Andrea Campbell facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Andrea Campbell
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Official portrait, 2023
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| 45th Attorney General of Massachusetts | |
| Assumed office January 18, 2023 |
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| Governor | Maura Healey |
| Preceded by | Maura Healey |
| President of the Boston City Council | |
| In office January 2018 – January 2020 |
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| Preceded by | Michelle Wu |
| Succeeded by | Kim Janey |
| Member of the Boston City Council from the 4th district |
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| In office January 4, 2016 – January 3, 2022 |
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| Preceded by | Charles Yancey |
| Succeeded by | Brian Worrell |
| Personal details | |
| Born | June 11, 1982 Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. |
| Political party | Democratic |
| Spouse | Matthew Scheier |
| Children | 2 |
| Education | Princeton University (BA) University of California, Los Angeles (JD) |
Andrea Joy Campbell is an American lawyer and politician. She is currently the Attorney General for the state of Massachusetts. Before this, Campbell was a member of the Boston City Council. She represented District 4, which includes parts of Boston's Dorchester, Mattapan, Jamaica Plain, and Roslindale neighborhoods.
Campbell is a member of the Democratic Party. She was first elected to the Boston City Council in November 2015 and started her term in January 2016. She served as the president of the council from January 2018 to January 2020. In 2021, Campbell ran for mayor of Boston but did not win.
In 2022, Campbell ran for Attorney General of Massachusetts. She made history as the first Black woman to be on the ballot for a statewide office in Massachusetts. She won the Democratic Party's nomination and then won the general election by a large amount. In January 2023, she became the Attorney General. She is the first Black woman to hold this important job and only the second Black person ever to hold it.
Contents
Early Life and Education
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Andrea Campbell and her twin brother, Andre, were born in Boston, Massachusetts. They also have an older brother, Alvin Jr. When Andrea was very young, her birth father was in prison. Her birth mother died in a car accident when Andrea was only eight months old. Because of this, Andrea and her brothers lived in foster care and with different relatives. Andrea calls her aunt and uncle, Lois and Ron Savage, her "mom" and "dad" because they played a big part in raising her. She met her birth father when she was eight, after he was released from prison.
Campbell grew up in the Roxbury and South End areas of Boston, which are important centers for the Black community in the city. She went to five different schools in the Boston Public Schools system. Andrea graduated from Boston Latin School, a well-known exam school. Even though she did well in school, both of her brothers had been in prison by the time she was in high school.
After high school, Campbell went to Princeton University. While she was there, her birth father passed away. She graduated from Princeton in 2004. When she was 29, her twin brother, who had a serious illness, died while waiting for a trial. Campbell has said she doesn't know the exact cause of his death. After Princeton, Campbell studied law at the UCLA School of Law and earned her law degree.
Early Career
After finishing law school, Andrea Campbell started her legal career. She worked for a year at EdLaw, a nonprofit organization in Roxbury. This group gave free legal help to students and parents about their education rights.
Then, Campbell worked for two years at a law firm called Proskauer Rose. She advised companies in Boston and New York City on topics like employment law and how companies work with their employees.
Campbell also spent three months as the main lawyer for Boston's Metropolitan Area Planning Council. Later, she worked as a deputy legal advisor for Governor Deval Patrick.
Boston City Council Service
First Term: Making a Difference (2016-2017)
In the 2015 Boston City Council election, Andrea Campbell ran for office for the first time. She won the first round of voting in District 4. Then, she defeated the person who had held the seat for 16 terms, Charles Yancey, in the main election. She won with 61% of the votes. Campbell was the first woman to represent her council district.
In 2016, Campbell supported a plan to allow more charter schools in Massachusetts. This plan was on the ballot for voters to decide. She was one of only two city councilors who voted against a resolution that showed the City Council's opposition to the plan. The plan was eventually defeated by voters.
In 2016, Campbell and Councilor Ayanna Pressley suggested a rule that would stop employers from using a person's credit score to decide if they should get a job or a promotion.
