Gov. Healey Endorses William Brownsberger’s State Senate Re-Election Bid

Massachusetts Governor Maura T. Healey ’92 endorsed incumbent state Sen. William N. Brownsberger ’78’s campaign for the seat he has held since 2012 — marking the most high-profile endorsement of his reelection bid.

Brownsberger is being challenged by Daniel A. Lander ’14, a former senior aide to Boston Mayor Michelle Wu ’07, in the Democratic primary in September. Brownsberger, who represents Allston, Brighton, and parts of Cambridge, has not run in a contested election since he was first elected to the Senate 14 years ago.

In a statement, Healey praised Brownsberger — who currently holds the third-highest-ranked seat in the Senate — for pushing bills through the state Legislature.

“Senator Brownsberger’s leadership has been a crucial part of so much of our state’s progress in the last decade, and we need him back on Beacon Hill next year,” Healey wrote.

“I’ve been proud to work with him on everything from making our communities safer to driving economic growth, and he played an instrumental role in helping the Affordable Homes Act across the finish line to build more housing and lower costs. I’m grateful for his partnership, and I’m proud to support his re-election,” she added.

Brownsberger emphasized his partnership with Healey in tackling affordability issues in the Senate. Earlier this year, Healey announced an additional $250 million investment into ConnectorCare, which minimizes premium increases for families below the poverty line due to expiring federal credits.

“We’re all about affordability. We’re fighting that for affordability on a whole lot of fronts,” Brownsberger said in an interview with The Crimson. “And healthcare is as expensive as rent for many people, more expensive for many,” he added.

Housing affordability is one of the largest concerns among residents due to rapidly rising rents.

“We just passed the biggest bond bill ever, and have put in place the highest amount of tax credits ever in this state for supporting the construction of affordable housing everywhere across the state,” Brownsberger said, referring to the Affordable Homes Act.

This November, Massachusetts residents will vote on a ballot question to introduce a rent stabilization measure that would cap annual rent increases at a rate tied to the Consumer Price Index, or no more than 5 percent per year, whichever is lower.

“The Governor and I, and most of us in the legislature, are all about increasing the supply of housing and making it easier to build housing everywhere across the state,” Brownsberger said. “So we’re very much on the same page.”

Lander did not directly respond to Healey’s endorsement of Brownsberger in a Saturday statement. Will Woodring, Lander’s campaign manager, wrote that Lander is committed to “taking on the status quo” if he is elected.

“Since launching in December, we’ve built a strong grassroots movement. We’ve received the endorsement of IBEW 2222, we’ve raised over $100,000, and hundreds have signed up to volunteer from across the district,” he wrote.

“Voters are sending a clear message that the status quo on Beacon Hill is broken. We need leaders who will fight the Trump administration and prioritize making Massachusetts more affordable and a better place to live," Woodring added.

Brownsberger has also been endorsed by all nine sitting members of the Watertown City Council and the LGBTQ+ Victory Fund, a federal political action committee. But Healey’s endorsement is the first from a state official.

“I am grateful for her support in this election, and I’m excited to get to work to reelect her and Lieutenant Governor Driscoll this November,” Brownsberger wrote in a statement.

—Staff writer Thamini Vijeyasingam can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on X @vijeyasingam.

—Staff writer Kevin Zhong can be reached at [email protected].