Turner endorses Wilkerson, repeats racial charge toward Chang-Diaz

UPDATED: Boston City Councilor Chuck Turner endorsed state Sen. Dianne Wilkerson in her general election write-in campaign Tuesday night, strongly questioning challenger Sonia Chang-Diaz's race and ties to the Hispanic and black communities in the district.

Boston City Councilor Chuck Turner (Green-Rainbow-Roxbury)Turner, of Roxbury, also backed Wilkerson (D-Boston) in her primary against Chang-Diaz (D-Jamaica Plain). Chang-Diaz beat the state senator in that primary, but Turner said he is sticking with Wilkerson in the general election because she is a valuable advocate for the district.

"To have Ms. Chang-Diaz in the seat really takes away a treasured resource," Turner told PolitickerMA.com. His district, he said, "needs someone in the Senate that really understands what our needs are."

Turner said Suffolk County's 2nd Senate District was created so Boston's Hispanic and black populations would have adequate representation in the state Senate. Turner questioned Chang-Diaz's Latina heritage, saying that he heard that she added "Diaz" to her last name when she first considered running for public office.

Turner said the candidate's base of support comes from liberal white women. "I do know that her base and her chief fundraiser was Barbara Lee," he said. Several in Wilkerson's campaign, as well as the senator herself, have suggested that Lee unfairly influenced the race with her fundraising. Lee and the Chang-Diaz campaign have disputed that charge.

Turner said Chang-Diaz's base is "part of the national group that thought Barack Obama getting the [Democratic] nomination was depriving white women everywhere of something they deserved to have."

The councilor also said that Chang-Diaz has "no roots politically or socially or anything else in the Hispanic communities" in the district.

Deborah Shah, Chang-Diaz's campaign manager, responded Wednesday that Chang-Diaz does not see race as an issue in her campaign.

"We think it's unfortunate that some people are making this about race," Shah said. "[W]e don't think this race is about race...It's about bringing new leadership to the district."

Shah went on to say that members of the community, regardless of their background, face the same challenges.

"What [Chang-Diaz] hears from talking to people is concern about healthcare, public schools, the safety of our neighborhood, and the financial crisis. That's what most people talk to you about, whatever their color or ethnicity," she said.

Shah also said any questions surrounding Chang-Diaz's ethnicity are completely unfounded. "There is no question about her Latina heritage, which she is extremely proud of," Shah said.

Chang-Diaz did add "Diaz" to her name, Shah said, when her father, a Costa Rican immigrant, changed his name. "More recently, he decided to go back to his original name, and she decided to do the same in part to honor him," Shah said, adding that the change did not coincide with her run for public office.

Check out PolitickerMA.com's running list of who Wilkerson's primary supporters are backing in the general election here. 

UPDATE, Wednesday, 4:05 P.M.: This article originally stated that Councilor Turner is a Democrat. That is not the case. He is a member of the Green-Rainbow Party, according to his office.