Auditor Bump Formally Announces Campaign For Third Term

Auditor Suzanne Bump launched her re-election campaign Wednesday morning not with a polished video or a grand event but with a simple press release.

"My office builds trust by showing that government is capable of self-examination and self-correction. The Office of the State Auditor is ending the status quo and bringing the state into the 21st century. I look forward to talking to voters about the work we have done and my plans for the future," Bump said in a statement.

Prior to serving as auditor, Bump was a state representative, a lobbyist and labor and workforce development secretary in Gov. Deval Patrick's administration. The Boston College and Suffolk University School of Law graduate was married for 36 years to the late Paul McDevitt.

The Democrat from Easton is seeking a third four-year term. She identifies her priorities as "increasing accountability, modernizing government and strengthening the social safety net throughout."

The auditor's office assesses the performance of state entities and contractors and recommends improvements, seeks to identify fraud in public benefit programs, and helps local governments gauge the impact of unfunded mandates.

Bump represented Braintree in the House for eight years, until Joseph Sullivan, now the mayor of Braintree, unseated her in the 1992 Democratic primary.

She was first elected auditor in 2010, becoming the first woman to hold the post after beating fellow Democrats Guy Glodis and Mike Lake and Republican Mary Connaughton.

In 2014, Bump won a second term. She earned nearly 58 percent of the vote, to Republican challenger Patricia Saint Aubin's 38 percent and the 4 percent secured by M.K. Merelice of the Green-Rainbow party.

So far this cycle, Bump has one challenger, Libertarian Daniel Fishman. Fishman, of Beverly, ran for state representative last year — ultimately losing to Rep. Jerald Parisella — as a member of the United Independent Party, and for Congress in 2012 as a Libertarian.

Fishman served as the New England director for the Libertarian presidential ticket of Gary Johnson and Bill Weld last year. Weld, the former Republican Massachusetts governor, is backing his bid for auditor.

"A Libertarian in the Auditor's office will demonstrate to the people that there is a critical role in government for people who can take office without owing any political favors," Weld said in a statement. "Dan Fishman in the Auditor's office emphasizes that Libertarians have a critical role in solving the imbalance in government. And Dan Fishman in the Auditor's office puts a person of character into an office that so desperately needs it."

No Republicans have yet launched campaigns for auditor.