This is awkward. Byron Hefner says he is “strongly considering” running for a seat in the Massachusetts Senate, which is led by his fiance, Senate President Stanley Rosenberg.

The 28-year-old Hefner shared his plans with Politico’s Lauren Dezenski on Monday, prompting a Boston Globe story on how a Hefner candidacy could create political problems for the 66-year-old Rosenberg.

Senate presidents typically stay out of Democratic primary fights, but it would be difficult for Rosenberg to avoid being drawn into the race. Hefner has little political experience and is known in political circles largely because he is Rosenberg’s partner. Indeed, Politico’s story on Hefner’s announcement that he is considering a run for the seat being vacated by Anthony Petruccelli featured a picture of Rosenberg, not Hefner.

Hefner and Rosenberg have been together seven years, but Hefner at times has been something of a political headache for the Senate president. Late last year, just before the Senate was scheduled to elect its president, the Globe reported that Hefner had mocked outgoing Senate President Therese Murray on social media and boasted about his influence on Senate committee assignments, leadership positions, and staffing.

Rosenberg reportedly admonished Hefner and told his colleagues that he had “enforced a firewall” between his legislative duties and his private life. A Hefner candidacy could punch a hole in that firewall.

Hefner told Dezenski he had discussed his potential candidacy with Rosenberg and has been considering a run for the last five years. The Globe even reported that Hefner, bizarrely, had told Amherst activists that he was considering a run against Rosenberg.

Hefner has held several internships at the State House, including one in Rosenberg’s office during the summer of 2008. Rosenberg said he and Hefner began socializing after the internship was over and began living together in 2009. Following his internships at the State House, Hefner landed a post at Regan Communications, a public relations firm, but then relinquished that job at the end of last year, blaming the Globe’s coverage of him.

Hefner said he will make his decision on whether to run for the Senate by January 7. Rosenberg had no comment. It seems safe to assume the topic will come up when the Globe’s Joshua Miller sits down to talk with the Senate president tonight as part of his “Political Happy Hour” interview series.

—BRUCE MOHL

 

BEACON HILL

US Rep. Michael Capuano is the latest official adding his voice to the call for compassionate release for convicted former House speaker Sal DiMasi. Capuano, the former mayor of Somerville, also was optimistic the Green Line extension will be built. (Greater Boston)

A Herald editorial says the Baker administration could have fired a social worker who copied and pasted old reports as part of the Bella Bond case — but is also trying work with the social workers union to implement new systematic procedures to provide better protection for children.

A Globe editorial backs legislation making its way through the Senate that would ban employers from asking job applicants and employees for passwords to their personal social media accounts.

State Rep. Robert Fennell takes a new job as deputy director of the Lynn Water and Sewer Commission. (The Item)

MUNICIPAL MATTERS

Fall River officials have suspended a new policy that requires returning firefighters who were laid off to undergo a physical and drug test after the state ruled the requirement was unlawful. (Herald News)

Littleton is considering installing surveillance cameras on conservation land to catch people dumping trash and lawn clippings. (The Sun)

CASINOS

State officials have cut by almost 40 percent their projections of revenue from the new slot machine facility in Plainridge, as the state’s first foray into casino gambling falls way short of expectations. (Boston Globe)

WASHINGTON/NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL

Jesse Mermell, Beth Monaghan, and Ayanna Pressley say policymakers need to start redefining “having it all,” and focus on policies that can help women lead the lives they want. (CommonWealth)

ELECTIONS

An unidentified man in the crowd yells, “light the motherfucker on fire” after a Black Lives Matter protester disrupts a Donald Trump rally in Las Vegas. Individuals in the crowd also called the man a “nigger” and shouts of “Hail Trump” were also heard. (New York Magazine)

Ben Carson pens a Globe op-ed laying out his plan for replacing Obamacare with “Health Empowerment Accounts.”

The order in which candidates’ names appear on the state’s March 1 presidential primary ballot — which will be decided in a drawing today — could make a difference in how they fare in the race, writes MassINC Polling Group’s Rich Parr for WBUR’s “Politicker.”

Worcester called off a City Council election recount after the two candidates who requested it changed their minds, but it was too late to avoid more than $5,000 in expenses. (Telegram & Gazette)

BUSINESS/ECONOMY

Consumer groups say the used vehicle retailer CarMax is selling cars that are subject to federal safety recalls that the company has not first had repaired. (Boston Herald)

Secretary of State Bill Galvin has started an investigation of Third Avenue Management, a New York junk bond firm that froze its assets last week. (Boston Globe)

The federal government requires consumer drone users to register and pay a $5 fee per device. (The Sun)

EDUCATION

State education commissioner Mitchell Chester is recommending the closure of a Dorchester charter school because of poor academic performance and shaky finances. (Boston Globe)

Prosecutors open an investigation into abuse allegations at a school for special needs students in Holyoke. (Associated Press)

St. George’s, an exclusive Rhode Island prep school, is finally starting to acknowledge sexual abuse of students by staff that took place at the school in the 1970s. (Boston Globe)

State Treasurer Deborah Goldberg launches a pilot college savings program in Worcester. (Telegram & Gazette)

Charles and David Koch are sharply increasing their support for colleges and universities to increase diversity of thought on campuses. (Time)

Boston University rescinds Bill Cosby’s honorary degree. (Boston Business Journal)

HEALTH/HEALTH CARE

Despite nearly everyone (96.4 percent) in Massachusetts being covered by health insurance, one in six residents has gone without care this year because of costs that were too high, according to a new state report. (Boston Herald)

Federal officials were swamped with phone calls in an “unprecedented demand” by people trying to enroll in health plans under the Affordable Care Act by today’s deadline. (New York Times)

TRANSPORTATION

State transportation officials don’t seem inclined to invest more than $1 billion in the Green Line extension, suggesting the only way it will get built is if the project is scaled back and surrounding communities kick in a lot of money. (State House News)

The would-be driver of last week’s runaway MBTA Red Line train did not appear at a “fact-finding” hearing yesterday. His attorney said he called in sick because of stress from the incident. (Boston Globe)

The T seems prepared to end costly late-night bus and subway service sometime early next year. (Boston Globe)

The coming introduction of “electronic tolling” on the Massachusetts Turnpike and end of toll booths means those who don’t get an E-ZPass will face a surcharge when sent a bill after their license plate number is photographed as they pass through the checkpoints. (Boston Herald)

The Seattle City Council votes 8-0 to give Uber drivers the right to unionize. (Seattle Times) A couple of local Uber drivers — Boloco CEO John Pepper and Paul English, CEO of the travel website Kayak — talk about the ride-hailing app’s influence on corporate America. (Greater Boston)

ENERGY/ENVIRONMENT

A new report from the Coastal Erosion Commission warns that the Massachusetts shore is particularly vulnerable to sea level rise and recommends moving buildings inland, replenishing beaches with sand, and building artificial barriers along the coast. (Gloucester Times)

CRIMINAL JUSTICE/COURTS

The jury in the Philip Chism murder trial begins its deliberations, trying to decide whether the teenager killed his teacher Colleen Ritzer deliberately with “a terrible, terrible purpose” or because he was in the throes of a serious mental illness. (Eagle-Tribune)

The owners of Nick’s Famous Roast Beef in Beverly are charged with skimming $6 million from the business to avoid taxes. (Salem News)

MEDIA

Someone bought the Las Vegas Review-Journal last week, but no one knows who. (New York Times)

The Washington Post continues to see explosive digital growth. (Washington Post)
Democratic political consultant Michael Shea tweaks Fox News, suggesting the network is responsible for the shorter life span of older white males. (CommonWealth)