As we reported last Thursday, John Drinkwater is formally entering the race for 17th Middlesex State Representative.

The official announcement early Wednesday morning caps weeks of speculation about the former Lowell City Councilor’s intentions following Vanna Howard’s March 3 Special Election victory.  Howard was sworn into the State Senate seat previously occupied by the late Senator Edward Kennedy on March 18, leaving her State Representative seat vacant.

Drinkwater becomes the third entrant into the race, joining Anthony Leite and Harini Aiyer.

“Lowell and Tewksbury made me who I am today,” said Drinkwater. “I grew up in a working-class family. My mom was a public school teacher, and my dad was a pipefitter. I worked my way through school, graduating from Tewksbury High and earning both my Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from UMass Lowell. I know what it takes to work hard and provide for a family, and that’s why I’ve dedicated my life to fighting for people.”

Drinkwater served two terms on the Lowell City Council from 2020 to 2024. He also spent nearly 18 years working for the Massachusetts AFL-CIO, the state’s largest umbrella organization for labor unions, representing over 500,000 workers throughout Massachusetts at the State House.

He is currently the Director of Government Affairs for the Union of Painters & Allied Trades District Council #35.

“As a Lowell City Councilor, I passed policies to allow for more reasonably priced housing, cut unnecessary fees for small businesses, and delivered real results by pushing for a sidewalk on Douglas Road and repaving the Reilly School parking lot,” Drinkwater added. “As a labor leader representing workers at the State House, I led the passage of earned sick time, higher wages, and paid family and medical leave.”

“I’m running for State Representative because I’m the only candidate with the experience of delivering results at the local and state level,” he concluded. “I’ll be ready on day 1 to deliver for the people of Lowell and Tewksbury.”

Drinkwater currently lives in Lowell’s Belvidere neighborhood with his wife, Julie, whom he met on the track team at UMass Lowell, and their three children, Adeline (13), Sean (12), and Reilly (8), who attend the Sullivan Middle School and the Reilly Elementary School in Lowell. Julie has worked at Lowell General Hospital since 2006 and currently serves as an oncology nurse in the Cancer Center.