meas of Haverhill, Bob Shapiro of Andover and Jon Golnik of Carlisle — did not cast ballots.

"Jon's got to answer where he was. So does Sam. So does Bob," said Weaver, a Westford resident. "I can make the statement that I've been running against Niki Tsongas since 2007 based on that. ... I cast a ballot against her. I can say it and no one else can."

The revelation could be particularly damaging to Meas, who has aggressively criticized Golnik for his voting lapse. Yesterday, Meas posted a YouTube video titled "Golnik -- A Voting Record" calling out Golnik for his absence at the polls. This afternoon, the video has been pulled from the server and replaced with another, slightly milder version.

Elsewhere...

Second Congressional District
Tom Wesley (R-Hopedale) has taken his campaign to Singapore, where he recorded his latest video update.

13th Worcester House District
The Telegram has more on the decision of Bruce Card (U-Worcester) to drop out of the race and endorse Paul Franco (R-Worcester). Red Mass Group posted the Franco press release.

Second Franklin House District
In a press release, Lee Chauvette (D-Athol) urged caution on the development of a virtual K-8 school and a proposed big box development in the district.

Third Congressional District
Finally, Marty Lamb (R-Holliston) has the solution for people sick of politics.

Thursday Congressional Roundup: Immigration dominates debate

Four of the five challengers for the Third Congressional District seat held by Rep. James McGovern (D-Worcester) squared off last night in a Shrewsbury debate. The forum, sponsored by the Shrewsbury League of Women Voters, gave Brian Herr (R-Hopkinton), Michael Stopa (R-Holliston), Martin Lamb (R-Holliston), and Robert Delle (R-Paxton) a chance to differentiate themselves from each other, however slightly. One area where there was both some consensus and disagreement was on immigration policy, as reported in the Telegram:

Though they all oppose amnesty, the candidates differed somewhat in their views on illegal immigration. Mr. Herr and Mr. Lamb both said the borders need to be secured, with the help of the U.S. military. They said existing laws need to be enforced to make the country unattractive to illegal immigrants.

Mr. Lamb went a step further, saying employers should be fined or charged for hiring illegal immigrants. He also believes citizenship should not be a birthright for children born to illegal immigrants.

Mr. Stopa voiced strong support for Arizona's new immigration law and said other states should be allowed to pass such laws. “I think we should send 12 million illegal aliens back to their home countries,” he said.

As a lawyer, Mr. Delle said, he has represented hundreds of illegal immigrants.

He said the illegal immigration problem has been overstated, and that people who live in the country illegally are not stealing jobs that citizens and legal residents would want.

Delle, who has lived in Westboro, Wayland, and now Paxton in the last year, also remarked that he was the best candidate because he doesn't "need a GPS to get around here." The article doesn't mention if the remark was serious or self-deprecating, but if he was joking about his frequent moves...well, that's funny.

While the Republicans were slugging it out, McGovern was discussing food stamp policy and other subjects on the Callie Crossley show on WGBH-FM.
 
Fifth Congressional District
The four Republicans hoping to replace Niki Tsongas (D-Lowell) faced off in a debate Tuesday in Chelmsford.
 
Just hours after the Tuesday debate, the campaign headquarters of Jon Golnik (R-Carlisle) were destroyed in a Westford blaze. Golnik told The Boston Globe that the fire will not slow down his campaign. In fact, Congressional Quarterly reported yesterday that Golnik has turned the loss into a fundraising pitch.
 
First Congressional District
Michael Engel (U-Southampton) asks on his blog if anyone has seen Rep. John Olver (D-Amherst) recently, illustrating his query with a photoshop of the incumbent on the side of a milk carton.

Wednesday Congressional Roundup: Out like a Lamb

Tuesday was a busy day on the campaign trail in the Third Congressional District, with many of the candidates out on the campaign trail. Michael Lamb (R-Holliston) made a stop in Fall River, where he criticized Rep. James McGovern (D-Worcester) for allowing the federal deficit to rise. From the Herald News:

“Each taxpayer in this country now owes $118,000 to pay off the national debt,” Lamb said.

