Gov. Deval Patrick has waded into the tight Middlesex County 29th District state House race, throwing his weight behind Jonathan Hecht, the Boston Globe reported Wednesday.

Patrick (D-Milton) appears with Hecht in a picture that is on a campaign flyer Hecht has distributed through the Watertown and Cambridge district. According to the Globe, the campaign material also contains a statement from the governor that reads, "I've known Jon Hecht for many years. He is a progressive Democrat with a long record of advocating for the needs of working families, especially in tough economic times."

The Hecht campaign said that Patrick has not formally endorsed Hecht.

Patrick's appearance on the flyer could boost Hecht's chances in his tight race against Julia Fahey for the state House seat vacated by Rachel Kaprielian, who was appointed by Patrick to be the Registrar of Motor Vehicles. Since the Watertown and Cambridge Democratic committees decided not to name a Democratic nominee to appear in Kaprielian's spot on the November ballot, Tuesday's ballot will be entirely decided by write-in/sticker ballots.

Hecht and Patrick have known each other for a long time. "I knew him as an 18 year-old freshman at Harvard," Hecht told the Globe. Patrick roomed with Hecht's older brother at Harvard during the 1970s.

The Globe also reported that 30 Hecht signs were stolen from yards in the district and dumped on the doorstep of Hecht's campaign office and on Watertown Town Manager Michael Driscoll's home. The Watertown police are investigating the thefts.