Patrick lends voice to Wilkerson campaign

By John C. Drake, Globe Staff

In his most direct advocacy of a candidate in next week's state legislative primary, Governor Deval Patrick is lending his voice to Senator Dianne Wilkerson's reelection bid against challenger Sonia Chang-Diaz, urging voters in an automated phone call to support the seven-term incumbent.

Boston Mayor Thomas M. Menino also has recorded calls on Wilkerson's behalf, an illustration of how Wilkerson is leaning on her institutional support among party leaders as she seeks to beat back a strong challenge from Chang-Diaz, who nearly upset Wilkerson two years ago.

Patrick came to Wilkerson's aid after campaign finance reports released Sunday showed Chang-Diaz with a sizable cash-on-hand advantage for the days leading up to the election. Wilkerson raised $131,775 toward her reelection this year through August, compared to $102,888 for Chang-Diaz. But Chang-Diaz still had $51,000 to spend in the campaign's waning days, compared to $5,233 for Wilkerson.

Chang-Diaz campaign manager Deborah Shah said she wasn't concerned about Patrick's intervention, saying they knew Wilkerson would command institutional support. Instead, she was touting a string of recent newspaper endorsements for the challenger and positive feedback they were getting from voters.

"We fully expected the institutional support to be with her and for them to do what they wanted to do," Shah said. "We're excited about everything that's happening."

In the 45-second message, Patrick reminds voters about the state primary Tuesday and says they should vote for Wilkerson.

"She's an experienced leader on Beacon Hill who works hard on the issues that matter most to the residents of her district," he says, according to a recording provided to the Globe by the governor's political committee. "Her passion and know-how continue to deliver results for the people of Boston every day. Your vote counts, to me and to her."

Wilkerson is the only candidate Patrick has recorded calls for, but he has endorsed other incumbents in tight primary races, including State Representative Carl M. Sciortino Jr. A spokeswoman for Patrick's campaign committee said no other candidates had requested recorded messages from the governor.

The candidates, who dueled to a close finish two years ago in an unusual sticker campaign, will continue fanning out across the district over the weekend, making last-minute pitches to voters and reminding them about Tuesday's otherwise little-noticed primary election.

Wilkerson campaign manager Mukiya Baker-Gomez said the campaign was confident voters would continue supporting Wilkerson.

"They recognize what she's done and for whatever negativisms that have been going on, I think the voters understand that Dianne has delivered," Baker-Gomez said.

But state Republican Party spokesman Barney Keller criticized Patrick for his public support of a state senator with ethical problems in her past. Wilkerson recently paid a $10,000 fine to the state attorney general, acknowledged campaign finance violations, and once pleaded guilty to four misdemeanors as a result of a federal income tax investigation.

John C. Drake can be reached at jdrake@globe.com.

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