The Green-Rainbow Party of Massachusetts has endorsed Andrea “AJ” James in the state’s 2026 gubernatorial race. James formally launched an independent bid for governor at a campaign event in Boston last month.
In a February 4 email, the Green-Rainbow Party announced it will back James in November and called on party members to volunteer with her campaign. According to her campaign site, James is a graduate of the University of Massachusetts Boston and Northeastern University School of Law and is a social justice advocate, former attorney, and community organizer active in criminal legal reform efforts.
“I am running to build something Massachusetts has never had, a government that belongs to the people, not the establishment duopoly of corporate Democrats and Republicans,” James said in the party’s email. “A government that listens to working families, centers communities, and delivers real solutions on housing, healthcare, affordability, education and justice.”
As an advocate, James is the founder and executive director of the National Council for Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Women and Girls, as well as Families for Justice as Healing. She has also spoken openly about her own incarceration for a federal fraud conviction, saying the experience shaped her political views and introduced her to how punishment functions within the legal system. “I have been fully transparent and accountable ever since,” James states on her site. “And that experience changed me forever.”
A list of policy priorities produced by the campaign includes increasing teacher pay, establishing a statewide living wage, implementing Medicare for All, lowering utility costs, and opposing the construction of any new women’s prisons. Her campaign is also focusing on formerly incarcerated voters, especially those with working-class backgrounds, to get to the polls.
James initially filed paperwork in March 2025 to challenge incumbent Democratic Gov. Maura Healey in the Democratic primary. However, she told WBUR that, following a lengthy exploratory process, she decided to run as an independent candidate instead. She officially launched her campaign on January 24.
To qualify for the general election ballot, James will need to collect 10,000 valid signatures by late July. She has also not yet named a running-mate. As of February 4, James is the second independent candidate to publicly announce a campaign for Massachusetts governor in the 2026 election cycle, after Connor Gray.
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