Rollins gathering signatures in race for Suffolk County DA

Three years after she resigned under pressure from her post as US Attorney, Rachael Rollins has returned to the political world, pulling nomination papers to run for the Suffolk County district attorney seat she won in 2018.

In her first-ever run for public office eight years ago, Rollins broke through a field of five competitors to capture the Democratic nomination, then began her term with sweeping reforms in the office, refusing to prosecute misdemeanors such as shoplifting and trespassing and launching investigations into past instances of prosecutorial and police misconduct that landed innocent people in prison.

Rollins left the district attorney’s office in 2022, after she was appointed U.S. attorney for Massachusetts. But her term in that office was cut short after she attended a Democratic Party fundraiser — a violation of a prohibition on federal appointees participating in partisan political activities that forced her resignation. 

Now, as Rollins is working with a team of volunteers to gather the 1,000 signatures necessary to appear on the 2026 ballot, political pundits are weighing her chances against incumbent Kevin Hayden and conservative-leaning challenger and former Hayden employee Linda Champion.

“Back in 2018, Rollins was able to put together an impressive coalition,” said Jonathan Cohn, political director for Progressive Massachusetts. “The question is, can she do that now.”

While she hasn’t yet granted interviews with the press, Rollins came out swinging last week, taking aim in a social media post at what she characterized as a double standard in press coverage of her candidacy:

“Funny, men can have a state ETHICS violations, PAY A $5K FINE for using their ‘official position as Suffolk DA to secure…the substantially valuable & unwarranted privilege of the…DA’s Office to their own personal political advantage’ to win their 2022 election & have integrity.”

Rollins was reprimanded by the Bar Association for leaking information to news media about an ethics investigation into District Attorney Kevin Hayden. Hayden was fined $5,000 by the state Ethics Commission for using his public office to influence the press as he was campaigning against then-City Councilor Ricardo Arroyo for the district attorney seat.

Neither Rollins or Hayden responded to requests for comment for this story.

News reports in recent weeks have highlighted Rollins’ resignation and reprimand but glossed over or ignored Hayden’s ethics violation.

In what is so far a three-way race, political observers say re-election is not a sure bet for Hayden. Rollins ran a high-octane campaign in 2018, winning precincts across the county in the five-way race. She raised $389,000 between March and Nov. 30 of 2018, demonstrating her fundraising prowess. She currently has $42,951 in her campaign account, compared to $29,038 for Hayden and zero for Champion, according to filings with the Office of Campaign and Public Finance.

Hayden was appointed to the office by then-Gov. Charlie Baker after Rollins vacated the seat and won reelection in 2022, beating Arroyo after the latter faced dozens of Boston Globe articles alleging he had been investigated for sexual assault as a teenager in 2005. Globe reporters there received a leaked, partial police report in which he was accused of assault.

While the full 2005 police report concluded the allegation was “unfounded,” meaning no crime had been committed, Hayden’s office released a statement in which he falsely contradicted that finding, according to the State Ethics Commission disposition agreement Hayden later signed.

Ethics issues aside, Hayden may also be facing headwinds from a key base of his support. Hayden last month charged Boston Police officer Nicholas O’Malley with manslaughter after he shot and killed an unarmed, fleeing carjacking suspect, angering the Boston Police Patrolmen’s Association. Hayden enjoyed the backing of the police in his 2022 campaign.

Champion, who finished last in the five-way 2018 race for the seat, ran to the right of the pack, suggesting she could split the conservative-leaning vote in Suffolk County.

“I’m not surprised that people think Hayden can be beat,” said political consultant Doug Chavez. “He hasn’t raised a lot of money. He’s pissed off some people who supported him last time. It’s opened up an opportunity and Rollins seized that opportunity.”

This article was originally published in the Dorchester Reporter.