Roxbury State Rep. and Black and Latino Caucus Chair Chynah Tyler endorsed Andrea Campbell's bid for mayor Wednesday, demonstrating that Campbell is challenging Acting Mayor Kim Janey on Janey's Roxbury home turf.
The endorsement, made official in Roxbury's historic John Eliot Square, came a day after former Roxbury City Councilor and 2017 mayoral candidate Tito Jackson endorsed Janey, setting the stage for Roxbury to be a battleground neighborhood in the preliminary, which is typically decided with low turnout.
"There are many accomplishments on behalf of our community that go unnoticed, particularly for Black women who straight up deliver in politics," said Tyler, 31, pointing to a collaboration between her and Campbell to diversify the ranks of the Boston's fire department with a fire cadet training program.
The fire department has been criticized for the composition of its force, which is predominately white and male.
The Boston firefighters union has endorsed City Councilor Annissa Essaibi George.
The firefighters’ diversity effort is now awaiting implementation at the city level, according to Campbell's campaign.
Tyler was first elected to represent the 7th Suffolk in 2016. Tyler was re-elected to the seat last year, running unopposed and receiving about 9,500 votes.
When mapped, her district resembles a jagged arc, stretching from the Back Bay Fens area through Roxbury Heritage State Park down to the Elm Hill Park area.
During the press conference, Tyler and Campbell were flanked by a bevy of mostly Black women who are pledged to Campbell.
Asked how she could distinguish herself from the others in the race with about a month left before the election, Campbell, who has struggled to break out of lower-tier polling despite launching a campaign last September, expressed faith that voters will research each individual candidate to inform their decisions.
"This is a historic slate, it's a great thing," said Campbell. "But, at the end of the day, my record of accomplishment is distinct, not just from the acting mayor, [but] from every candidate in this race."
Tyler implied voters are receiving misinformation about mayoral candidates but declined to elaborate beyond vowing to work hard to ensure it won't impact the race.
"We can follow up about that at a different time," Tyler said.
Her endorsement, Tyler added, will come with "all-hands-on-deck" support for Campbell.
Legislators have made more endorsements in the month since South End State Rep. Jon Santiago exited the race. Santiago has also hinted he intends to endorse one of the field’s women.
City Councilor Michelle Wu, the race’s consistent front-runner, currently holds the most endorsements from state legislators, receiving the backing of State Reps. Tram Nguyen and Tommy Vitolo and State Senator Julian Cyr, as well as the long-time former South End State Rep. Byron Rushing. This is Campbell's second endorsement from a Massachusetts state representative — the first came from Elizabeth Malia, who represents the 11th Suffolk.
Roxbury, Boston's historically Black neighborhood, was a stronghold for former Councilor Jackson during the 2017 mayoral elections. The political wards which encompass large swaths of the neighborhood were the only areas he managed to win over former Mayor Marty Walsh in an otherwise city-wide defeat.
