Gabrieli set to join race for governor
After thinking about it for weeks, Boston venture capitalist Christopher Gabrieli plans to announce next week that he is running for governor, a spokesman said yesterday.
Gabrieli, a Democrat who ran unsuccessfully for lieutenant governor in 2002, ''is expected to make it official" at his campaign headquarters in downtown Boston Thursday, spokesman Joe Ganley said.
Gabrieli had been laying the groundwork for a run, hiring a team of experienced political operatives and conducting a poll of Democratic convention delegates that suggested he is well liked among party activists.
He made up his mind last week after his supporters collected the 500 signatures from delegates that Gabrieli needs to appear on the state Democratic convention ballot in June, Ganley said.
In joining the race, Gabrieli will face two Democrats who have been campaigning for months: former assistant US attorney general Deval L. Patrick and Attorney General Thomas F. Reilly.
Gabrieli, a Beacon Hill resident, is cofounder and chairman of Massachusetts 2020, which advocates for afterschool programs.
MICHAEL LEVENSON 