Barrios to Drop Out of DA's Race?

The Boston Herald is reporting that Jarrett Barrios is dropping out of the race to be Middlesex County District Attorney. Barrios will instead run for re-election to his state Senate seat. According to the article, Barrios' spokesman declined comment yesterday, so nothing official has yet been announced.

The article sites Martha Coakley's unofficial endorsement of Barrios' rival for the DA post, Gerry Leone, as a "nearly insurmountable hurdle for Barrios." I have to say, though, that I disagree with the assessment that the Barrios campaign "stumbled" in recent weeks, particularly given how much hay the Senator was able to make over the passage of anti-gang legislation. That said, I've often wondered why Barrios wanted to jump to the DA's office when much of what he wanted to accomplish could be done from his seat at the chair of the Senate's Public Safety and Homeland Security committee.

Leone would now be the only person left in a race that once fielded as many as four official candidates with several others who were considering jumping in. This also marks the second time a candidate has dropped out mere days after I wrote a long post about them.

Under the Golden Dome had the scoop on this last night.

[UPDATE]: The Boston Globe says that Barrios himself has denied this, but other sources say that he's seriously thinking about running for re-election instead.

[UPDATE 2]: It's official. Here's Barrios' email to supporters as captured by a Blue Mass. Group poster.