Massachusetts Governor Maura Healey and Lt. Governor Kim Driscoll officially endorsed Tara Hong for State Representative in the 18th Middlesex District, an interesting development given that he doesn’t actually have an opponent actively campaigning against him. Hong does, however, have a challenger whose name appears on the November ballot alongside his.
“Tara Hong is a passionate advocate for the 18th Middlesex District who will deliver real progress for his constituents,” reads the statement from the Governor and Lt. Governor. “Tara will be a champion for families, students, workers’ rights, affordable housing, and the environment. We’re proud to support his campaign.”
The Hong campaign says the endorsement underscores Hong’s dedication to advancing progress for the district’s families, students, and working people.
“I am incredibly honored to have the endorsement of Governor Healey and Lt. Governor Driscoll,” said Hong. “Their support of the campaign reflects our shared commitment to improving the people’s lives in the 18th Middlesex District. This is crucial to building a stronger relationship to help our district and city thrive. Together, we will ensure every voice is heard, and every family has the resources to thrive. I am committed to being a full-time state representative, remaining accessible and ready to serve the district in every way possible.”
As for Hong’s “opponent” on the ballot, his name is Dave Ouellette. You’ll recall Ouellette told InsideLowell back on May 1st that he was mounting a “conditional campaign” for the 18th Middlesex District seat.
The condition? That he run as an Independent only if incumbent, five-term Representative Rady Mom won the Democratic Primary. The long-time Acre neighborhood activist also endorsed Hong at that time and said if the challenger emerged victorious, he would not campaign against him.
When contacted today, Ouellette confirmed he stands by his promise and said he continues to support Hong. However, Massachusetts law states the last day to remove your name from the ballot is June 7th, a fact confirmed by Lowell’s Director of Elections, William Rosenberry. So that ballots Rosenberry received in the office today and began sending out to those requesting to vote by mail list both Hong’s and Ouellette’s names as candidates for the seat, despite one of them not being a real candidate.
One could wonder why the deadline is June 7th, given the fact the ballots aren’t printed until after the September 3rd primary, which leaves plenty of time for a candidate to request their name be removed. We’ll leave that to more knowledgeable election types to explain.
Suffice it to say, Hong’s victory in the September 3rd primary means that when the votes are tallied on November 5th, he’ll officially become the Mill City’s newest representative-elect. And he now has a high-profile endorsement from the State’s top two officials to go along with it.
