The Dorchester Day Parade on Sunday returned from its post-pandemic hiatus in a statewide election year, meaning politicians from Boston and beyond made the three-mile trek with friends and family in tow, waving to the crowds lining Dorchester Avenue.

Mayor Michelle Wu cut the ribbon at the start of the parade, outside Saint John Paul II Catholic Academy’s Lower Mills campus. She was joined by Attorney General Maura Healey, who is running for governor; state Rep. Nika Elugardo, who is running for state Senate; Rep. Russell Holmes; and Kevin Hayden and Ricardo Arroyo, who are both running for Suffolk County district attorney.

Tanisha Sullivan, the former NAACP Boston branch president running for secretary of state against longtime incumbent Bill Galvin, was also spotted, joined by Councillor Julia Mejia. All are Democrats. Also spotted on the parade route: State Sen. Nick Collins, who does not have an opponent this year.

The Republicans were around the corner: Candidate for governor Geoff Diehl had a contingent, as did Hamilton Rodrigues, a Canton real estate broker who is challenging longtime Congressman Stephen Lynch of South Boston. Rayla Campbell, a Randolph resident who ran an unsuccessful campaign against Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley and is now running for secretary of state, also marched in the parade.

Diehl, who has Donald Trump’s backing for the governorship, drew some jeers along the parade route, which runs through deep-blue voting precincts.

Wu also took some flak, with several people harassing the her and her parade contingent. “Some of the Diehl contingent got separated from their group,” Wu quipped on Twitter, when a reporter noted the presence of anti-masking protesters who oppose her pandemic-driven policy moves.
The protesters, known for also badgering the mayor outside her Roslindale home, oppose a vaccine mandate as well. Boston dropped its indoor mask mandate for indoors months ago and city officials are in court with public safety unions over a vaccine mandate. A mask mandate remains in place for Boston Public Schools.

In Worcester, Democrats pick favorites for September primary
Before hitting the streets for Dorchester Day, many Massachusetts Democrats first headed to Worcester on Saturday to take part in their annual state convention.

Healey, a South End Democrat first elected as attorney general in 2014, won the party’s endorsement over Jamaica Plain state Sen. Sonia Chang-Diaz. Both will be on the September primary ballot.

Among delegates inside the DCU Center, Healey picked up 71 percent of the vote, while Chang-Diaz received 29 percent. The party calls for 15 percent as the bar for making the ballot.

Several candidates for lieutenant governor didn’t make it: State Sen. Adam Hinds of Pittsfield and businessman Bret Bero didn’t receive the 15 percent needed.

The candidates who did make the ballot for the job of lieutenant governor — which comes with few official duties beyond presiding over a separately elected body that vets the governor’s judicial nominees — included Salem Mayor Kim Driscoll, state Rep. Tami Gouveia of Acton, and state Sen. Eric Lesser of Springfield. Driscoll received the official endorsement of the party.

Quentin Palfrey, who ran for lieutenant governor in 2018, won the endorsement for attorney general. He is facing Andrea Campbell, who represented Dorchester and Mattapan on the City Council and ran for mayor last year, and labor attorney Shannon Liss-Riordan. All three made the ballot.

Tanisha Sullivan, the former NAACP branch president challenging Galvin, won the party’s nod for secretary of state with 62 percent to Galvin’s 38 percent. Former state transportation official Chris Dempsey won the endorsement in the state auditor’s race, which also features Methuen state Sen. Diana DiZolgio.

The party endorsement comes with an asterisk: It’s not a guarantee of a primary win. In 2018, Boston City Councillor Josh Zakim challenged Galvin and won the party endorsement but lost the primary, and Galvin cruised to another term in the job he has held since 1995.
The primaries for Democrats and Republicans are set for Tues., Sept. 6.

Material from State House News Service was used in this report.