Politics

Andrea Campbell defeats Shannon Liss-Riordan in Dem. AG race

Campbell will face Republican Jay McMahon in the November general election.

Andrea Campbell defeated Shannon Liss-Riordan on Sept. 6. Craig F. Walker/Boston Globe

updated on September 6, 2022

3 minutes to read

Over the past few weeks, the Democratic race for attorney general became a tightly contested battle, with Andrea Campbell and Shannon Liss-Riordan canvassing the state to win voters to their cause.

But it was Campbell who prevailed on Tuesday. The race was called in her favor by the Associated Press at 9:48 p.m. At that time, Campbell garnered more than 73,000 votes, compared to around 56,000 for Liss-Riordan.

She will move on to face Republican Jay McMahon in the November general election. Campbell is now the first Black woman in state history to win a Democratic nomination for statewide office.

Although Campbell prevailed Tuesday by a decent margin, late-summer polls showed how close the race could have been.

Liss-Riordan surged throughout the summer, according to a UMass Amherst/WCVB poll released last week. Heading into the final days of the race, she and Campbell were locked in a “statistical dead heat,” according to UMass political science professor Tatishe Nteta.

Liss-Riordan, a prominent labor attorney, overcame a 10-point deficit in June to seize a one-point lead over Campbell in early September, the poll found. Over that period, the percentage of undecided voters in the race was nearly cut in half, from 59% to 31%, according to the poll.

Liss-Riordan’s strong summer could have been the result of massive spending from her own personal funds. These dollars were spent largely on direct mail, radio, and TV ads. By the time everything is said and done, Liss-Riordan will ultimately spend at least $5 million on her campaign, the Globe reported. Most of this will be her own money.

Campbell drew criticism from her opponents for her ties to an independent political action committee known as Better Boston. The group raised over $1 million for Campbell during her unsuccessful mayoral campaign, which included contributions from the CEO of Netflix, an heir to the Walmart fortune, and a former Bain Capital executive.

Notably, the UMass/WCVB poll was conducted before former Mass. Assistant Attorney General Quentin Palfrey dropped out of the race. Palfrey made his announcement on Aug. 30, just one week before election day. He officially endorsed Campbell, saying that she would continue Maura Healey’s legacy as someone who “shows up, listens to our community, and does everything she can to protect and advocate for the people of Massachusetts.”

Pre-election day polls showed a close race between Andrea Campbell and Shannon Liss-Riordan. – Craig F. Walker/Boston Globe, Jonathan Wiggs /Boston Globe

In a race as close as this, endorsements from the biggest Democratic names in Massachusetts politics appeared to play a major role. But leading progressives did not agree on who to back.

On one hand, Campbell won the support of Healey and four other former Massachusetts Attorneys General: Frank Bellotti, Jim Shannon, Martha Coakley, and Scott Harshbarger. She was also endorsed by Senator Ed Markey and Representative Ayanna Pressley.

“I know what it means to be attorney general,” Healey said at an event in Roxbury last week. “I know that job. And I sure know who the next attorney general should be.”

But on Aug. 27, the first day of in-person early voting, Liss-Riordan was endorsed by Senator Elizabeth Warren, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, and former acting Boston mayor Kim Janey. Wu and Janey previously served as City Councilors with Campbell.

Warren, Wu, and Janey touted Liss-Riordan’s history of tackling big corporations on behalf of workers. Liss-Riordan’s campaign was largely centered around portraying her in this light.

“She doesn’t just fight, Shannon wins,” Warren said.

On key issues, both Campbell and Liss-Riordan shared similar opinions during interviews with Boston.com. The two candidates said that they supported the Fair Share Amendment, also referred to as the millionaires’ tax that will go on ballots in November. The measure would amend the state constitution to put an extra 4% tax on any state resident’s personal income over $1 million. Campbell and Liss-Riordan said that they would use this to help support the beleaguered MBTA.

The two echoed similar sentiments when asked about abortion rights. Campbell, who was endorsed by the Planned Parenthood Advocacy Fund of Massachusetts, said that she would create a cross-bureau reproductive justice unit to protect abortion patients and providers. Liss-Riordan vowed to fight back against any other states trying to reach into Massachusetts to enforce “draconian anti-choice laws.” Lis-Riordan added that she would use the state’s strong consumer protection laws to take on crisis pregnancy centers and their “manipulative” practices.

When asked about how they would succeed Healey as Attorney General, the two candidates offered praise and tidbits of their game plan once in office. Campbell said she would “expand the reach of the office to address issues like criminal legal reform and corporation-driven pollution. Liss-Riordan said she would continue Healey’s work taking on Exxon Mobil while also expanding the current litigation to include other corporations. She praised Healey for holding “big pharma accountable” for the opioid crisis, and would target other pharmaceutical companies that were involved.