“Unfortunately, that figure is growing every day. For more than a decade our incumbent has failed to control spending....”
 
“If your income is cut by 20 percent what do you do? You cut your spending by 20 percent,” Lamb said. “That’s what government needs to do and they’re not doing it. As a father of two daughters, I want to make sure we don’t leave a mountain of debt to the next generation.”

McGovern was in Marlborough, where he toured local businesses with leaders from the civic and business communities.

Brian Herr (R-Hopkinton) announced that he has cut a radio ad. According to the campaign, the ad will air locally on WCRN-AM during the Peter Blute and Howie Carr shows.

The four candidates for the Republican nomination were scheduled to debate earlier this evening in Shrewsbury.

Fifth Congressional District
A fire tore through the campaign headquarters of Jon Golnik (R-Carlisle). No word yet on the cause of the blaze. Earlier this afternoon, Golnik posted a YouTube update of the damage.

Rep. Niki Tsongas (D-Lowell) spoke with Callie Crossley of WGBH-FM radio Monday about the campaign.

The Boston Globe looks at "wacky, jarring, and sometimes tasteless videos for the Web," including the decidedly not tasteless offering from Tom Weaver (R-Westford).

Second Congressional District
The Reminder profiles Jay Fleitman (R-Northampton). He called the Affordable Care Act "a jobs bill for China and India."

Columnist Maureen Turner of The Valley Advocate analyzes the campaign of Tom Wesley (R-Hopedale).

Candidates weigh in on Islamic Cultural Center, one wants to build "pork factory"

Congressional candidates in the Fifth and First Districts weighed in yesterday on a controversial local real estate project that has caused quite a bit discussion recently. Of course, the project isn't in Lowell or Lawrence or some other municipality where their opinions might carry some weight; rather the discussion yesterday centered on plans to build an Islamic cultural center a few blocks north of the former site of the World Trade Center in New York.

But since the so-called "Ground Zero Mosque" is the cultural issue du jour, the candidates spoke with the Sentinel and Enterprise. One, Bill Gunn (R-Belchertown) is so incensed he wants to make sausages next to the Islamic Center in an effort to antagonize organizers:

Gunn went on to say that if the developers don't accept an offer to relocate the mosque, protesters should "make their lives miserable." He even suggested allowing businesses that would be objectionable to Muslims -- such as a pork factory -- to locate nearby.

I have a hard time believing that a major-party candidate would suggest building factories not as a way to create jobs, but in order to attempt to antagonize a religious group. But there you go.

The other candidates:

First Congressional District
Michael Engel (U-Southampton): "It's obviously not a good idea, but I don't share all the hysteria."
John Olver (D-Amherst) did not comment.

Fifth Congressional District
Jon Golnik (R-Carlisle): "an unwarranted provocation and abuse of our freedoms."
Sam Meas (R-Haverhill): "I think it's insensitive."
Robert Shapiro (R-Andover): "height of insensitivity."
Tom Weaver (R-Westford): "Build it in Flushing."
Niki Tsongas (D-Lowell): "it would not be inappropriate for them to...reconsider their decision."

Weekend roundup: I've been everywhere, man

It's awfully difficult for a challenger to dominate the media cycle against an well-financed, high-ranking incumbent, but Tom Wesley (R-Hopedale) managed to do just that Friday in his Second Congressional District race against Rep. Richard Neal (D-Springfield). We'll start with the Telegram, where Wesley was the feature of Friday's candidate profile:

Mr. Wesley explained that these are tough economic times and that people have to be careful with their finances. He quickly added, however, that this election is about more than raising money.

“I see it as my patriotic duty,” he said when asked why he was running. “I'm fighting for unborn generations.” termed a lynchpin election, which means in his opinion the American way of life is at stake and people are angry with what has been happening on Capitol Hill.

