The most recent Power Hour Podcast included a segment with Co-Host Asa Stutz addressing rumors that former State Representative David Nangle was going to vie for his old seat. (click here to view relevant segment at the 27:18 mark of the podcast)
The discussion led us to dig a little deeper, and sure enough, sources close to Nangle’s inner circle confirm the former 17th Middlesex State Rep is considering a campaign to regain the seat Vanna Howard won after defeating him and Lisa Arnold in a three-way Democratic Primary back in September of 2020.
While Nangle did not respond to multiple requests for comment, one source who has spoken directly with him indicates he is “strongly weighing the decision” and is being pushed to run by many close to him. Among the calculations, another source says, is the belief that the 11-term former Representative’s “stances on issues such as housing and ADU’s are more in line with the district than the incumbent’s.”
Nangle, who had served the district from 1999-2020, was mired in a legal battle during that 2020 campaign over allegations a gambling addiction led him to misuse campaign donations and falsify financial documents in an attempt to cover his losses.
He eventually pled guilty in February of 2021 and was sentenced to federal prison, where he served about 5-months before being released to community confinement in April of 2022.
Since that time, Nangle has reportedly put his life back in order and is working for the Bridge Club of Greater Lowell assisting others struggling with gambling addiction.
In a Peter Lucas column published in the Boston Herald in March, he called on Governor Maura Healey to restore cuts in spending to combat gambling issues.
