Mayoral candidate John Barros released his first ad of the campaign, focusing on airing it online and eventually on television.

Called “The Table,” it was filmed in the Barros family yard in Uphams Corner, with supporters seated around a table as Barros, who served as former mayor Marty Walsh’s economic development chief, chats and shakes hands.

The campaign is putting $100,000 behind the ad “to start,” a spokesman said Friday. The campaign declined to provide further details behind the spending.

“The ad will be posted all over social media, and hopefully on television,” according to a fundraising email to supporters.

“We hope it leaves you with the knowledge that you will always have a seat at the table when John is mayor,” the email adds.

Spotted in the ad: Walsh’s former tourism chief Ken Brissette; Dan Magoon, a Dorchester veteran who heads up a nonprofit focused on Gold Star families; and Rev. Jack Ahern, the pastor of St. Gregory’s Parish.

Barros ended July with $194,000 in cash on hand, having raised $48,604 that month and spent $173,570, with more than half of that going towards digital advertising, according to publicly available campaign finance records.

Barros’ ad was released the same day a super PAC, calling itself “Unified Boston,” surfaced with the intent to spend outside money on his behalf.
The super PAC listed Antonio Teixeira as chairman and treasurer. Teixeira, whose voicemail greeting identified him as working for Roxbury Latin School, did not respond to a voicemail and an email seeking comment. It has not filed any spending reports yet.

The super PAC’s entry now means every major mayoral candidate has at least one super PAC backing them. Super PACs can raise and spend unlimited amounts of funds, but they cannot coordinate with the campaigns they support.

The Sept. 14 preliminary will winnow the field to two candidates.

Separately, a super PAC supporting City Councillor Michelle Wu’s mayoral campaign swung into action this week. A public campaign finance filing showed the group, tied to the Environmental League of Massachusetts, spending $47,000 on digital advertising in support of Wu.

Another pro-Wu super PAC, calling itself the “Boston Turnout Project,” has not yet publicly filed any campaign finance reports.

A super PAC supporting City Councillor Annissa Essaibi George, dubbed “Bostonians for Real Progress,” also hasn’t filed any reports.

Acting Mayor Kim Janey has two active super PACs supporting her, one backed by the hotel workers union UNITE HERE Local 26, and one from liberal group known as the Right to the City Vote.

City Councillor Andrea Campbell has the “Better Boston” super PAC, which has spent nearly $1 million on ads on her behalf. She and Essaibi George have recently both gone up with their own TV ads.

Janey heads to Martha’s Vineyard for fundraisers

With a month to go before the Sept. 14 prelim, Acting Mayor Janey headed to Martha’s Vineyard on Saturday afternoon for a few fundraisers. She was scheduled to return by ferry in the evening.

According to a copy of the invite obtained by the Reporter, the host committee included Terrance Ankner, Alan Bilzerian, Joseph Carter, Denella Clark, Herby Duverne, Joyce Ferriabough Bolling, Greg Janey, Daryl Settles, and Richard Taylor among others.

Further details about the other fundraiser were not immediately available. As of July 31, her campaign had $624,911 in cash on hand.
Councillor Campbell also had an August fundraiser early in the month, hosted by Valerie Jarrett, a top adviser to President Obama, according to Politico Massachusetts.

Endorsement Corner

Roxbury state Rep. Chynah Tyler has endorsed Campbell’s campaign for mayor. Tyler, who also represents parts of Roxbury, Fenway and the South End, also chairs the Legislature’s Black and Latino caucus.

“Whether it was establishing pathways for workforce development, or ensuring public safety measures for our neighborhoods, Andrea has gone above and beyond for her constituents -- refusing to simply maintain the status quo,” said Tyler, who was first elected in 2016.

Campbell, a Roxbury native and Mattapan resident, said they were both “daughters of Roxbury.”

She asked voters to “do your homework” on distinctions between the people on the historic slate of mayoral candidates. All are people of color, and four out of five candidates are women.

Campbell pointed to her personal narrative, a public school student who went to Princeton while her twin brother Andre landed on a different path, and died in custody while awaiting trial.

Meanwhile, Wu picked up two Allston-Brighton area endorsements. Mike Moran, a Democrat who serves as the state House’s assistant majority leader, and Councillor Liz Breadon said they’re backing Wu at a Tuesday event.

Other campaigns also rolled out their respective endorsements. Julia Mejia, an incumbent city councillor at-large running for reelection, endorsed fellow at-large candidate Carla Monteiro. There are a total of 17 candidates running for four slots. The Sept. 14 preliminary will narrow the field of 17 to eight.

“Like many Bostonians, Julia and I share the lived experiences of being single mothers, growing up around gun violence, and struggling to get by,” Monteiro said in a statement. “I look forward to working with her on the Boston City Council to make sure the needs of our residents are put first.”

Separately, Evandro Carvalho, the former state representative looking to win the District 4 seat Campbell is giving up in her mayoral run, announced a slew of labor endorsements.

The unions include UNITE HERE Local 26, Laborers Local 223, IBEW Local 103, United Auto Workers Region 9A, North Atlantic States Regional Council of Carpenters, The Roofers and Waterproofers Local 33, The Bricklayers and Allied Craftsmen Local 3, and The Mass Retirees.

There are a total of nine candidates running for District 4. Two will emerge from the Sept. 14 preliminary and head to the Nov. 2 final election.