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BOSTON – Andrea Campbell won the Democratic primary for Massachusetts Attorney General on Tuesday night.
“Campbell made history as the first Black woman to be elected as a nominee for Attorney General office in Massachusetts,” announced her campaign just after 11 p.m.
Campbell, the first Black woman elected president of the Boston City Council, successfully defeated lawyer Shannon Liss-Riordan, who had pumped $9.5 million of her own money into the campaign.
Campbell was endorsed by current Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey, Sen. Ed Markey, and Congresswomen Katherine Clark and Ayanna Pressley. She was also supported locally in Framingham by the current Mayor Charlie Sisitsky and the former Mayor Yvonne Spicer.
Liss-Riordan was endorsed by Sen. Elizabeth Warren, and Boston Mayor Michelle Wu.
Days before the Democratic primary election, and after the ballots had been printed, Weston resident Quentin Palfrey had dropped out of the race. He was supported by Framingham & Ashland Rep. Jack Patrick Lewis and Framingham Democratic activist Norma Shulman.
Campbell received 50% of the votes cast in the Commonwealth with 353,464 voters.
Liss-Riordan received 34% of the votes with 238.726 votes.
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Palfrey received 15% of the votes, likely due to mail-in voting and early voting. In total, he received roughly 110,000 votes in the Commonwealth.
Campbell won in the City of Framingham with 48.4% of the vote (3,702 votes.) Liss-Riordan received 2,494 votes or 32.6% and Palfrey finished third with 19% of the votes or 1,453 votes.
Campbell will now face Republican James R. McMahon on the November ballot. McMahon was unopposed on the Republican primary ballot. He received 1,437 votes in Framingham.nd
Below is Campbell’s speech last night (as prepared)
Good evening, everyone! To the people of Massachusetts, we did it! Thank you!
I started with that Mahalia Jackson song not just because of my deep sense of faith, but because I played Mahalia at the funeral for my twin brother Andre 10 years ago. In the funeral program I included the following quote: “Being deeply loved by someone gives you strength; loving someone deeply gives you courage.”
He, and so many of you, gave me the courage to keep striving forward! To turn that pain into purpose. And my God gave me the power — Glory to God.
For all those who have felt unseen, this victory is for you!
For all those who have felt marginalized, this victory is for you!
For all those who have felt left out and left behind and undervalued, this victory is for you!
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Thank you to my family, especially my husband, Matthew, who stays on the roller coaster of life with me always encouraging and pushing me with love to be my best self — and to our dear boys, Alexander and Aiden, our light, joy and blessings who keep Mama grounded and always focused on what matters.
To the parents, Aunt Lois and Uncle Ron/M’lady and Mzee for planting seeds of faith and being there always. To Uncle X, Godmother Kimby, and all my aunts, uncles, cousins and best friends — each of you have made sacrifices to get us over the finish line. You keep me grounded and give me purpose. I am forever grateful.
Thank you to my team Cheryl, Tamica, Maggie, Kate, Julia, Molly, Alex, Robin, and my campaign manager Will. You have poured your heart and soul into this campaign, into our movement. Thank you! And thank you to my previous council and campaign teams for establishing a strong foundation. Love y’all!
Thank you to our Steering Committee, Finance Committee, Policy Cabinet and all of our volunteers who mobilized and pushed and fought for this victory. Thank you to all those who invested their hard earned money and door knocked and phone banked and texted—thank you!
Thank you Planned Parenthood Action Fund, Environmental League of Massachusetts and so many orgs for stepping up to support! Thank you to the most courageous labor unions — Laborers Local 175 and SEIU! Who put in the work and centered equity! SEIU 1199, 32BJ, 509, and the entire SEIU State Council, thank you!
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Thank you to all our endorsers from every county from every county in Massachusetts – local, state and federal electeds who stepped up and didn’t sit on the sidelines in this historic race! There are too many to thank but you know who are and that I KNOW who you are. Thank YOU! Thank you to our former AGs Frank Belotti, Jim Shannon, Scott Harshbarger, and Martha Coakley for your legacy and support. I shall build upon it.
To our next Governor Maura Healey! Thank you for your leadership, and political courage! You and your entire team and volunteers mobilized to form an incredible partnership that MA should be so proud of. You did that! We will continue and forge ahead on to November to make history!
In this campaign, we were intentional about getting out to every corner of the Commonwealth, our Gateway cities, our communities that feel left out and left behind. Your support, from every county in Massachusetts, is a testament to that work.
I am honored to have your support and confidence as the Democratic nominee for Attorney General.
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We have built a grassroots and people-powered campaign to ensure the Attorney General’s office continues to be the people’s lawyer, representing the people’s law firm, and accountable to you! And as your Attorney General, I will always be accountable to you.
I ran for Attorney General recognizing that families across Massachusetts are struggling, and feel frustrated with government.
But what I also know to be true is that we live in the greatest state in the nation, a state with so much potential and promise.
Many of you know my story. I grew up in public housing, with a family torn apart by incarceration, crime, and poverty. I lost both of my parents at a young age. My twin brother Andre died while in the custody of the Department of Corrections as a pre-trial detainee when he was 29.
While this run was personal to me, it was not for me. It was for you! People and families across Massachusetts who don’t feel seen or heard by government; don’t see government as a solution to their daily struggles and challenges.
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I’m here to say: I see you! And that government can and should be responsive to your needs and do it with a sense of integrity, empathy and urgency. Government should remove barriers and not stand in the way of progress or justice. And as Attorney General, I will make sure that it does.
We crisscrossed the state from Boston, to Worcester, to Springfield, Pittsfield and communities in between and around, including the islands. It didn’t matter the travel time or how many people were in the room. It mattered that we were talking to real people and residents about what they wanted from their next Attorney General.
This race was about recognizing that communities, for example, in Suffolk County and Berkshire County, urban centers and rural, are struggling with many of the same issues and that this office can and must be present in all communities, seeking to bring us together and implement impactful solutions.
This office can knit our communities together. It can be a bridge for our urban centers, our communities of color, or our poor, rural communities. We need all of us at the table, together, to make sure Massachusetts continues to be the greatest state in the nation.
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We have turned our movement into a moment. A historic moment. It is not lost on me that this is the first time a Black woman has ever been elected as a nominee for Attorney General office in Massachusetts.
Today we are not just saying representation matters, we are showing it. We are showing what is possible when you run a campaign that shows up with joy, hope, possibility, integrity and accountability to the people.
Now, rest, if you must, but don’t you quit. Because there is still work to be done. With our rights under assault, a mental health epidemic, an opioid crisis and housing and the cost of living on the rise, we must continue the fight for a win in November. Together, we can come together and get this done because there is too much at stake not too.
Look around! We did this! Thank you, from the bottom of my heart. On to November!
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Town of Ashland