Attorney General Andrea Campbell on Tuesday launched her 2026 reelection campaign, highlighting her first-term record on consumer protection and federal litigation.

Campbell, a Democrat who in 2022 became the first Black woman elected to statewide office in Massachusetts, made her announcement in Boston’s South End, near where she grew up.

“Our work is far from done,” she told supporters. “Too many families are still struggling to live paycheck to paycheck … This is why I’m running for re-election, because Massachusetts deserves an attorney general who leads with empathy, compassion and a sense of urgency.”

Since taking office in January 2023, Campbell has taken an expansive approach to the role of attorney general, often clashing with the federal government. Her office is part of nearly 40 lawsuits against the Trump administration, targeting actions that threaten investments in education, health care and research. Lawsuits have protected $3.01 billion of the $3.18 billion President Donald Trump has targeted, Campbell said Tuesday.

Campbell has restructured the attorney general’s office, creating a Reproductive Justice Unit, an Elder Justice Unit and an Office of Gun Safety Enforcement. She also defended Massachusetts’ law banning assault weapons in a case that reached the U.S. First Circuit Court of Appeals, which upheld the statute.

Her office secured guilty verdicts against defendants in a Boston area sex trafficking ring and launched an investigation into the Boston Police Department’s gang unit and gang database over allegations of racial bias.

On housing, Campbell has enforced the MBTA Communities Act, a controversial law requiring cities and towns to zone for multifamily housing near public transit. She sued the town of Milton for failing to comply. The Supreme Judicial Court upheld the law’s constitutionality and affirmed her authority to bring such lawsuits.

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She faced pushback from local officials in Milton and elsewhere who argue her housing enforcement strategy overreaches the intent of MBTA zoning law. Campbell maintains that the law is a binding obligation and has sought court orders to ensure compliance.

The attorney general stressed her consumer protection work during her announcement on Tuesday. She said her office returned $32 million to workers who were underpaid or denied wages and more than $400 million to families through efforts to stop utility rate hikes.

“We will continue to do that work, especially as the federal government is walking away,” she said.
In 2024, Campbell filed a lawsuit against TikTok, alleging the platform was deliberately designed to be addictive and harmful to young users, violating state consumer protection laws.

Chestnut Hill, MA – Andrea Campbell shares a laugh with a supporter as she announces her campaign for re-election for Attorney General. (Nancy Lane/Boston Herald)

Campbell has faced criticism related to her enforcement of the MBTA Communities law and State Auditor Diana DiZoglio, Republicans and government transparency groups have accused her of failing to enforce a voter-approved audit of the Legislature. They have called on her to sue lawmakers to compel compliance.

Campbell has argued there may be constitutional limits on her authority and that the auditor has not provided sufficient information to justify legal action.

Campbell’s office also defended Treasurer Deb Goldberg in the lawsuit brought by former Cannabis Control Commission Chair Shannon O’Brien, who challenged Goldberg’s decision to remove her over allegations of “gross misconduct.” The case centered on allegations that O’Brien had bullied colleagues and made racially insensitive remarks. Earlier this month, a Suffolk Superior Court judge ruled that Goldberg’s firing of O’Brien was improper, leading to O’Brien’s reinstatement as head of the state’s cannabis regulatory agency.

In her announcement Tuesday morning, Campbell also emphasized the personal story of her family — recounting her difficult upbringing in Boston when her mother died young in a car crash, her father and brother cycled in and out of the prison system, and her twin brother died in Department of Correction custody.

“I didn’t run for office because I thought it would be easy,” Campbell said in a campaign ad released Tuesday morning. “That’s okay — life hasn’t been easy. My own story is proof of what’s possible.”

Campbell previously served as a Boston city councilor and deputy legal counsel to then-Gov. Deval Patrick. She ran unsuccessfully for mayor of Boston in 2021 before winning the attorney general’s race the following year, defeating Republican Jay McMahon 63% to 37%. She succeeded Maura Healey, who was elected governor.