Rachael Rollins, a former U.S. attorney and general counsel to MassPort, is the fourth entry into the race for Suffolk County District Attorney’s office, formally announcing her campaign with a press release today.
Also running for the seat, which incumbent Dan Conley is vacating, are state Rep. Evandro Carvalho, former assistant district attorney Greg Henning and former defense attorney Shannon McAuliffe.
In her statement, Rollins is positioning herself as a reform candidate, pledging to reduce incarceration rates.
“We need a new voice in the role of the District Attorney,” her statement reads. “A voice that is committed to decreasing incarceration rates, racial disparities and the overall reliance on the criminal justice system to deal with issues in our society.”
Rollins, 47, graduated from UMass Amherst and has law degrees from Northeastern University and the Georgetown University Law Center. She volunteers and chair of Legal Redress at the Boston Branch of the NAACP.
This year’s race comes as the ACLU is in the midst of a campaign to drive voter interest in district attorney races called “What a difference a D.A. makes.” District attorneys have tremendous leeway in deciding how or whether suspects are charged with crimes.
All four candidates currently in the race for the Suffolk County seat have staked out reform positions on criminal justice issues.
