Attorney General

2022 Primary Preview: Massachusetts

Aug 8

[Update: Palfrey exited the race and endorsed Andrea Campbell.]

The Attorney General is the chief law enforcement officer and lawyer for the state. The office is publicly elected every 4 years and responsible for supervising operations of the five bureaus: executive, business and labor protection, criminal, government and public protection.

The current officeholder is Maura Healey, who assumed office in 2015. She is running for Governor 2022.

There should be a lively primary on the Democrat side, while there is only one candidate for the Republicans.

Andrea Campbell (D) was a member of the Boston City Council in Massachusetts, representing District 4, from 2016 to 2022. She has served as deputy legal counsel to Governor Deval Patrick (D). She ran to become Mayor of Boston in 2021, to unseat interim Mayor Kim Janey (D).

Shannon Liss-Riordan (D) is a labor attorney known for some high-profile class-action lawsuits against Uber, FedEx, and Starbucks. She ran in, and withdrew from, the 2020 US Senate race to unseat incumbent Edward Markey (D).

Quentin Palfrey (D) ran in 2018 on a joint ticket with gubernatorial nominee Jay Gonzalez (D). He won the primary, lost the general election. His career experience includes working as an election protection attorney.

James McMahon (R) is a trial attorney who worked in law enforcement during the 1970s. He wants to lift the ban on “Happy Hours.”