Copyright The Boston Globe
Since January, however, her office has doubled as the state’s primary defense against actions it opposes from the Trump administration. She has taken part in at least three dozen lawsuits against the federal government since President Trump took office, in addition to issuing numerous amicus briefs supporting other legal challenges against his administration. “Massachusetts residents deserve an AG that leads with empathy and compassion and a sense of urgency and a belief that the office is about more than just enforcing the law, but really about helping people, especially those that have felt left out and left behind,” Campbell said in an interview Monday. Born in Roxbury, Campbell was formerly president of the Boston City Council and won her first AG race on a platform in which she said she would seek to reform Massachusetts’ criminal justice system, make areas such as school funding more equitable, and close the racial wealth gap. Campbell said areas she expects to be tenets of her reelection campaign include prioritizing affordability, particularly around housing; engaging in consumer protection work by combatting scams and frauds; and “everything having to do with the federal government and holding them accountable.” Her office’s lawsuits against the federal government, Campbell said, have helped protect more than $3 billion the government sought to take away from Massachusetts, such as research funding from the National Institutes of Health. “All of our lawsuits today and all of our advocacy is about protecting Massachusetts residents and our economy,” Campbell said. The attorney general’s office has also engaged in information campaigns designed to push back on new federal priorities. For instance, it issued “know your rights” guidance to immigrants who could be at risk from federal immigration enforcement, and encouraged businesses to preserve diversity initiatives as the Trump administration has sought to stamp them out. And it’s taking preventative measures as well: Campbell said her office has reviewed state law, drafted documents, and engaged with “various stakeholders” to prepare should the federal government deploy the National Guard to Massachusetts, as it has sought to do in Democrat-led states including California, Illinois, and Oregon. “We are working collaboratively to support their lawsuits and their advocacy to push back on the administration’s unlawful deployment of the National Guard,” Campbell said of those states, “and we are ready if they were to come here to Massachusetts.” The support she’s drawn from Massachusetts’ deep-blue voter base for those lawsuits was clear as she spoke at the “No Kings” protest against the Trump administration in Boston Saturday. “If they want to come for Massachusetts, I say this: Bring it on,” Campbell told the crowd thousands — drawing raucous cheers in response. In recent months, however, Campbell has faced pressure from the state auditor, Diana DiZoglio, who is seeking to audit the state Legislature following tremendous public support for more government transparency on a ballot question last fall. The attorney general’s office has not granted permission for the auditor to sue the Legislature over the matter, saying DiZoglio has not sufficiently responded to questions to “evaluate the viability of a suit” despite her public protests. That response drew blowback from DiZoglio and her supporters claiming the attorney general is ignoring the will of Massachusetts voters. In her campaign launch video, Campbell walked through her path to politics. She describes growing up in public housing and in and out of foster care after her mother died en route to visiting her incarcerated father. Both of her brothers cycled through the criminal justice system and her twin brother, Andre, died of an autoimmune disease while in state custody. Campbell, however, graduated from Princeton University and UCLA Law School and spent several years as a private practice attorney before working as legal counsel for former Governor Deval Patrick. “I found strength in my community, my deep sense of faith, and the people who saw the potential in me,” Campbell said in the video. “I share my story because it’s not a Black person’s story, not because it’s a poor person’s story, it’s an American story, and that’s why I’m running for attorney general.” Campbell did not mention Trump by name in her reelection announcement but alluded to “a federal government that is actively coming for our fundamental freedoms every single day.” No other candidates have so far declared their candidacy for the AG race.
