Welcome to POLITICO’s West Wing Playbook, your guide to the people and power centers in the Biden administration. With Allie Bice. Send tips | Subscribe here | Email Alex | Email Tina Labor Secretary MARTY WALSH has not moved to Washington, D.C. Instead, when the former Boston mayor is in town, he stays at the Capital Hilton, a few blocks from the White House. He’s only in the capital on occasion. And a spokesperson tells us that when he does come, “He 100 percent foots the bill for that.” If Walsh is not staying at the Hilton, he is on the road or back home in Beantown. It’s an atypical living arrangement for a modern member of the Cabinet. And though it may be a byproduct of the Covid era, during which the ties to a physical office location have frayed, it has also raised eyebrows in the administration and back home, where Walsh has made clear he wants to run for office again someday. A source close to the Labor secretary dismissed that there were any political motives behind the hotel stays. The person said the living arrangement was due to the fact that Walsh has family obligations back in Boston and is frequently on the road for the job. His office said he has done events in 54 cities across 27 states since the start of the administration, including one with the president today in Detroit . Like other professionals, Walsh is also taking advantage of flexible work situations during the pandemic. Many Labor Department officials continue to work from home as well. But Walsh’s robust travel schedule and continued presence in Boston are also a sign that the 54-year-old politician and former labor union official does not see the Cabinet post as the capstone of his career. Ask almost any Bay State Democrat about Walsh and the question isn’t whether he’ll run for office but which office he’ll run for. Walsh is unlikely to run for anything in 2022, Massachusetts Democrats in touch with his team said, adding that Walsh sees the Labor secretary post as closer to a four-year gig, if not longer. But there are obvious draws back home. The governor’s race is already underway. Incumbent GOP Gov. CHARLIE BAKER , a close friend of Walsh’s, hasn’t announced whether he’s seeking a third term and Democrat Attorney General MAURA HEALEY is still weighing her options. Even so, operatives say Walsh would be a strong contender in the race. “I think Marty would be a very formidable candidate if he were to run,” said Democratic pollster MATTHEW SHELTER, the co-founder of Beacon Research in Massachusetts. The other avenue would be a run for Congress. But it doesn’t look like Walsh’s congressperson, Rep. STEPHEN LYNCH, is going anywhere soon. Should Walsh seek elected office again, he would bring some political baggage with him from his time as Boston’s mayor. That includes a police commissioner scandal that he left his successor in the mayor’s office to clean up. Walsh’s timeline may ultimately depend on other people’s choices. There are only so many statewide posts in Massachusetts and they only open up ever so often. If Baker and Healey decide not to run next year or Sen. ELIZABETH WARREN changes her mind and doesn’t run for reelection in 2024, Walsh could face a tough choice. Do you work in the Biden administration? Are you in touch with the White House? Are you SAMUEL KLEINER, senior deputy associate counsel for the office of presidential personnel? We want to hear from you — and we’ll keep you anonymous: westwingtips@politico.com. Or if you want to stay really anonymous send us a tip through SecureDrop, Signal, Telegram, or Whatsapp here. Or you can text/Signal Alex at 8183240098. | 
