Attorney General and Democratic gubernatorial candidate Martha Coakley hopes to make inroads in Boston’s neighborhoods with the opening of a campaign office in Grove Hall.

“We wanted to make sure that we were going to have a good location in a busy neighborhood in Boston,” Coakley told the Reporter. “We think it’s important that we have a location, a physical location, for people in the community to come see me, to come work with us, and tonight was a great kickoff to come get people here.”

The spirited opening featured members of the New Hope Baptist Church choir singing songs peppered with “Go Martha, Go Martha, Go Martha, Go!” and a recording of “Don’t Give Up, Martha,” an original song by the Gospel singer Sonny Thompson. “I thought I was just coming here for a ribbon cutting,” Coakley exclaimed.

“The way we can tell if someone cares about a community is if they come to the community and invest in the community,” said one neighborhood resident who introduced Coakley as “the only gubernatorial candidate who has done that.”

In a speech to about 50 supporters, Coakley drew on the religious songs and scripture from New Hope Baptist Church, which she visited over the weekend. She equated the state’s current economic system with trying to climb Jacob’s Ladder, from Genesis, that connects earth to heaven with Wall Street standing at the top of the ladder limiting access for everyone else.

“Once the people in this community find out she’s a genuine person, they’ll turn around,” said Mary Burks, a Mattapan resident who came to the office’s opening at 634 Warren St. “They’ll come around for her, I’m sure of it.”

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The lieutenant governor’s race hasn’t garnered much attention, though that could change, with Democratic candidate Mike Lake rolling out an endorsement from Boston City Councillor Tito Jackson earlier this week.

“We’ve known each other for years and there is no one who will fill the role of the lieutenant governorship with more energy and experience than Mike Lake,” said Jackson in a statement issued by the Lake campaign. “He believes in inclusion and will work hard for everyone in Massachusetts, not just the privileged few.”

Lake, CEO of the Boston-based urban public policy initiative Leading Cities, is one of three candidates vying for the Democratic nomination in September. The others are Cambridge City Councillor Leland Cheung and longtime state Democratic figure Steve Kerrigan.

US Sen. Elizabeth Warren at Codman Square Health Center.

US Sen. Elizabeth Warren rolled into the Codman Square Health Center last week for a speech at the center’s annual meeting and had nothing but praise for the Bill Walczak-founded organization. “I confess I am really knocked-out. This is terrific. The range of services here is fantastic. … You understand better than anyone that good health is about more than a visit to the doctor,” Warren told the crowd.

The meeting also recognized Mayor Martin J. Walsh for his efforts in the neighborhood and assistance in building thehealth center and Codman Academy.