Barrios thinking of dropping out of race for DA, Democrat says

State Senator Jarrett T. Barrios is weighing whether to end his campaign to become Middlesex district attorney and instead seek reelection in his Cambridge-based district, a senior Democratic leader confirmed last night.

Barrios, a Democrat, is pondering the decision after meeting with close advisers earlier this week to assess his chances of prevailing against his only rival for the party's nomination, Gerard T. Leone, a former state and federal prosecutor.

The Middlesex district attorney's post is a coveted steppingstone to higher office in Massachusetts. In his first bid for office, Leone has emerged as a strong candidate.

Barrios insisted yesterday that he is remaining in the race.

But the senior Democratic leader said that Barrios, who is considered a rising star in the party, had made calls to friends seeking advice.

Barrios is one of the most prominent members of the Legislature and a prodigious fund-raiser, having accumulated close to $700,000 for the race.

He met privately yesterday afternoon with Senate President Robert E. Travaglini. The Senate leader could not be reached for comment.

If Barrios pulls out of the race, it would clear the way for Leone to all but walk into the position, because winning the Democratic nomination in the sprawling and overwhelmingly Democratic county is tantamount to election. Two other Democrats, Representatives Peter J. Koutoujian of Newton and Michael E. Festa of Melrose, have already dropped out.

Leone, who served as a prosecutor in both Suffolk and Middlesex counties and later at the state and federal level, has garnered strong support for his campaign from the political establishment and law enforcement officials. He has raised $575,000, an impressive amount for a first-time candidate. He has also won several key endorsements, including from incumbent Martha Coakley, a Democrat who is running for attorney general.

Since arriving on Beacon Hill in 1999, the Harvard-educated Barrios, 37, has established himself as an ambitious figure and relentless legislator. But some of his critics and admirers questioned his decision to seek the district attorney's office, urging him to either delay seeking higher office this election or seek a statewide position, such as lieutenant governor.

By joining the race, Barrios has had to compete on Leone's turf and argue that he is as qualified as Leone to be the chief prosecutor in the state's largest county, despite limited experience with criminal prosecutions. Barrios has sought to define his candidacy as a campaign about values and vision and has cited his role in enacting legislation to counter gang violence, prevent identity theft, and revamp the State Police crime lab.

Barrios has also tweaked Leone, a registered Democrat, for having worked as a ''Bush administration lawyer." Leone, who was chief of the Criminal Bureau in the state attorney general's office, served as first assistant United States attorney until last year.

The lure of the Middlesex district attorney's office is strong for those aiming at higher office.

Coakley, who has been the district attorney since 1999, was elected when incumbent Thomas F. Reilly won the 1998 race for attorney general.

Reilly, who was first assistant to District Attorney Scott Harshbarger, won the position when Harshbarger ran for attorney general in 1990. In 1998, Harshbarger went on to become the Democratic nominee for governor. Reilly is running for governor.

Supporters of Barrios, the openly gay son of Cuban immigrants who has championed liberal causes during his six terms on Beacon Hill, say he could explain his decision to seek reelection to the Senate because the major Democratic candidate for the post, Cambridge city councilor Anthony Galluccio, has run into potential legal problems.

Galluccio faces a probable-cause hearing this month on whether he should be charged with drunken driving in connection with a December accident.