In addition, Wesley was all over the radio, appearing on Springfield's WAQY-FM and WHYN-AM. He has also continued videotaping while driving.
 
For his part, Neal has received praise from the unlikeliest of sources. The Heritage Foundation, a conservative think tank, has endorsed Neal's bill to provide for automatic enrollment in IRAs for employees of small businesses:

The Automatic IRA is a conservative, market-oriented solution to help address our retirement savings crisis. It would increase the proportion of Americans who can save for retirement at work from 50 percent to 90 percent, make it simple for small business owners to offer IRAs to their employees, and create low-cost accounts that an employee can understand and use without having to be a financial expert.

Neal's proposal has also been endorsed by the more liberal Brookings Institution.

Elsewhere...

Third Congressional District
Rep. James McGovern (D-Worcester) continues to keep the pressure on Congress and the Obama administration over the cut in food stamp aid that was part of the $26 billion jobs bill:

"President Obama pledged to end childhood hunger by 2015," McGovern pointed out. "It's hard to see how you do that while you're cutting food stamps.''

Fifth Congressional District
In the Sentinel, columnist Peter Lucas calls Tom Weaver (R-Westford) "the most qualified candidate you never heard of."

Rep. Niki Tsongas (D-Lowell) was in Harvard to tout federal funding for a 220-kilowatt solar power facility at Carlson Orchards.

First Middlesex District
Tony Saboliauskas (D-Pepperell) is part of a group trying to get permission to erect a "Support our Troops" sign on town land in Pepperell.

Second Franklin House District
Earlier this week, David Roulston (D-Greenfield) became the latest candidate to criticize the proposed biomass plant in Greenfield.

Middlesex and Worcester Senate District
The communications director for Sen. Jamie Eldridge (D-Acton) is taking time off during the fall recess to work for the campaign of Ninth District Congressman Stephen Lynch (D-South Boston).

Worcester County Sheriff
Lew Evangelidis (R-Holden) recently visited the Hampden County Sheriff to get some tips on programs for inmates.

Wednesday Roundup: Money is on its way

Topping the news today are the reports that Congress passed the jobs bill, meaning $655 million will be coming to Massachusetts. In the Telegram, John Monahan reports that the money will be used to fully fund Chapter 70 education aid and to restore funding to a number of social programs threatened in the FY2011 budget passed late last month. Third District Congressman James McGovern (D-Worcester) spoke in favor of the bill on the House floor:

“At a time when states like Massachusetts are starting to see unemployment rates decrease, now is not the time to pull the rug out from under them,” Mr. McGovern said. “If we were to fail our states and not enact this extension, 2,400 teaching, police and firefighter jobs in Massachusetts would be at risk.”

However, McGovern wasn't completely happy with the final bill. In order to make the $26 billion package deficit-neutral, the House offset some of the spending by including cuts to food stamp programs. According to The Hill, McGovern has pledged to restore the food stamp funds and find another way to offset the spending.

For his part, McGovern has been stimulating the local economy not with food stamps, but with food service. Shaun Sutner reports (second item) that McGovern has rolled up large tabs at a number of restaurants in the Third District. Among those listed in the report was a nearly $20,000 bill at a restaurant in Swansea.

Fifth Congressional District
The Lowell Sun gives Rep. Niki Tsongas (D-Lowell) credit (or blame, if you prefer) for "push[ing] through an emergency $26 billion jobs bill." Tsongas outlined how the funding would help Massachusetts:

Tsongas explained that the Recovery Act included increased federal support to states to maintain the Medicaid program, due to the fact that as unemployment went up during the recession, more people were qualifying for the low-income health insurance program and states were facing a diminished tax base with which to meet that need.

"Those Medicaid funds are scheduled to run out at the end of this calendar year even though the economy is still on shaky ground and states have not started to see a significant increase in their revenues," Tsongas said.

