LOWELL — Following weeks of speculation, State Representative Vanna Howard formally announced her run for the First Middlesex State Senate seat this morning. The 17th Middlesex Representative made the news official in a press release early this morning.
Howard becomes the second candidate to enter the contest, joining her House colleague Rodney Elliott, who declared his candidacy October 17. The Lowell Representatives are vying in the Democratic Primary to replace State Senator Ed Kennedy, who passed unexpectedly October 1.
“Ed Kennedy was my State Senator, and I was his State Representative, and that’s how we would refer to each other,” said State Representative Howard. “I lost not only a colleague but a friend, and seeing how he served with so much dedication and heart, I am committed to continuing his great work.”
On October 20th, the Senate adopted an order scheduling special elections for February 3 and March 3, 2026, to fill the First Middlesex State Senate seat, which Kennedy held since 2018.
Howard came to the United States at age 11 after surviving the communist Khmer Rouge genocide. She lost her father, three siblings, and both maternal grandparents to the killing fields.
“When I got here, it wasn’t easy. I faced homelessness, hunger, and domestic violence, but this community got me through it,” Howard wrote in her press release. “Ever since, I’ve dedicated my life to giving back, from working for Congresswoman Niki Tsongas helping constituents in Lowell, Dracut, Pepperell, Tyngsborough, and Dunstable, to serving in the District Attorney’s Office, and volunteering with more than 50 nonprofits.”
When Howard was first elected, she made history as the first Cambodian woman State Representative in the country, focusing on housing, childcare, and improving public safety and health across the 17th Middlesex District. If elected as State Senator, she would make history again as the first Cambodian State Senator in the country.
“I’m ready to take my service to the next level and make a bigger impact. Right now, families are being priced out of their homes, Trump is cutting crucial lifeline funding like SNAP, and young lives are being lost to violence,” said Howard. “I’m running for State Senate because right now, we can’t afford politics as usual.”
Despite some early speculation of a large field vying for the seat, it appears likely the contest will come down to a head to head matchup between two of Lowell’s three State Representatives.
