Criminal justice advocate Andrea James plans independent gubernatorial run

Andrea James, a former criminal defense attorney who works as an advocate for incarcerated women and girls, plans to launch a campaign for governor of Massachusetts as an independent candidate.

James, 61, who spent two years in federal prison for wire fraud and was disbarred, confirmed her plans to run in a message to WBUR Monday morning.

"After a long exploratory process, I have made the decision to run as an independent candidate," she said.

James had filed papers in March that said she was “exploring” a run. Since then, she has raised thousands of dollars, rented a campaign office and set up a website where she declares herself an “independent candidate” for governor in the 2026 election.

In a statement on her website, James said people deserve affordable homes, good schools, jobs that pay a living wage and universal child care, as well as "Medicare for All," healthy food, clean air, renewable energy and a “public banking system that prioritizes people over profit.”

Her website advertises a Jan. 24 “campaign launch” at the William E. Reed Auditorium in Dorchester.

“I’m running for governor because it’s time to reimagine Massachusetts. We can’t afford to keep waiting for trickle-down promises that never reach families on the edge,” she said on her website.

James is founder and executive director of The National Council for Incarcerated and Formerly Incarcerated Women and Girls. She also founded Families for Justice as Healing, which boosts public awareness about the prison population.

James initially filed to run as a Democrat, which could have set up a primary contest with Gov. Maura Healey, the incumbent Democrat who is running for a second term.

But James switched her party affiliation with the Office of Campaign and Political Finance to unenrolled in November, according to an agency spokesperson. She also knocked both Healey and the Democratic-controlled state Legislature on her campaign website.

“The governor and Legislature give tax cuts to corporations and the wealthy, and exploit us and our resources. It’s supposed to be Commonwealth, not Corporatewealth,” James said.

Katie Prisco-Buxbaum, Healey’s reelection campaign manager, did not directly respond to James’ critiques.

“Gov. Healey is focused on lowering the cost of housing, energy and health care, and standing up to the harm that President Trump is doing every day. She is running for reelection to continue delivering on what matters most to the people of Massachusetts,” Prisco-Buxbaum said in a statement.

Unenrolled voters made up nearly 65% of the more than 5 million registered voters in Massachusetts as of February 2025, according to state data. But independent candidates for statewide office have historically faced difficulties winning general elections in the Bay State.

Three Republicans — Brian Shortsleeve, Michael Minogue and Mike Kennealy — also are running to challenge Healey in this year’s gubernatorial contest.

State records show James has raised nearly $19,000 and spent over $13,000 since she first floated her candidacy in March — far less than the three conservative contenders and Healey.

Minogue, for example, donated $2 million to his campaign last month, on top of $1.5 million in October and $2 million in November, according to state data.

Other lesser-known people who have filed paperwork to run for governor have not raised money, records on file with the Office of Campaign and Political Finance show.

James must select someone to run as her lieutenant governor and collect 10,000 signatures this year to qualify for the November ballot as an independent candidate. She can pull papers from the secretary of state's office in February and must turn in her signatures to local election officials by July 28.

James earned a law degree from Northeastern University, but in 2008, she was accused of misappropriating client funds and defrauding mortgage lenders, home owners and a title insurer, according to a letter of disbarment from the Massachusetts Board of Bar Overseers.

She was sentenced to two years in federal prison for wire fraud in 2010 and has written extensively about her time behind bars.

In a 2017 piece for Time Magazine, James said she ended up in prison “because of one mistake in judgment.”

“I left behind my husband, adult children, parents, 12-year-old daughter and 5-month-old son, who I was still breastfeeding at the time. My new home was the prison facility, where I was warehoused with over 200 other women, crammed side-by-side in bunks piled on top of each other,” she wrote in the article.

James says she is a widow who knows “what it means to work hard to raise children with safety, health, and kindness at the center.” She said she cared for her parents — one had dementia and the other a failing heart — into their 90s.

For the last 15 years, James said, she has worked to “end the harm of toxic prisons and replace them with humane, effective solutions rooted in healing and accountability.”