In other news, Tsongas is also worried that plans to widen I-93 from Andover to New Hampshire may squash plans to build a new interchange that would service businesses in the area.

Tsongas is also touting the endorsement of Veterans and Military Families for Progress.

Sam Meas (R-Haverhill) continues to get national recognition for his compelling personal story, this time in a Richmond Times-Dispatch profile. Meas lived in Richmond for a time as a teenager.

In a column in the Billerica Townie News, Tom Weaver (R-Westford) outlines his plan to cut $596 billion from the federal budget.

Worcester and Middlesex Senate District
The jobs bill could have a trickle down effect on the state legislature. Sen. Jennifer Flanagan (D-Leominster) told the Sentinel and Enterprise that she doubts the legislature will be called back into session to debate the appropriations coming from Congress. If the legislature did reconvene in a special seesion, it could also choose to reconsider the casino bill, which Flanagan believes is dead.

11th Worcester House District
Sutner looks at the race between the seventysomething Kevin Byrne (D-Shrewsbury) and the thirtysomething Matthew Beaton (R-Shrewsbury), and explains how Byrne will make the November ballot despite being left off the primary slate (third item).

Sutner also looks at the unconventional approach of Daniel Dubrule (R-Ashburnham), who is refusing to speak to area rod and gun clubs despite being "a gun owner and professed Second Amendment supporter."

Second Congressional District
Rep. Richard Neal gave a wide-ranging interview with WAMC Northeast Public Radio. The interview ran in three parts earlier this week. Part 1 Part 2 Part 3

Governor's Council
Fran Ford (D-Paxton) took a populist tone against the propsed closing of courthouses in Leominster and Westborough, anguing in a Telegram op-ed that "it is past the time when we in Central and Western Massachusetts need to tell Boston that 'enough is enough.'"

Finally, look for a major announcement about the future of this site tomorrow.

Challenger has a Tsong for Tsongas

Alright, this probably isn't the biggest story out there today, but it is destined to become a classic. Tom Weaver (R-Westford) has fired off this salvo against Fifth Congressional District Representative Niki Tsongas (D-Lowell):

"When will American's learn..." that politicians who can rewrite classic folk tunes and perform them are the next wave. I'm hoping that Tsongas comes back with a cover of a Joni Mitchell tune as a response.

Or maybe she'll just respond with a press release. That's what the National Republican Congressional Committee has done with Tsongas, attacking her for high unemployment. If you read the release closely, it's clear that it is a generic release and that the words "Niki Tsongas" "Tsongas" and "Massachusetts" can easily be swapped out for, say, "Carol Shea-Porter" "Porter" and "New Hampshire" or any number of other Democrats being targeted by the NRCC.

For her part, Tsongas is touting a $43 million loan guarantee for Beacon Power of Tyngsboro to build a "20 MW flywheel energy storage plant, now under construction in Stephentown, New York."

Earlier today, Jon Golnik (R-Carlisle) was a guest on the Callie Crossley Show on WGBH-FM radio.

Saturday roundup: McGovern keeps up the pressure on Afghanistan

Rep. James McGovern (D-Worcester) continued his anti-war advocacy with a column in Friday's Telegram. The congressman explained his vote against the $33 billion war appropriations bill:

I voted in 2001 to go to war in Afghanistan — to hunt down al-Qaida and eliminate their threat. I would cast that same vote today — in a heartbeat. Al-Qaida remains a threat, and we must redouble our efforts to destroy them wherever they are — in Pakistan, in Yemen, in Somalia, and elsewhere around the world.

But what we are doing in Afghanistan today is far beyond that original authorization. We are engaged in extensive, expensive “nation-building” in a very complicated, dangerous part of the world.

And frankly, given the level of unemployment and the severe economic situation we face in the United States, I’d rather do a little more “nation-building” here at home.

Speaking to the Attleboro Sun-Chronicle, McGovern laid out his support for allowing the Bush-era tax cuts to expire on families making over $250,000. "I'm sorry, if Donald Trump doesn't get a tax break it's not the end of the world," he said.

