Kevin R. Hayden
Democratic · MA · Suffolk County District Attorney
Kevin R. Hayden is the Suffolk County district attorney, first appointed in 2022 and later elected. He prioritizes firearm-crime enforcement, community engagement, alternative resolution for young people, and conviction integrity.
Where Kevin R. Hayden stands, based on their records
Supports
Public Safety and Crime Control (2 records), Criminal Justice and Civil Liberties (2 records), Gun Control (1 record),
Opposes
Anti-Corruption (1 record)
Track record
Track record — Anti-Corruption
Anti-Corruption · 1 oppose
Hayden paid a $5,000 Massachusetts State Ethics Commission civil penalty and admitted violating the conflict-of-interest law after failing to stop or withdraw an official office statement aimed at discrediting his 2022 primary opponent.
April 25, 2024Opposes Anti-Corruption
Source: mass.gov
Track record — Public Safety and Crime Control
Public Safety and Crime Control · 2 support
Hayden reported that the Services Over Sentences diversion-and-treatment program he launched in 2022 made 321 referrals in 2025 and had helped nearly 160 participants complete the program since launch as alternatives to traditional prosecution for eligible low-level offenses.
March 1, 2026Supports Public Safety and Crime Control
Source: suffolkdistrictattorney.com
As Suffolk County District Attorney, Kevin Hayden launched Boston FIRST with local and federal law-enforcement partners, assigning resources and ballistic-tracking capabilities to identify illegal firearm trafficking and related shootings.
May 12, 2022Supports Public Safety and Crime Control
Source: suffolkdistrictattorney.com
Track record — Criminal Justice and Civil Liberties
Criminal Justice and Civil Liberties · 2 support
Hayden appointed former Massachusetts Trial Court Chief Justice Jeffrey Locke to lead the Integrity Review Bureau, with a mandate to investigate wrongful convictions and report directly to the district attorney.
September 4, 2025Supports Criminal Justice and Civil Liberties
Source: suffolkdistrictattorney.com
Hayden expanded and renamed the District Attorney's civil-rights team, adding prosecutors at the district- and superior-court levels in response to hate incidents and white-supremacist activity.
July 25, 2022Supports Criminal Justice and Civil Liberties
Source: suffolkdistrictattorney.com
Track record — Gun Control
Gun Control · 1 support
As Suffolk County District Attorney, Kevin Hayden launched Boston FIRST with local and federal law-enforcement partners, assigning resources and ballistic-tracking capabilities to identify illegal firearm trafficking and related shootings.
May 12, 2022Supports Gun Control
Source: suffolkdistrictattorney.com
Track record — Civil Rights
Civil Rights · 1 support
Hayden declined to retry Milton Jones after the office's Integrity Review Bureau found unreliable eyewitness identifications, no physical evidence, and apparent failure to disclose important testimony and statements before the original trial.
December 12, 2022Supports Civil Rights
Source: suffolkdistrictattorney.com
Past races Kevin R. Hayden ran in:
- Suffolk County District Attorney · November 3, 2026 · Suffolk County, Massachusetts · incumbent
- Suffolk County District Attorney · September 1, 2026 · Suffolk County, Massachusetts · incumbent