Democrat Danielle Allen has decided to end her 2022 campaign for Massachusetts governor, she announced in a statement Tuesday.
The Harvard University professor was the first Black woman to run for governor as a member of a major party in Massachusetts history. She described her approach as a combination of progressive and integrative, outlining an agenda to establish strong, safe communities; healthy schools; and universal democracy rooted in "an energizing, fair, flourishing and sustainable economy."
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“To the supporters, volunteers, donors, friends, family, and staff who stepped up to be a part of this big team of guts and grit and heart and hustle: thank you for your work to move mountains on behalf of Massachusetts communities. And to everyone who paused to take a second look at this first-time, nontraditional, big-hearted campaign — thank you for seeing the value in a fresh perspective, and the courage to reimagine the possible. Our commitment is our power, and it isn’t going anywhere. I’m looking forward to working with you, in the next iteration, to keep building One Commonwealth," she wrote in a statement.
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In announcing the end of her run she said she warned that she sees democracy as being "in dire straits," and pointed to concerns about ballot access, saying she would continue to work on this outside of her campaign.
"In Massachusetts, where we pride ourselves on being the birthplace of democracy, there is no excuse for ballot access procedures that push out qualified but non-traditional candidates and rob the people of Massachusetts of real choice on their ballot. As I reflect on my next steps for civic engagement, working on democratic reform in this area will be a priority for me," she wrote.
. Her decision, announced one day after nomination papers became available, leaves Attorney General Maura Healey and Sen. Sonia Chang-Diaz as the only two candidates remaining on the Democrat side. Former Sen. Ben Downing, a Democrat, dropped out of the race in December. Two Republicans, former Rep. Geoff Diehl and businessman Chris Dougthy, are also running in the open gubernatorial race.
