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Sen. Ed Markey backs Andrea Campbell, as endorsements trickle into attorney general race
Labor attorney Shannon Liss-Riordan has also scooped up support, from the Northwestern district attorney.
Elections 2022
Sen. Ed Markey on Wednesday backed former Boston City Councilor Andrea Campbell in her bid to become the next attorney general of Massachusetts, as endorsements trickle into the race to succeed Maura Healey.
“Andrea Campbell is the Attorney General Massachusetts needs right now — experienced, effective, dedicated, visionary,” Markey said in a statement. “She understands the struggles of Massachusetts residents, especially our most vulnerable, because she has lived them.
“She understands what opportunity looks like, because she has created it,” the statement continued. “She understands what justice and accountability look like, because she has always fought for it.”
The progressive lawmaker also said as attorney general, Campbell would do “so much more than keep the public safe and enforce our laws.”
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“She will reaffirm our faith in a true justice system,” he said.
Markey’s endorsement marks the first to come from a member of the state’s congressional delegation for a candidate in the Democratic primary.
Quentin Palfrey, who previously worked as an attorney in the Obama and Biden administrations, and Shannon Liss-Riordan, a labor attorney, are also vying to succeed Healey, who is now running for governor.
On Tuesday, Liss-Riordan touted an endorsement from Northwestern District Attorney David Sullivan, who called the Brookline attorney the best candidate to “carry on the great work” of Healey.
Liss-Riordan has also received the support of 15 IBEW local unions, representing a combined approximate total of 10,000 workers, her campaign told Politico.
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Meanwhile, Campbell, who has endorsements from over 60 elected officials around the state, picked up more support on Tuesday from Laborers’ Union Local 175, which boasts 1,250 members in the Merrimack Valley.
“Our members have no doubt that Andrea will leverage the legal powers of this office to improve outcomes for hardworking residents across Massachusetts because that’s exactly what she’s done as a lawyer and public servant,” Michael Gagliardi, Laborers’ Local 175 business manager, said in a statement.
An early poll conducted in January by MassINC Polling Group found Campbell, even before formally entering the race, was enjoying a considerable lead, with 31 percent of those surveyed indicating they would back her. Palfrey and Liss-Riordan, garnered 2 and 3 percent of voter support, respectively.
However, there is still nearly six months until the Sept. 6 primary, and the pack of Democratic hopefuls have, so far, appeared ideologically similar, apparently agreeing on many issues facing the state’s top prosecutor’s office and justice system.
Last week, Jay McMahon, a trial attorney from Cape Cod, filed papers to seek the Republican nomination for attorney general.
McMahon was the party nominee against Healey in 2018, but lost to the Democratic incumbent.
In announcing his campaign, McMahon said he would stand with parents who are concerned about what is being taught in school, and with first responders standing against vaccine mandates. McMahon also placed an emphasis on cracking down on sales of illegal drugs to address the ongoing opioid crisis.
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Material from the Associated Press was used in this report.
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