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Kevin Hayden, Rachael Rollins, and Linda Champion have cleared a crucial threshold, according to data from local officials. It sets the stage for a three-way primary race.
Former U.S. Attorney Rachael Rollins in 2022. Charles Krupa/AP
The Suffolk County District Attorney election later this year is shaping up to be a three-way race, as each candidate has now cleared a certified signature threshold that should allow them to qualify for the primary ballot.
Suffolk District Attorney Kevin Hayden will likely be challenged by Linda Champion, a former member of his leadership team, and Rachael Rollins, the former Suffolk District Attorney and U.S. Attorney who resigned amid controversy in 2023.
District attorney candidates must collect at least 1,000 signatures from residents and submit them to the Secretary of State alongside the other necessary paperwork by May 26. Hayden, Champion, and Rollins have each gathered more than 1,000 verified signatures, according to local officials in each of the four communities that make up Suffolk County.
In Boston, Hayden collected 1,249 signatures, Champion collected 1,349, and Rollins collected 1,430. In Revere, Hayden collected 76 signatures, Champion collected 66, and Rollins collected 54. In Chelsea, Hayden collected 64 signatures, Champion collected seven, and Rollins collected 120. In Winthrop, Hayden collected 17 signatures, Champion collected 29, and Rollins collected one.
According to recent filings with the Massachusetts Office of Campaign and Political Finance, Rollins has more than $42,000 in cash on hand. Champion has close to $39,000, and Hayden has more than $60,000.
The Sept. 1 primary will whittle the race down to two candidates, before the general election in November.
As he runs for a second term, Hayden is facing scrutiny from police officers and others in the law enforcement community over his decision to charge a Boston police officer with manslaughter in March. The Boston Police Patrolmen’s Association urged members of the public to challenge Hayden.
Champion, who now works as a private attorney, has extensive experience in the Suffolk District Attorney’s office. She was named to the role of Municipal and District Court Legal Counsel by Hayden after his election in 2023.
But, many eyes are on Rollins, who won the Suffolk District Attorney race in 2018 and became known for a contentious policy of not prosecuting certain low-level crimes like shoplifting and trespassing. She was nominated to become the U.S. Attorney for Massachusetts by President Joe Biden in 2021 and was sworn in the following January.
By the spring of 2023, Rollins was under fire for multiple ethics violations and the subject of two federal watchdog reports. Investigators alleged she acted as a “de facto campaign advisor” to Hayden’s rival in the 2022 election and violated a law that limits political activity by government workers.
Rollins pulled nomination papers and began teasing a comeback earlier this year. She helped launch a podcast that covers local sports topics and other news items. Only two episodes have been released. In the most recent episode, Rollins addressed her candidacy. She confirmed that she was considering running, while cautioning that “nothing is final.”
Rollins began exploring a run for her old job after hearing support from community members, who asked her to run again, she said.
“It was not in response to any particular thing … it was just a lot of people saying like ‘there’s things that you did that were fantastic, and we’d like you to continue to do them,’” she said. “There are going to be things that I would do differently now, because 2018 isn’t 2026.”
Rollins has not officially launched her campaign. When asked by a co-host whether she had any response to critics, she deferred to a later time.
“When I’m ready to speak publicly, and I am actually a real candidate, I think there’s absolutely a conversation I have to have, but I have apologized to my staff, I have resigned from my job,” she said. “I don’t have anything to say to the haters.”
Rollins has also used social media to draw attention to the fact that Hayden admitted to violating a conflict of interest law and paid a $5,000 fine in 2024.
Ross Cristantiello
Ross Cristantiello, a general assignment news reporter for Boston.com since 2022, covers local politics, crime, the environment, and more.
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