Sen. Sonia Chang-Diaz announced on June 23 that she is joining the race for governor of Massachusetts. Chang-Diaz currently serves as the state senator for the Second Suffolk District, which includes parts of Jamaica Plain.
The Boston Globe and other outlets have reported that Ben Downing and Danielle Allen, both Democrats, have also announced their candidacies, and incumbent governor Charlie Baker has not made an announcement regarding running for a third term.
“I’ve spent my life listening to powerful people tell me to slow down, to think smaller, to wait,” Chang-Diaz said in a video published on her YouTube channel on Wednesday.
“Voters didn’t send me to the State Senate to wait. I’m Sonia Chang-Diaz, and Beacon Hill has learned three things about me: I speak up, I organize, and I win.”
Chang-Diaz is the first Latina on the Massachusetts Senate, and in the video, she said “Beacon Hill insiders drag their feet every step of the way, saying ‘think smaller.’ Instead, we fought unapologetically for the things working families actually need.”
Chang-Diaz is a Jamaica Plain resident, along with her husband and two children.
“Our state is at a turning point now, and we face a choice,” she said in the video. “Do we go back to business as usual, or do we run toward problems with the urgency and determination to solve them. That’s the kind of fire we need in government.”
She tweeted on June 23, along with a group of photos of her supporters holding signs, “I was proud to kick off our campaign today alongside so many organizers, community leaders, and residents working on the front lines for justice — and who are hungry for change. We are the ones we’ve been waiting for. We can build the Commonwealth we know is possible.”
Chang-Diaz has launched a campaign website, which can be found at www.soniachangdiaz.com.