Former Boston City Council president Andrea Campbell emerged Tuesday night as the victor from what had been a contentious primary of Democrats vying to replace Healey as attorney general. The Associated Press called the race for Campbell at about 9:45 p.m., when she had about 47% of the vote to opponent Shannon Liss-Riordan's 36.5%.
The primary for attorney general divided Democrats more than any other race this year. Healey backed Campbell to take her place and spent the crucial days leading up to Tuesday's primary campaigning with Campbell. U.S. Sen. Ed Markey (against whom Liss-Riordan briefly ran in 2019), U.S. Rep. Ayanna Pressley and four former AGs also sided with Campbell.
Liss-Riordan, a labor attorney from Brookline known primarily for the high-profile lawsuits she has brought against major corporations on behalf of workers, got the backing of U.S. Sen. Elizabeth Warren, Boston Mayor Michelle Wu, and former Boston Mayor Kim Janey among a bevy of major union endorsements.
Campbell, a former deputy legal counsel under Gov. Deval Patrick, ran for mayor of Boston in 2021 but turned her sights to the attorney general's office hoping to make the position what she called "an advocate for fundamental change and progress." Campbell would be the first Black woman to hold the office in Massachusetts if elected in November.
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"For all of those who have felt unseen, this victory is for you. For all of those who have felt marginalized, this victory is for you. For all of those who have felt left out, and left behind and undervalued, this victory is for you," Campbell said while addressing supporters Tuesday night.
She will face Republican Jay McMahon, who had no opposition in his party's primary Tuesday, in November's contest to succeed Healey as the state's top law enforcement official.
A Bourne attorney who has a background in law enforcement and has pledged to end the "wokeness" of the attorney general's office, McMahon was the GOP's nominee for attorney general in 2018 and he took about 805,000 votes to Healey's 1,874,000.
