Boston Mayor Michelle Wu Endorses Lander in Challenge to Brownsberger

Boston Mayor Michelle Wu ’07 endorsed Daniel A. Lander ’14 Monday in his challenge against longtime incumbent state Senator William N. Brownsberger ’78 — Lander’s second high-profile endorsement in the last week.

Wu’s endorsement, the third she has made in a Democratic primary this cycle, comes as Lander seeks to topple a member of Senate leadership. Brownsberger, who has held the Suffolk and Middlesex district seat since 2012, has not faced a challenger for the office until this year.

Wu wrote in a statement that she supports Lander, her former senior aide, because of his track record handling key policy issues in Boston.

“In City Hall, Daniel worked to tackle the housing crisis, helped create Boston Family Days to make our top museums and cultural attractions free for Boston students and families, and took on national food delivery companies to make our streets safer,” Wu wrote.

She lauded Lander’s work in her office and wrote that she was confident he would extend the same drive on Beacon Hill.

“Daniel never backs down from a fight and he knows how to get things done,” Wu wrote.

Lander said in an interview with The Crimson that he was “lucky” to have worked alongside Wu, and that the work he did in her office inspired him to run for a spot in the legislature.

“What I have learned is we do not have to settle for the way things are. We can be curious, creative, and driven to try and build a better world,” Lander said. “People want that in Massachusetts, and it’s possible here, but it takes a style of leadership that doesn’t just make excuses for why things can’t change,” he added.

Alongside supporting Lander’s campaign, Wu also recently endorsed Latoya Gayle’s primary challenge against incumbent state Senator Nick Collins for the First Suffolk district seat.

Both Brownsberger and Collins opposed Wu’s push to temporarily shift more of Boston’s property tax burden onto commercial real estate. The proposal, intended to reduce an increase in homeowners’ property taxes, died in the Senate.

Wu pointed to this resistance when she endorsed Gayle earlier this month, framing Boston’s senators as an obstacle to her agenda. Wu did not mention Brownsberger’s opposition to the bill in Lander’s endorsement announcement.

Brownsberger has built up substantial backing from Massachusetts political figures as he hopes to return for his eighth term. His campaign is endorsed by U.S. Representative Katherine M. Clark (D-Mass.), Governor Maura T. Healey ’92, Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll, Attorney General Andrea J. Campbell, and a host of state representatives.

Wu’s endorsement comes less than a week after U.S. Senator Elizabeth A. Warren (D-Mass.) backed Lander’s campaign — both providing a significant boost as the campaign ramps up for the Sept. 1 primary. Lander is also backed by national labor organizations and city officials.

Lander said Wu’s endorsement sends a “strong message” to voters as he builds a growing support network to take on the incumbent senator.

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