Brownsberger Opens Early Cash Lead Over Lander in State Senate Race

Incumbent State Sen. William N. Brownsberger ’78 is facing his first challenger in 13 years, with campaign finance records showing he holds nearly three times as much cash as his opponent.

Daniel A. Lander ’14, a former senior aide to Boston Mayor Michelle Wu ’07, entered the race in December against Brownsberger, who has represented parts of Cambridge and Boston since 2012.

By the end of January, Lander had raised just more than $64,000, while Brownsberger reported nearly $243,000 in cash on hand, according to filings with the Office of Campaign and Political Finance.

Lander’s campaign opened with a burst of fundraising, pulling in more than $50,000 in December alone. Brownsberger raised about $21,000 that month, finishing the year with more than $231,000.

But despite a slower start, Brownsberger outraised Lander four-fold in January — raising roughly $58,000, bringing his cash on hand to almost $243,000.

Lander, who is seeking to unseat the third-highest-ranking member of the Massachusetts Senate, has pledged not to accept money from corporate political action committees, framing his bid as a grassroots campaign.

“I’m not a career politician who’s been building a war chest for 15 years without an opponent,” Lander said. “I don’t have as much money yet, but I’ve seen an incredible outpouring of support from people in this district who have both signed up to volunteer but also signed up to donate.”

Since December, Brownsberger has accepted $950 from lobbyists and $500 from a commercial real estate political action committee.

In an interview with The Crimson, Brownsberger said that campaigning against someone with “a lot of family money” — even without lobbyist support — is a challenge.

Lander’s mother, Lori Lander, co-founded Cambridge-based nonprofit Many Helping Hands 365. His father, Eric S. Lander, is a biology professor at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and served as the science advisor to U.S. Presidents Joe Biden and Barack Obama.

Lander rejected the characterization, pointing to Massachusetts’ $1,000 annual cap on individual donations.

“I’m grateful that my siblings and my parents have donated and believe in this campaign, but really it’s about going out and convincing lots and lots of people in this district to believe in this vision, to invest in it with some of their dollars, but also with their time,” Lander said.

Family contributions account for $8,000 of Lander’s fundraising total, according to OCPF filings.

Most donations to both campaigns have come from local donors. About 60 percent of Lander’s contributions came from Massachusetts residents, compared with more than 95 percent of Brownsberger’s.

Brownsberger has received more individual donations than Lander in Watertown, Boston, and Belmont since December. In Cambridge, however, Lander has nearly doubled Brownsberger’s number of contributions.

—Staff writer Adam Han can be reached at [email protected].

—Staff writer Wyatt T. Zurline can be reached at [email protected].