Campbell also supported a federal law called the Second Chance Reauthorization Act of 2015. This law would help people who have been in prison get a fresh start. She introduced a rule to the Boston City Council to show support for this.
Second Term and Council President (2018-2019)
Campbell was reelected in November 2017 without anyone running against her. On December 9, 2017, she announced that all her fellow council members supported her to become the next president of the council. She was elected council president on January 1, 2018. Campbell was the first African-American woman to hold this important position.
In 2019, as City Council president, Campbell suggested creating a city inspector general. This person would watch over city government to make sure everything is fair and honest. However, Mayor Marty Walsh did not support this idea, and the City Council voted against it. Also in 2019, Campbell and another councilor, Matt O'Malley, suggested a tax on empty homes and businesses to encourage owners to use them.
Campbell also thought it would be a good idea to make City Council terms longer, from two years to four years. She believed this would make the council stronger and more effective. She also suggested changes to election laws, like not allowing someone to run for more than one city job at the same time.
After a public event in Boston in 2019, Campbell asked the city to look again at how it approves permits for public events. She was concerned about the resources used for the event and said, "while I am a firm believer in free speech, I’m not okay with wasting tens of thousands of taxpayer dollars for a group to come into Boston from out of state to create chaos and spread hate."
Campbell supported Kamala Harris's campaign for president in 2020. In April 2018, Boston magazine named Campbell one of the "100 Most Influential People in Boston."
Third Term (2020-2021)
Campbell was reelected to the council in November 2019. Kim Janey became the new council president in January 2020.
In June 2020, Campbell was one of five city councilors who voted against Mayor Walsh's budget plan. She felt it didn't do enough to address racial inequality and systemic racism in the city. She also suggested creating a police oversight board to make sure police actions are fair. Later that year, the Boston City Council approved a different plan to create an Office of Police Accountability, which Mayor Walsh signed into law.
In 2021, Campbell and Kim Janey proposed a rule to stop most employers in Boston from checking job seekers' credit scores. They argued that credit checks unfairly hurt low-income applicants.
Campbell did not run for reelection to the council in 2021. Instead, she decided to run for mayor.
2021 Mayoral Campaign
On September 24, 2020, Andrea Campbell announced she was running for mayor of Boston. She said, "I'm running for mayor, because every neighborhood deserves real change and a real chance." Her announcement came after her fellow council member, Michelle Wu, also announced her campaign for mayor.
During her campaign, Campbell spoke about her disagreements with Acting Mayor Kim Janey, who was also running. Campbell's campaign plan included moving ten percent of the Boston Police Department's budget to other programs. These programs would focus on public health, economic fairness, and youth issues. She also suggested removing police officers from Boston Public Schools and using that money for more mental health specialists.
The Boston Globe's editorial board supported Campbell's campaign. In the primary election, Campbell finished third, which meant she did not move on to the general election.
Attorney General of Massachusetts
Becoming Attorney General (2022 Election)
On February 2, 2022, Andrea Campbell announced she was running for Massachusetts Attorney General. This happened after the current Attorney General, Maura Healey, said she would run for governor instead.
Campbell's name on the ballot for the Democratic primary was a historic moment. She was the first Black woman in Massachusetts history to qualify for a statewide office election. Maura Healey supported Campbell before the primary election. Campbell won the Democratic nomination and then won the general election to become Attorney General. She is the first Black woman to hold this office and the second Black person, after Edward Brooke. Her campaign also focused on public safety and housing issues.
As a candidate, Campbell promised to use an "equity lens" in her role. This means she would look at issues through the perspective of fairness for everyone. She pledged to use the office to address differences in health and economics, help with prison reform, and improve juvenile justice. She promised that no one would be treated as "above the law" and that she would help people trust the justice system more. Campbell made criminal justice reform a main focus. She also wanted to address police misconduct and promised to end "qualified immunity," which protects police officers from some lawsuits.
