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Newton Mayor Says He's Challenging Charlie Baker

NEWTON (CBS) - The mayor of Newton announced Saturday that he's making a run for the State House corner office.

Setti Warren announced his campaign for Governor of Massachusetts at a neighborhood block party in front of his Newton home. The two-term Newton mayor and Iraq war veteran says the most vital issue of our time is combating economic inequality.

"Our economy is leaving people and communities behind. Our political rhetoric is turning neighbors into enemies. And as I've been listening to the people of the Commonwealth, what I've heard is that they don't think Beacon Hill hears them," Warren said.

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Newton Mayor Setti Warren announces his campaign for governor. (Photo credit: WBZ NewsRadio/Karyn Regal)

"Will we keep our promises to previous generations?  Will we live up to our obligations to the generations to come? Will we leave the world better off than we found it?" Warren said.

He also said that bridges are falling down and the MBTA is underfunded.

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Setti Warren block party. (Photo credit: WBZ NewsRadio/Karyn Regal)

Warren formed an exploratory committee in March to begin raising money for a possible campaign. The 40-member committee includes former Massachusetts Governor Michael Dukakis, Dukakis' wife Kitty, former state treasurer and Democratic National Committee Chair Steve Grossman, and Thurgood Marshall, Jr., the son of the late Supreme Court Justice Thurgood Marshall.

The mayor will face former Lieutenant Governor nominee Robert Massie of Somerville and Jay Gonzalez, a budget officer in former Governor Deval Patrick's administration for the Democratic nomination.

Massachusetts Republican Party Chairman Kirsten Hughes says Warren isn't ready for "prime time."

"From confusing statements about whether he'll raise taxes on working people, to tone-deaf comments that reveal his political opportunism, Setti Warren is proving that he's simply not ready to run a serious campaign that offers real leadership for Massachusetts," Hughes said.

Charlie Baker is expected to seek re-election as governor in 2018.

WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Karyn Regal reports

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