Elizabeth Warren Endorses Daniel Lander’s Challenge to Incumbent Brownsberger

U.S. Sen. Elizabeth A. Warren (D-Mass.) endorsed Daniel A. Lander ’14 in his Democratic primary challenge to longtime incumbent state Sen. William N. Brownsberger ’78, marking Lander’s highest profile endorsement yet.

Warren’s endorsement in the race for the Suffolk and Middlesex district Senate seat is the only one she has made in a Massachusetts Democratic primary this year. Warren did not make an endorsement in 2024.

The endorsement gives Lander a major boost as he seeks to unseat Brownsberger, the Senate president pro tempore, who has represented the district since 2012.

Brownsberger, meanwhile, has consolidated support from some of the state’s top political figures, including Massachusetts Governor Maura T. Healey ’92, Attorney General Andrea J. Campbell, and State House Majority Leader Michael J. Moran, along with a slate of state representatives.

Lander, a former senior aide to Boston Mayor Michelle Wu ’07, has built his own endorsement slate in recent weeks, picking up support from national labor organizations and city officials.

In a statement, Warren wrote that she was backing Lander — who worked as her senior political advisor in 2020 — because of his track record of organizing in Boston and on political campaigns.

“I know firsthand that Daniel is a fighter who is ready to make change for the people of Massachusetts. He’s an organizer, a problem solver, and has an impressive track record of public service,” Warren wrote.

Warren added that she believes Lander will make progress on key policy issues, including housing affordability and infrastructure.

“I have no doubt that Daniel will hit the ground running to lower housing costs, upgrade our infrastructure, and make a real difference for working families,” Warren wrote in the release.

In a statement, Lander said he has long looked to Warren — who defeated an incumbent senator in 2012 — as a model for his own campaign against Brownsberger.

“She’s my political hero, and I have been inspired by her leadership since she first ran for Senate in 2012. When Senator Warren first challenged an incumbent Senator, she faced an uphill battle and won by challenging a broken status quo that was leaving too many behind,” Lander wrote.

Warren, the top Democrat on the Senate Banking, Housing, and Urban Affairs Committee, has been a staunch advocate for affordable housing, helping secure federal funding for affordable housing units and rental assistance. Her office has said she has secured more than $50 billion in federal funding for Massachusetts since taking office.

Lander applauded Warren’s work in Washington and said he hoped to work alongside her while challenging what he called the “failing status quo on Beacon Hill.”

Warren’s last endorsements in Massachusetts state races were in 2022, when she backed Healey’s run for governor and Shannon Liss-Riordan’s unsuccessful run against Campbell in the Democratic primary for attorney general.

The two candidates have made their first public forum appearances and expanded their endorsement slates over the past two weeks as the Sept. 1 primary approaches.

—Staff writer Shawn A. Boehmer can be reached at [email protected] and on Signal at shawnb.18. Follow him on X @ShawnBoehmer.