Danielle Allen ends gubernatorial campaign
Criticizes Democratic caucus system
By 
DEMOCRATIC GUBERNATORIAL CANDIDATE Danielle Allen announced Tuesday that she will end her campaign for governor.
Allen, a Harvard professor, entered the race in June of 2021, but struggled to gain traction, particularly after Attorney General Maura Healey jumped in in January.
Allen exited as Democrats are holding their caucuses, events at which party activists select delegates to go to the party convention and choose the party’s candidates. Under the caucus system, a candidate needs 15 percent of the vote from convention delegates in order to get on the Democratic primary ballot.
Allen, in a statement, expressed frustration at the system, which likely could have disqualified her. “As I transition out of this campaign and towards my next phase of work on behalf of our democracy, I want to sound an alarm on something that has become clearer to me through this work — a ballot access process that does a disservice to Massachusetts’ history of leadership on democracy,” Allen said. “Through both simple math in a winner-takes-all process, and limited engagement access for the broader Democratic electorate, the current ballot access procedure through the current caucus system is leading to a serious impoverishment of our democracy — fewer choices on the ballot, fewer non-traditional candidates able to enter the pipeline.”
Allen was a first-time political candidate and a scholar of Athenian democracy who directed Harvard’s Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics. She gained attention with some of her bold proposals, like decriminalizing the possession of small amounts of all types of drugs.
Allen raised $1.3 million for her campaign. But a recent poll by the MassINC Polling Group, which shares a parent nonprofit company with CommonWealth, found that only 3 percent of likely Democratic primary voters would vote for her today, compared to 12 percent for state Sen. Sonia Chang-Diaz and 48 percent for Healey. More than three-quarters of those polled never heard of Allen.
In her statement, Allen said she continues to believe that democracy “is in dire straits.” “It has lost the confidence and trust of many of us, and it is not securing safety, wellbeing, and happiness for many of us,” she said. She said she believes the solution lies in the states, where one can build “trustworthy, accountable government, government where all are included and have voice.” She said she is proud to have been the first Black woman to run for statewide office in Massachusetts.
While Allen did not say what she will do next, she said she would remain involved in civic issues. “Today, while I am announcing my decision to wind down my campaign for governor, my commitment to continue creating progress on these issues — arm in arm with activists and community members across our Commonwealth — is unwavering,” she said.
Allen’s exit leaves Chang-Diaz and Healey as the remaining Democrats in the race. Chang-Diaz has charted a course as an unabashed progressive, unafraid to criticize Republican Gov. Charlie Baker and, more recently, Healey as well.
Chang-Diaz said in a statement that Allen “brought an important voice and valuable experience to the campaign trail every day, including in areas of housing, criminal justice, democracy, and health equity.” “She’s been clear that Massachusetts and our next Governor need to take on the status quo, act with the vision and urgency that this moment demands, and deliver real, transformational change for our state,” Chang-Diaz said.