Elsewhere in the Third Congressional District, Robert Delle (R-Westboro) is calling for a boycott of New York City over the planned mosque and Islamic Cutural Center a couple of blocks from the former site of the World Trade Center. I can think of a dozen or more reasons to stay away from New York, but that wouldn't be one of them.

Fifth Congressional District
Rep. Niki Tsongas (D-Lowell) gave a detailed explanation of her vote against the Afghanistan military authorization.
 
Sam Meas (R-Haverhill) gets his second national profile in a week, as The Weekly Standard checks in on the campaign. Meas characterizes Tsongas as "so convoluted, she’s so out of touch."

13th Worcester House District
Margot Barnet (D-Worcester) introduces herself to the community at Blue Mass Group. She also revvealed that she is a longtime BMG member with a paper trail.

Ronal Madnick (U-Worcester) will be hosting a debate next week between the four candidates for sheriff. Shaun Sutner of the Telegram wonders if having a candidate in one race moderate a debate in another is a "possible election-season conflict of interest."
 
Second Franklin House District
For what it's worth, Madnick won't be the first rep candidate this cycle to moderate a debate for another office. David Roulston (D-Greenfield) hosted a debate between the Northwestern District Attorney candidates earlier this week.
 
First Middlesex House District
In his role as a member of Ayer's Finance Committee, Jesse Reich (D-Ayer) defended the agenda of the upcoming meeting of finance committees across the region.
 
Sheila Harrington (R-Groton) announced some upcoming events. She will be hosting a night of billiards in Ayer later this week, and giving away ice cream in Dunstable and Groton next month.

Tuesday roundup: Good day to spend in the hammock

Another sleepy August day came and went, with little election news to report around Central Mass. Here's what's new...

Worcester County Sheriff
Lew Evangelidis (R-Holden) spoke in support of James McKenna, a write-in candidate for Attorney General.

First Congressional District
Bill Gunn (R-Belchertown) appeared at a rally in Leominster. DaTechGuy has the video.

Ninth Worcester House District
Rep. George N. Peterson Jr. (R-Grafton) switched his vote on CORI reform from yes to no after a provision to allow for "dangerous hearings for defendants charged with felony firearm offenses" was added to the final bill.

Fifth Congressional District
Both Rep. Niki Tsongas (D-Lowell) and challenger Jon Golnik (R-Carlisle) were profiled at Yes We Will Lawrence.

37th Middlesex House District
Sponsores of the bill to allow local communities to more easily set up their own local electrical utilities--including Rep. Jen Benson (D-Lunenburg) are lamenting the legislature's inablity to pass the legislation before the end of the session.

Thursday roundup: Tsongas tried to keep Schilling's company in Mass.?

Wednesday was slow with a capital "S", so in keeping with the media's tradition of headlining a Red Sox story when nothing else is going on, we start with former Red Sox hero and current businessman/blowhard Curt Schilling. In a discussion with WEEI Radio about Rhode Island's decision to offer Schilling's video game company 38 Studios a $75 million guarantee to move the business to the Ocean State, Schilling mentioned that he'd only received help from one Massachusetts politician:

Although Schilling “absolutely” wished Massachusetts had offered incentives to keep 38 Studios in the Bay State, only U.S. Rep. Niki Tsongas, D-Mass., made a significant effort to explore the possibility, he said.

“We made every effort to make that happen, and it was not going to happen,” he said. Officials in Massachusetts have said the state would never provide as large a guarantee as $75 million to a single company.

I'm not sure what pull Tsongas (D-Lowell) would have since the state would have made the decision, but Schilling's company is located in Maynard for the time being and Maynard is in her Fifth Congressional district, so perhaps she just saw it as good constituent relations.

