Andrea Campbell

Andrea Campbell is an American attorney and politician serving as the 71st Attorney General of Massachusetts since 2023. A member of the Democratic Party, she previously served as a member and president of the Boston City Council, representing the city's 4th district. Campbell's career has been significantly shaped by personal family tragedies within the Massachusetts criminal justice system, which have informed her advocacy for systemic reform, government transparency, and racial equity.

Early life and education

Born and raised in the Roxbury and South End neighborhoods of Boston, she experienced profound loss at a young age when her mother died in a car accident while en route to visit her father, who was incarcerated. Her twin brother, Andre Campbell, later died in pre-trial custody at the Suffolk County House of Correction. She attended Boston Latin School before earning a Bachelor of Arts in political science from Princeton University. She then received her Juris Doctor from the UCLA School of Law.

Legal and early political career

After law school, she worked as a legal services attorney at the Lawyers' Committee for Civil Rights Under Law and as a deputy legal counsel in the administration of Governor Deval Patrick. Her entry into electoral politics came in 2015 when she was elected to the Boston City Council, becoming the first woman to represent District 4, which includes parts of Dorchester, Mattapan, Jamaica Plain, and Roslindale. On the council, she chaired the Committee on Public Safety and Criminal Justice and championed the creation of the city's Office of Police Accountability and Transparency.

Massachusetts Attorney General

She was elected Attorney General of Massachusetts in the 2022 Massachusetts Attorney General election, succeeding Maura Healey, who was elected Governor of Massachusetts. Upon taking office in January 2023, she launched initiatives focused on protecting workers' rights, addressing the opioid epidemic, and enforcing environmental laws. Her office has taken legal action against major corporations, including lawsuits against fossil fuel companies and PFAS manufacturers, and has established a dedicated division to tackle issues within the Massachusetts Department of Correction and the state's county sheriffs' offices.

Political positions and public policy

Her policy platform is centered on economic justice, criminal justice reform, and consumer protection. She is a proponent of eliminating mandatory minimum sentences for certain drug offenses and has advocated for greater oversight of public utilities like Eversource and National Grid. On housing, she supports the expansion of tenant protections and has used the office's authority to investigate potential violations of the state's Chapter 40B affordable housing law. She has also been a vocal supporter of reproductive rights, joining multistate coalitions to defend access to medication abortion.

Electoral history

In her initial 2015 run for the Boston City Council, she defeated longtime incumbent Charles Yancey. She won re-election to the council in 2017 and 2019. In 2020, she was elected by her colleagues as President of the Boston City Council, succeeding Kim Janey. She finished third in the 2021 Boston mayoral election nonpartisan primary, behind Michelle Wu and Annissa Essaibi George. In the 2022 Democratic primary for attorney general, she defeated former Boston City Councilor Shannon Liss-Riordan and Quentin Palfrey, before winning the general election against Republican Jay McMahon.

Category:1982 births Category:Attorneys general of Massachusetts Category:Boston City Council members Category:Democratic Party officeholders in Massachusetts Category:Living people Category:Princeton University alumni Category:UCLA School of Law alumni