{"id":3307,"date":"2026-06-22T10:04:12","date_gmt":"2026-06-22T10:04:12","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=3307"},"modified":"2026-06-22T10:04:12","modified_gmt":"2026-06-22T10:04:12","slug":"wu-backs-former-aide-in-primary-challenge-against-veteran-democrat-directly-targeting-state-senate-leadership","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=3307","title":{"rendered":"Wu backs former aide in primary challenge against veteran Democrat, directly targeting state Senate leadership"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Touting him as a stronger partner for Boston, Mayor Michelle Wu on Monday endorsed Daniel Lander, her former aide who\u2019s challenging veteran state Senator Will Brownsberger, intensifying her fight with Beacon Hill leadership through another heated Democratic primary.<\/span><\/p>\n

Read more Why luxury steakhouses are such big business in Boston<\/a><\/p>\n

Brownsberger, a Belmont Democrat who represents parts of Boston, is the third-ranking Democrat in the state Senate and one of the key voices who nearly two years ago sounded the death knell for Wu\u2019s plan to shift the city\u2019s tax rates, a key legislative priority of the mayor\u2019s, and voted against it again earlier this year.<\/span><\/p>\n

Wu, in the matter of weeks, has inserted herself into two closely watched Senate primaries in Boston, pitting herself against foes, and fellow Democrats, at the State House. The mayor earlier this month endorsed Latoya Gayle over incumbent Nick Collins of South Boston, with whom she has fiercely, and publicly, clashed.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Her decision to weigh in on Lander\u2019s challenge is not unexpected but still notable for other reasons.<\/span><\/p>\n

The Suffolk and Middlesex district expands beyond Boston into Cambridge, Watertown, and Belmont, putting Wu\u2019s political reach to the test in cities and a western Boston suburb where she\u2019s never been on the ballot. Brownsberger also has the backing of Governor Maura Healey, who in endorsing him called him \u201cinstrumental\u201d to getting a sweeping housing law over the finish line.<\/span><\/p>\n

In a statement, Wu said she worked with Lander \u201cto deliver for Boston families.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cI know he\u2019ll bring that same results-driven leadership to the State Senate,\u201d Wu said. \u201cDaniel never backs down from a fight and he knows how to get things done. I\u2019m confident he\u2019ll be a champion for affordable housing, better transit, and a stronger partnership between the state and our City.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Lander, 35, trumpeted the high-profile endorsement just days after US Senator Elizabeth Warren also publicly backed his campaign. <\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cIt shows this campaign has real legs,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/p>\n

Wu and Lander first met during Warren\u2019s 2020 bid for president, Lander said. They bonded over a campaign trip together in New Orleans, where the rental car company provided them with a giant pickup truck to drive, embarrassing Lander, who said he knew he was working with a city councilor who\u2019d later tout a \u201cGreen New Deal\u201d for the city as mayor. <\/span><\/p>\n

Read more Grading the Celtics\u2019 first-round draft picks of the last decade<\/a><\/p>\n

He later joined her mayoral campaign as an adviser in 2021, and Wu hired him into her administration as a policy aide, a role he left in January when he launched his Senate campaign.<\/span><\/p>\n

In City Hall, Lander worked on policy to audit city-owned land that could be turned into housing, and helped establish the city\u2019s \u201cFamily Days\u201d program that opened the city\u2019s museums and attractions to Boston students for free.<\/span><\/p>\n

Lander also said he was a vocal supporter of Wu\u2019s proposal to shift more of the city\u2019s property tax burden onto commercial real estate to ease property tax spikes for homeowners.<\/span><\/p>\n

Brownsberger has explained his views extensively in public blog posts on his website, where he details his viewpoints and the historical facts of how the city\u2019s business-residential property tax split came to be and allows commenters to weigh in.<\/span><\/p>\n

In his words, shifting property tax rates \u201cis not an efficient way to deliver relief\u201d to homeowners, and raising commercial taxes could hamper the city\u2019s effort to revitalize downtown, which is still recovering from the COVID-19 pandemic. <\/span><\/p>\n

He has also argued that state lawmakers\u2019 role is not simply to acquiesce to local leaders on issues that can have ramifications beyond those cities and towns.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u201cWe are one Commonwealth, there are 351 cities and towns,\u201d Brownsberger said at a candidate forum last week at Berklee College of Music. \u201cIt\u2019s entirely appropriate that there should be statewide rules on things like taxes, transportation.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n

Read more France restricts public alcohol consumption and outdoor sports as heat wave bakes parts of Europe<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/article>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Mayor Michelle Wu endorsed Daniel Lander, a first-time candidate and her former aide, in his challenge of state Senator Will Brownsberger, a member of Beacon Hill leadership.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":3306,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-3307","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics"],"yoast_head":"\nWu backs former aide in primary challenge against veteran Democrat, directly targeting state Senate leadership - Boston Relocation Insider<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/bostonrelocationinsider.com\/?p=3307\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Wu backs former aide in primary challenge against veteran Democrat, directly targeting state Senate leadership - 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