Essaibi-George rejects PAC
Reminds people she’s a Democrat, distances herself from Trumpers
Mayoral candidate Annissa Essaibi-George is eschewing labels and trying to distance herself from conservative ties after a major Trump supporter sunk big money into a PAC supporting her.
“Any affiliation, any commentary, any implication that I am connected to Donald Trump, to me, is a gross statement,” said EssaibiGeorge, who serves on the City Council, during a Sunday appearance on WBZ’s “Keller @ Large.” “I don’t want this PAC involved. I don’t want them to speak for me. I’m more than capable to speak for myself.”
New Balance Chairman Jim Davis, a longtime Republican donor dumped $495,000 into a super PAC supporting Essaibi-George that bankrolled TV ads that flooded screens ahead of the preliminary.
Davis’s donation, which was first reported by the Dorchester Reporter, jumps out because of his ties to Republican causes including a $396,500 donation to Trump Victory, a political action committee that raised money for Donald Trump and the Republican National Committee.
Essaibi-George, who has served on the City Council since 2016, said Sunday that she is a lifelong Democrat and plugged her status as the first public official to endorse Ayanna Pressley when she fought to unseat Congressman Michael Capuano.
Essaibi-George also worked for President Biden’s campaign calling voters in Georgia, Florida, and Arizona, and Massachusetts.
Both Essaibi-George and Wu each have two super PACs supporting their campaigns. Essaibi-George last week publicly asked super PACs to stay out of the race between her and Wu after news of the donation broke.
Super PACs are typically funded by wealthy donors and can raise and spend unlimited amounts of money. They are, however, prohibited from coordinating with the campaigns they support. It’s ultimately up to the PAC if it will heed Essaibi-George’s calls to stand down. PACs have already funneled over $4 million into the Boston mayor’s race so far. Wu’s two PACs are funded by pro-environment groups and developers.
Essaibi-George and Wu, the two top vote-getters in the September preliminary election, are battling it out to become the next mayor. The citywide election is set for Nov. 2.
The women are grappling with labels as Wu has been named the progressive darling and Essaibi-George has projected more moderate appeal.
“The titles that I’m most proud to have and embrace are the titles of being a teacher, being a mother, being a small business owner, being a community member, being a city councilor. Those are the labels I’m proud of, that I’m happy to wear. And I hope to wear the title of mayor sometimes soon, because I’m ready to do the work. I think this labeling business is a little lazy.”