Just days after state Senate candidate Daniel Lander announced an endorsement from Sen. Elizabeth Warren in his campaign, he added Boston Mayor Michelle Wu to his list of backers in his challenge to incumbent state Sen. Will Brownsberger.
Lander, 34, stated in a June 22 press release that “Mayor Wu fights on behalf of our neighbors every single day, and her urgent leadership has delivered real progress. I’m taking on the architect of the broken beacon hill status quo, and I look forward to continuing to partner with the Mayor to meet this moment so we can finally tackle our affordability crisis and ensure everyone can build a good life here in Massachusetts.”
Prior to challenging Brownsberger in the race for senate, Lander served as a senior aide to Mayor Wu from December 2021 to January 2026. According to him, Wu was a mentor to him during his years at City Hall.
Wu and Brownsberger had a public disagreement in 2024 over a controversial increase in Boston’s commercial tax rates Wu sought as temporary relief for residential taxpayers. At a recent candidate forum, Brownsberger acknowledged his relationship with Wu was “a little bit strained.”
Brownsberger, 69, has received endorsements from Gov. Maura Healy, Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll and Attorney General Andrea Campbell, alongside several other officials in the district and state.
As of last week, Elizabeth Warren was Lander’s highest profile endorsement among a handful of Cambridge officials. Now, both opponents have support from strong figures in the state.
Brownsberger is senator for the Suffolk and Middlesex district, representing Belmont, Watertown, West Cambridge and the Boston neighborhoods of Allston, Brighton and Fenway.
The Democratic primary election will take place on Sept. 1.
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