Newton Mayor Setti Warren. | AP Photo/Cliff Owen Newton mayor makes move toward gubernatorial run with new hire

BOSTON — Newton Mayor Setti Warren has made his first hire in what is shaping up to be a likely campaign for the Democratic Party's gubernatorial nomination in 2018, POLITICO Massachusetts has learned.

Warren has hired John Walsh, a longtime Democratic Party leader who was closely tied with former governor Deval Patrick. Walsh will act as an adviser to Warren, who announced last week that he would not seek re-election next year.


Warren has not said anything officially about this plans for 2018.

“I am very excited to be working with Newton Mayor Setti Warren as he looks forward to his next steps in public service and community engagement,” Walsh said in a statement. “Setti's lifelong commitment to public service as both a military veteran and a mayor, his deeply held progressive values, and his extensive knowledge and experience working with others to offer solutions at the local level, all qualify him for a range of service opportunities."

This would be Walsh’s first political campaign since working with Patrick. He founded Walsh Strategies after running a Patrick-aligned super PAC from 2013 to 2015. Before that, he served as chair of the Massachusetts Democratic Party for six years while Patrick was governor.

Governor Charlie Baker is expected to run for re-election in 2018, although he has not made his decision official.

Other names being floated as potential challengers include former state senator Dan Wolf, Somerville Mayor Joe Curtatone, Salem Mayor Kim Driscoll, U.S. Rep. Joe Kennedy III, U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton, and U.S. Rep. Katherine Clark.