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Campbell won the November general election with 62.6% of the votes. She took office on January 18, 2023. Her swearing-in ceremony happened at the Boston Convention and Exhibition Center. Campbell has said that she sees her main role as the "people's lawyer." Her husband, Matthew Scheier, held the Bible for her oath. Her aunt, Lois Savage, who she considers a mother figure, gave her the oath.
New Units in the Office
On April 4, 2023, Campbell asked the state legislature for money to create four new departments in the Attorney General's Office. These would be a Reproductive Justice Unit, an Elder Justice Unit, a Gun Violence Prevention Unit, and a Police Accountability Unit. Creating a reproductive health unit was a promise she made during her campaign. By early 2024, she had started the first three units and was working on the last one. In March 2024, Campbell also suggested creating a unit focused on making housing more affordable.
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MBTA Communities Zoning Law Lawsuit
In March 2023, Campbell warned that she would take legal action against towns that were not following the MBTA Communities Zoning Law. This law, passed in 2021, requires towns near the MBTA transit system to allow multi-family housing in at least one area.
In February 2024, Campbell filed a lawsuit against the town of Milton. She wants to make the town follow the law. Milton's voters had voted against adopting new zoning rules that would allow multi-family housing. Campbell's lawsuit challenges Milton's view that towns have the final say on zoning. She has asked the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court to hear the case.
Other Important Work
While Campbell personally disagrees with qualified immunity (which protects police officers from some lawsuits), she has adjusted her approach since taking office. She believes it's important to keep a good working relationship with law enforcement.
In May 2023, Campbell announced that her office was looking into claims of racial bias within the Boston Police Department's gang unit and gang database.
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In April 2024, Campbell had Massachusetts join a lawsuit with other states. This lawsuit aims to bring back protections for transgender people and other groups. These protections were removed by a previous government rule change.
In 2023, Campbell suggested rules to stop "junk fees", which are hidden or extra charges that can surprise consumers.
In October 2023, after the United States Supreme Court ruled that race-based college admissions were unconstitutional, Campbell and Governor Healey released new guidelines for colleges. These guidelines help colleges promote diversity by considering how life experiences, including those related to race, have shaped applicants.
In March 2024, Campbell started The Youth Sports Betting Safety Coalition with the NCAA. This partnership aims to teach young people about the risks of sports gambling.
In December 2023, Campbell started a civil rights lawsuit against the National Socialist Club 131, a regional neo-Nazi group. The lawsuit claims the group has committed "violent" and "coercive" actions that violate civil rights, including intimidating hotels that shelter migrants.
Political Views
Andrea Campbell is considered a progressive member of the Democratic Party.
LGBTQ Matters
Campbell supports transgender student athletes playing on sports teams that match their gender identity.
Education
Campbell has long supported charter schools. In 2016, she supported a plan to allow more charter schools in Massachusetts.
Diversity and Equity Policies
Campbell disagreed with the 2023 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that found race-based affirmative action in college admissions to be unconstitutional. She said the ruling "undermine[s] and discount[s]" the history of the United States. She believes this history is important because it explains why there are still racial differences in areas like healthcare, the justice system, and the economy today.
After the court case, Campbell worked with Governor Healey to create new state guidelines for colleges to promote diversity. Campbell also supports private companies having their own efforts to increase diversity.
Personal Life
Andrea Campbell was born in Boston. Her birth parents died when she was very young. She considers her aunt and uncle her parents. By the time Campbell was in high school, both of her brothers had been in prison.
Campbell has said that her family members, teachers, and employers helped her find a path to success. Throughout her political career, she has often talked about her family's experiences with unfairness and the justice system, especially her twin brother's life, as things that shaped her views and priorities.
Campbell is married to Matthew Scheier. They have two sons. She used to live in the Mattapan neighborhood of Boston. In November 2024, Campbell and her husband bought a home in Dartmouth, Massachusetts, where they plan to live.
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