Summer in the city during election season means endorsements up and down the ballot. Congresswoman Ayanna Pressley, who eschewed them during last year’s mayoral preliminary, this week gave her nod to several top Democrats facing challengers in the Sept. 6 primary, announcing the following endorsements:

Andrea Campbell, a former colleague on the Boston City Council who is now running for state attorney general; and Ricardo Arroyo, a Hyde Park city councillor running for Suffolk County District Attorney. She also named Rahsaan Hall as her pick to the be the next DA in Plymouth County.

“Andrea, Ricardo, and Rahsaan each have unique lived experience, but share a commitment to reimagine current systems and use the law to advance equity, opportunity, and true justice for everyone in Suffolk County, Plymouth County, and across Massachusetts,” Pressley said in a statement. “I’m excited to work alongside them, as partners, to pass transformative policies and make real progress for our communities.”

Pressley, who lives in Hyde Park, has become a national figure since her election to Congress in 2018, when she trounced longtime Democratic incumbent Michael Capuano of Somerville. Mayoral campaign insiders last year closely watched for her endorsement in the preliminary, but Pressley ended up holding off until the final election when she backed Michelle Wu for mayor over Annissa Essaibi George.

Campbell came in third in the preliminary, and earlier this year launched a statewide run for attorney general after Maura Healey opted to run for governor. She faces former Obama administration official Quentin Palfrey and labor attorney Shannon Liss-Riordan in the Democratic primary.

“From our time together on the Boston City Council, we’re proof that when women of color lead, incredible things happen,”said Campbell, who represented Dorchester and Mattapan, in a statement. “As your next Attorney General, I will continue to partner with our federal delegation to push for progress, opportunity, and justice for the people of Massachusetts.”

Campbell also this week picked up the endorsement of the Planned Parenthood Advocacy Fund. Before last week in deep-blue Massachusetts, the endorsement would’ve been ho-hum, but abortion rights groups have surged to the front of politics again after the Supreme Court overturned its Roe vs. Wade decision, saying a constitutional right to abortion doesn’t exist.

Massachusetts abortion rights laws remain on the books, since the ruling allows states to set their own policies. Campbell, in her own statement, said now is the “time to double down on our efforts to protect the right to choose and expand access to reproductive health care.”

With respect to Pressley’s backing, Arroyo, one of two candidates for Suffolk district attorney, was also appreciative to get her endorsement. “Throughout his career, as a public defender and a Boston City Councilor, he has litigated and legislated with an intentional focus on centering the humanity and dignity of everyone in Boston, and I know he’ll bring that same commitment to the DA’s office,” Pressley said.

Arroyo, who is facing off against interim DA Kevin Hayden, also has the support of other elected leaders, such as Mayor Wu, US Senators Elizabeth Warren and Ed Markey, as well as the Boston Teachers Union, Unite HERE Local 26, and Iron Workers Local 7.
Hayden, for his part, has the backing of Congressman Stephen Lynch (D-South Boston), former DA Ralph Martin, and Ward 15 Democrats.

Chang-Diaz exits governor’s race
State Sen. Sonia Chang-Diaz, a Jamaica Plain Democrat who represents parts of Dorchester, last week ended her gubernatorial campaign, saying she could not see a path to victory in the fight for the Democratic nomination.

That leaves Maura Healey as the lone Democrat, and since Democratic primaries have become determinative in Massachusetts politics, likely the new governor come January.

With her name remaining on the ballot, Chiang-Diaz told supporters she plans to cast a vote for herself. She also will focus on down ballot candidates, including Arroyo’s DA run in Suffolk County. He is part of a slate of candidates supported by Chang-Diaz and dubbed “Courage Democrats.”

“I got into this race because Beacon Hill has taken too long to address our commonwealth’s biggest challenges due to a lack of courage from our political leaders,” Chang-Diaz said. “We don’t overcome that by winning one election. We overcome it by winning a handful and then dozens and then hundreds of elections.”

Multiple polls showed Healey, running as a moderate, leading Chang-Diaz, a progressive, by double digits.

The first Latina and Asian-American state senator, Chian-Diaz was initially elected in 2008, toppling incumbent Dianne Wilkerson in a hard-fought primary. Wilkerson, who was later arrested on bribery charges and served prison time, is seeking to return to her former seat in the race to replace Chang-Diaz.

Other Democrats vying for the seat include state Reps. Nika Elugardo and Liz Miranda, and Miniard Culpepper.

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