Wu endorses state Senator Nick Collins’ primary challenger, ratcheting up Democrats’ feud

Politics admin June 3, 2026 0 Comments

Wu endorses state Senator Nick Collins’ primary challenger, ratcheting up Democrats’ feud

Mayor Michelle Wu on Wednesday endorsed state Senate candidate Latoya Gayle in her bid to unseat incumbent state Senator Nick Collins, directly inserting herself in the race against one of her top antagonists on Beacon Hill.

In the world of Boston politics, Wu’s move is a rare and eyebrow-raising one: She is throwing her weight behind a first-time candidate aiming to oust not only a sitting Democrat in Wu’s own city, but also one who serves on a body that must sign off on many of Wu’s legislative priorities to become law.

Collins has held his seat since 2018.

In a statement, Wu said Gayle would be a “powerful, principled voice” in the Senate. She is scheduled to appear with Gayle at an event Wednesday morning to trumpet her endorsement.

“Latoya Gayle has spent her career fighting for working families in Boston to have every opportunity to thrive,” Wu said. “Residents of the [First]Suffolk District deserve a State Senator who understands the challenges facing our communities and brings an urgency to find solutions. As a mom and community leader, Latoya has stood with our families even when state legislators have not.”

Wu has fiercely, and publicly, clashed with Collins several times in recent years, primarily over her push to temporarily shift more of the city’s property tax burden onto commercial real estate in order to ease property tax spikes for homeowners.

Wu has repeatedly sought Beacon Hill’s permission to do so since 2024, but each time the proposal stalled in the state Senate. Collins, of South Boston, vocally opposed the measure, accusing Wu of “hyperbole and fear-mongering” in pushing the measure, and is seen as one of the key lawmakers responsible for its death.

Along with Collins, state Senator Will Brownsberger, whose district includes part of Boston, also opposed Wu’s tax shift proposal, and both have argued for pursuing alternative measures to limit homeowners’ tax bills.

Brownsberger, a Belmont Democrat, is also facing a primary challenge this year from Daniel Lander, a former Wu aide, though Wu has not yet weighed in on that race.

She is, however, taking aim at Collins in the First Suffolk district, which is anchored by Dorchester and South Boston. Collins, considered a conservative Democrat in the progressive chamber, once weighed a run for mayor in 2021. Wu went on to win the office that fall.

As South Boston’s senator, he also hosts the annual St. Patrick’s Day Breakfast, one of the city’s most hallowed, if sometimes awkward, political traditions. Wu skipped the Breakfast in March, prompting Collins to joke about Wu’s absence that “she found it just a little bit too taxing.”

Gayle said in a statement that she was “honored” to have the mayor’s support.

“Mayor Wu has demonstrated that when you show up for communities and lead with courage, you can deliver real results,” Gayle said in a statement. “That’s the approach I’ve taken throughout my career as an advocate, and it’s the approach I’ll bring to the State Senate.”

In addition to Gayle, Juwan Skeens is also running in the Democratic primary for the seat.

Wu’s endorsement could offer a much-needed boon to Gayle as she challenges Collins, an established sitting lawmaker who has served in elected office on Beacon Hill for more than 15 years.

Gayle, 47, is a married mother of four, and has lived in Dorchester or the South End for 22 years, according to her campaign. She currently works as the senior director of advocacy and family partnerships at Neighborhood Villages, a Boston-based early education and childcare nonprofit.

Wu’s endorsement, particularly for first-time candidates, has proven powerful and influential in the past.

In the 2023 municipal election, Wu backed four new City Council candidates, all of whom won council seats that November.

In 2024, Wu endorsed longtime public defender and first-time candidate Allison Cartwright in her successful bid to be clerk of the Suffolk County Supreme Judicial Court against sitting city councilor Erin Murphy. Cartwright also had the backing of US Representative Ayanna Pressley and Attorney General Andrea Campbell, bringing an unusually high level of attention to a race typically far below the average voter’s radar.

Then last fall,as Wu easily rolled to reelection, her close allies on the council again held on to their seats by fairly wide margins with her support, including at-large City Councilor Henry Santana, who was seen as the most vulnerable incumbent in last year’s election.

This is a developing story and will be updated.