Boston: Kim Janey receives key Latino endorsement

 Former Boston mayoral candidate Jon Santiago has formerly endorsed acting Mayor Kim Janey in a bid to woo Latino voters to her side in the upcoming primary election.

Santiago, who is of Puerto Rican descent, was at one point the only Latino running for mayor.

He dropped out of the race on July 13.

In a statement late on Wednesday, Santiago - a doctor at Boston Medical Center - compared his career to Janey's and said she has shown "tremendous compassion, determination and ability" since assuming the role six months ago.

"Kim and I spent most of our careers doing something other than politics - me as a physician and Kim as an advocate on behalf of the kids and families of Boston, fighting for equity and excellence in our schools."

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Santiago also praised Janey's efforts during the pandemic, which has disproportionately impacted Latino and African American communities.

"She is leading Boston through the pandemic, helping ensure that 70% of residents have gotten at least one shot while implementing bold measures to take on the Delta variant," he added. "She is delivering results to combat the housing crisis and doing so with empathy and resolve."

In May, Santiago received an endorsement from the Latino Victory Fund, which said his participation in the race was "a testament to the fight for representation in diverse cities across the country."

The endorsement, however, was not enough to help Santiago gain traction with voters - including many Latinos - in the city.

In a debate on Wednesday, Janey heavily focused on issues that impact Latinos, particularly the city's housing crisis.

During her six-month tenure as mayor of Boston, she said, a total of $50 million was invested in rental relief. Additionally, she said that down payment assistance was increased from $10,000 to $40,000.

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In total, she said that the assistance has helped 3,400 households of which more than 25% were Latino.

"When at the federal level, the courts struck it down, I made sure that I stood up for the residents of Boston to keep people in their homes, and we're doing more to invest to make sure that people can live out the American dream," Janey said. "We've got more work to do."

While Janey has secured the endorsement of a number of prominent Latino politicians and the heavily Latino Boston chapter of the Service Employees International Union, an LPO source in Boston said he doesn't believe it will help at this point.

"It's far too late for these sorts of endorsements," he said.