LOWELL — Voters showed up to the polls throughout the 1st Middlesex District Tuesday to decide on a Democratic nominee in a special election to fill the state Senate seat left vacant by Sen. Edward Kennedy after he died last year.
The state Senate district consists of the city of Lowell, along with the towns of Dracut, Tyngsboro, Pepperell and Dunstable. The Democratic ballot was the only competitive one of the primary, with 17th Middlesex District state Rep. Vanna Howard and 16th Middlesex District state Rep. Rodney Elliott seeking the nomination. The Republican ballot featured no named candidates, but Sam Meas mounted a write-in campaign, seeking to earn 300 write-in votes to be eligible for the March 3 general election ballot.
While there was less visible campaign activity outside polling stations throughout Tuesday than in some past elections, those who stood in support of Elliott and Howard offered The Sun their reasons for choosing their candidates.
Among those was Hugh McGill, who spoke to The Sun at the Reilly Elementary School polling station while holding signs with Howard’s husband, Greg and her son, Max. McGill said he has been paying attention to Howard ever since she was elected to the state House of Representatives in 2020, where he remarked about “the extraordinary work she has done for the community.”
“Her journey in life has given her extraordinary insights, which she brings to work every day,” said McGill. “She has a vision of inclusion in education and health care, so people don’t have to struggle.”
Later joining those holding signs for Howard at the Reilly was Leonardo Casella, who said he comes from a family of immigrants, which he said made her relatable due to being a refugee from Cambodia.
“She knows struggle, and her winning would mean a lot for communities who feel disenfranchised today,” said Casella.
Casella added that he finds it is “difficult to get past the apathy” people often feel about politics, and so he found himself surprised at, and drawn toward, Howard’s approach to politics.
“I expected a political force, but instead I found an organizational force,” said Casella.
Among those supporting Howard was former Lowell City Manager Brian Martin, who recalled working with Howard when she worked in the office of former U.S. Rep. Niki Tsongas.
“She always did a great job with constituent services … She is a great example of someone coming to this country and working hard for it,” said Martin.
Standing outside the Greenhalge Elementary School polling station was Regina Faticanti with a sign in support of Elliott. Her support for Elliott is, in part, due to the amount of state funding she said he has brought to the city of Lowell, and for his support of the sewer project in the Centralville neighborhood.
“We will have him to thank when we aren’t being flooded by heavy rain anymore,” said Faticanti.
Faticanti also pointed to Elliott’s support for the Cambodian community in Lowell, including through a recent event where Elliott raised money to help Cambodians displaced by the conflict last year between Cambodia and neighboring Thailand.
At the Morey Elementary School polling station in Lowell, Sok Paul Pen stood on a corner sidewalk surrounded by signs in support of Elliott, who he said is “always involved” in the community.
“He is here for his community when you need him,” said Pen. “Me and Rodney have been involved in a lot of activities together in Lowell, and for my home country of Cambodia.”
The gymnasium at the Richardson Middle School in Dracut seemed noisy and active during the two visits The Sun made on primary day. But that was due more to the number of precincts and poll workers assigned to the school.
Voters in Precincts 2, 3, 6, 7, and 9 cast their ballots at Richardson Middle School. Like other polling places in the 1st Middlesex Senate District, however, turnout was low.
“I’d say very, very low,” Precinct 3 poll worker Rebecca Ingram told The Sun. At 4:30 p.m., she looked at turnout numbers and reported that only 100 of 2,700 voters had cast ballots. That was before peak evening voting hours and before any mail-in ballots were counted. Precinct 3 accounts for more than 10% of the town’s total 25,000 registered voters.
Outside the school, Joseph Paolillo and Brianne Molloy-Paolillo stopped to talk about their votes. They each voted for Howard after extensive research into both candidates. The research included reading back articles in The Sun and reviewing their websites.
Molloy-Paolillo said she really wants to know all she can about who she’s voting for. “I like to be very precise.”
One woman who declined to give her name found the process very confusing because she did not know there was a write-in Republican candidate. Another woman who also declined to give her name said she had “no idea” who she was going to vote for as she walked toward the door to the school. She hadn’t had time to research the candidates, she said.
At the Tyngsboro Middle School polling station, former Selectman Don Lampron was the lone sign holder with a large placard supporting Elliott. Lampron, who has lived in Tyngsboro more than 40 years, reminisced about meeting Elliott during the latter’s first real involvement in politics, a Phil Shea campaign for state representative.
One voter, Greg Oberhauser, made a quick stop to vote, and while rushing toward his car stopped to say Tyngsboro needs someone in the Legislature who will really represent the town. Tyngsboro needs “more attention than it gets,” he said.
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