US Labor Secretary Martin J. Walsh said he will not be joining the race for governor of Massachusetts in an interview on CNN Thursday night.
The former Boston mayor told Wolf Blitzer, host of “The Situation Room,” that while “it was an honor to be mentioned as governor,” he would continue to serve in his current position with the Biden administration.
“No, I’m not running for governor of Massachusetts. President Biden asked me in January of last year if I would serve as the secretary of labor,” Walsh said. “It’s an incredible honor and privilege to work in the Biden administration.”
Advertisement
His pledge to remain in his role in the White House came the same day that Attorney General Maura Healey launched her own campaign for governor.
"No, I'm not running for governor of Massachusetts. President Biden asked me in January of last year if I would serve as the secretary of labor. It's an incredible honor and privilege to work in the Biden administration," says Labor Secretary Marty Walsh. pic.twitter.com/FeAjFOwoce
— The Situation Room (@CNNSitRoom) January 21, 2022
Walsh had been touted as a potential candidate following Governor Charlie Baker’s announcement that he would not seek a third term in office. Both Healey and Walsh entered the year with sizable campaign war chests, with Walsh having $5.1 million in his campaign account compared to Healey’s roughly $3.3 million in campaign funds.
But Walsh said he has no plans to return to his home state and run for governor. At the moment, Walsh said he is focused on “working with the president to continue to rebuild America, keep having us come back.”
“We have plenty of work here to do in Washington,” Walsh said. “I love Massachusetts, I love my city of Boston, but I’m serving the people of the United States of America right now.”
Shannon Larson can be reached at shannon.larson@globe.com. Follow her on Twitter @shannonlarson98.
/cloudfront-us-east-1.images.arcpublishing.com/bostonglobe/TO3UYU24DZCUFHIMMMFVHQUQO4.png)