With the two hotly contested races we’re keeping an eye on here at InsideLowell entering the home stretch, political players are stepping up the pace of endorsements for the candidates running in the 18th Middlesex State Representative and Middlesex North Register of Deeds Democratic primaries on September 3rd.
The latest “big name” to offer support is Massachusetts Speaker of the House, Ronald Mariano, who backed incumbent Rady Mom on Sunday.
Mom is locked in a three-way race in the 18th Middlesex District against Tara Hong and Andrew Kollar. Hong came withing 56-votes of unseating Mom in the 2022 primary, which also featured Lowell School Committee member Dominik Lay. Kollar is a first time candidate.
“Throughout his past five terms, Rady Mom has proven himself to be an effective Representative of the 18th Middlesex district and is dedicated to solving the complex issues his constituents face. As we strive to achieve our legislative priorities, such as affordable housing and economic development, Rep. Mom’s collaboration is helpful in attaining robust legislation,” Speaker Mariano wrote in a statement released by the Mom campaign.
The House Speaker’s public support of his colleague comes on the heals of State House endorsements for Lowell City Councilor Sokhary Chau, who is seeking the Democratic Party nomination in another hotly contested three-way race to replace the outgoing Register of Deeds Richard Howe, Jr.
Karen Cassella of Lowell, who challenged Howe as an Independent in 2018, is also seeking the nomination, as is well-known Chelmsford resident Joe Ready.
In late July, Chau secured the backing of Governor Maura Healey and Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll. This past week, State Auditor Diana DiZoglio offered her support for the former Lowell Mayor.
While Mom and Chau will certainly try to use the high-profile office holder endorsements to their advantage, the rest of the candidates are trotting out their own backers to help get out the vote.
When asked to list the endorsements she considers the most helpful to her campaign, Cassella cited Teamsters Local 170, IUPE Local 1000, New England Police Benevolent Association and the United Federation of Police Officers. She also noted receiving a lot of support from local attorneys that she’s met and worked with for the past 32 years while working at the Middlesex North Registry.
Rather than cite the numerous current and former elected officials backing him, Ready touted the support of Attorney Mark Weber (former Assistant Dean for career Services at Harvard Law School), Mark Kleinschnittger (Firm Prospects, LLC) and Lisa Pantuso (Realtor at Century 21 Your Way). All three have interacted with Ready throughout his career and the candidate says they can best attest to his leadership and operational management capabilities.
Besides the aforementioned “Big Three” Statewide Officers, Chau has also secured support from the Merrimack Valley Central Labor Council.
In the 18th State Rep race, Hong has received the backing of Planned Parenthood Advocacy Fund of Massachusetts, the Sierra Club and Mass Alliance. The trio of endorsements are key for the second time candidate, given his campaign’s strong stands on reproductive rights, progressive values and protecting the environment.
Along with Speaker Mariano, Mom lists the backing of House Ways and Means Chair, Aaron Michlewitz, and the National Association of Government Workers (NAGE).
Andrew Kollar, on the other hand, says he opted not to pursue endorsements, focusing instead on “providing the voters of the 18th Middlesex District a clear, compelling reason why I’m the best candidate to be their State Representative and speaking plainly with them so they can make an informed decision.”
Primary Election Day is September 3rd, with early voting beginning in Lowell August 24th. Mail in voting is already underway.
Stay with InsideLowell for continuous coverage of the races, and be sure to tune in on Election Night for live coverage beginning at 7pm on our YouTube Channel and at www.InsideLowell.com.