In a completely unrelated item, challenger Jon Golnik (R-Carlisle) got the Lowell Sun to publish a story about his call for Tsongas to call for House Ways and Means Committee chairman Charlie Rangel to step down:

"Instead of supporting partisan friendships, Nancy Pelosi, Niki Tsongas and the rest of our elected officials in Washington need to stand up for what is right and demand for their colleague's resignation. People are cynical because once again, members of Congress are above the law," Golnik said in a statement....

"If his colleagues feel he is too unethical too keep his money, then he is too unethical to spend ours," Golnik said.

Tsongas probably has less pull with Rangel than she does with some state development authority, but at least Golnik got an article out of it.

Sam Meas (R-Haverhill) came out against the expiration of last decade's deficit-building tax cuts.

Elsewhere....

Middlesex and Worcester Senate District
Rep. Jamie Eldridge told the Lowell Sun that Schilling never asked him for any help. Maynard is part of the Middlesex and Worcester District.

Third Congressional District
Not only has Rep. James McGovern (D-Worcester) been all over the news as a leader of the anti-war effort, he has also drafted a letter (along with Democratic Rep. Jan Schankowsky of Illinois) urging Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to call for investigations of war crimes in Sri Lanka.

Friday Roundup: GOP Money Trouble

The big story today is courtesy of the Associated Press, which reports that despite a supposed anti-incumbent wave this fall, GOP challengers for Congress are trailing badly in the fundraising race. The chart from the Telegram shows the details:

(Just a note to the Telegram...while Democrats in Sterling would love to be in the Third District with Rep. Jim McGovern as depicted in the map, we're actually in Rep. John Olver's First District.)

Third Congressional District
Speaking of McGovern (D-Worcester), Worcester Magazine has a long look at the race in the Third District. It is the first time McGovern has faced an opponent in four years.

One of his potential Republican challengers, Martin Lamb (R-Holliston) is under fire for his voting record. The Telegram reports that Lamb first registered as a Republican in 2009 and voted as a Democrat in every state and federal election between 2000 and 2006. The news drew a strong reaction from challenger Brian Herr (R-Hopkinton). Previously, Lamb unveiled his "lamb chop plan" (seriously? lamb chop plan?) to save the country to the Milford Daily News.

For his part, Herr told the MetroWest Daily News that he hopes to avoid the "nasty, unproductive banter" of Capitol Hill if he is elected.

Robert Delle (R-Westborough) tells the MetroWest Daily News that "Barack Obama is a Marxist." He claims to know this because he was a "bonafide socialist" while in college.

Michael Stopa (R-Holliston) told the Holliston TAB that he decided to run because it was "a travesty" that McGovern was unopposed last cycle. Now he appears to be the moderate Republican in the crowded primary field.

Second Congressional District
Jay Fleitman (R-Northampton) came out strongly against the Wall Street Reform Act that President Obama signed last week.

Rep. Richard Neal (D-Springfield) confirmed that he is running for Ways and Means chairman. Neal also spoke to ABC News about extending unemployment benefits and allowing the Bush tax cuts to expire for people making over $250,000 per year.

Fifth Congressional District
A Wayland attorney is accusing town officials of violating the state's Open Meeting Law by not posting a meeting last November with Rep. Niki Tsongas (D-Lowell).

Speaking of openness, the Boston Globe suggests Tsongas could make it easier for constituents to find information about her earmarks.

Challengers Sam Meas (R-Haverhill) and Jon Golnik (R-Carlisle) both told the Lowell Sun that they would have voted against Wall Street reform. They were joined by candidates Robert Shapiro (R-Andover) and Thomas Weaver (R-Westford) in opposition to the extension of unemployment benefits. Tsongas voted for both bills.

Golnik told the Boston Herald that he opposes the road signs informing motorists of projects paid for by the stimulus bill.

WBUR profiled Meas, a Cambodian American who survived the Khmer Rouge as a child and came to the United States as an orphaned teen. The Lowell Sun says Meas is counting on strong support from Lowell's Cambodian community.