Kevin Hayden wants voters to give him another four years as Suffolk County’s district attorney, hoping to continue work on “services over sentences.”
“The work is not done,” he said during an interview on GBH’s Boston Public Radio Thursday. “I think we’ve done very well. Obviously, crime rates are at historic lows. There’s much that’s been accomplished but we have more work to do.”
Hayden was appointed to the role in 2022 by then-Gov. Charlie Baker and was elected to his first full term that fall. He now faces two primary challengers: former Suffolk DA Rachael Rollins and attorney Linda Champion.
Hayden pointed to programs he implemented in his tenure like the Emerging Adult Program that he says helps young adult offenders with providing tools to ensure they don’t reoffend. He says it’s this experience and work that makes him the best candidate for the job.
“I’ve got the experience and I think that’s what this election comes down to,” Hayden said. “Who has the experience, who has the integrity, and who has the temperament to do this job?”
The remark seemed like a not-so-subtle dig at one his opponent and predecessor Rollins. Rollins left the role when then-President Joe Biden nominated her to be the top federal prosecutor in Massachusetts, teeing up then-Gov. Charlie Baker to backfill her role with Hayden.
Rollins then resigned in 2023 after twin ethics investigations found she tried to influence the outcome of the race for Boston’s district attorney, trying to sway the race against Hayden. One report also found that she “lacked candor” when interviewed by federal investigators about her communications with reporters.
Hayden hasn’t been without his own ethics issues. He was fined $5,000 by the state ethics commission after his office released information about his opponent in the 2022 primary, which commissioners found violated conflict of interest law because it could give Hayden an advantage in the primary.
Asked about Rollins’ ethical transgressions and his own, he was quick to distinguish the two.
“I think it’s drastically different than a situation of lying under oath to federal investigators,” Hayden said.
“I have always maintained that I didn’t know the statement was going to be released. But the reality is that I am the leader, I am the head,” he said. “So I take responsibility for what happens under my watch.”
In the Sept. 1 primaries, Hayden will face Rollins and Champion on the Democratic ballot.
There are no Republican candidates running for Suffolk district attorney, meaning the winner of the Democratic primary is all but guaranteed to be district attorney.
