LOWELL — State Rep. Vanna Howard won the Democratic nomination Tuesday evening in the special election for the 1st Middlesex District in the state Senate.
Howard beat out fellow Democratic state Rep. Rodney Elliott in a vote of 3,336-2,374, according to a mix of official and unofficial vote totals released by the five communities in the district.
Speaking to The Sun after the result became clear, Howard highlighted the number of people involved in her campaign.
“People wanted change. We ran this campaign honorably, focused on hard work and the people. It was to make lives better. We had over 200 first time volunteers, high school students, college students, different age groups reached out and said they wanted change,” said Howard.
This being a special election, Howard noted the relatively short window for campaigning compared to a standard election, which was compounded by what has turned into a harsh winter.
“It was a challenge, but that didn’t stop us at all from door knocking, we knocked on over 10,000 doors. It didn’t stop us from connecting with the residents of the 1st Middlesex,” said Howard.
Howard then spoke of the late state Sen. Ed Kennedy, whose death last year triggered this special election to fill his seat.
“On my way in here, Senator Ed Kennedy was on my mind. He was not only a friend but he was my colleague, my mentor and my adviser,” said Howard with emotion in her voice. “I am committed to continuing the good work that he did for this district.”
In a phone call with The Sun Wednesday morning, Elliott said he was “naturally disappointed” at the result, but that he remained committed to working alongside Howard in the state Legislature.
“I congratulated Rep. Howard last night on her victory, and I look forward to continuing to work together on the issues we talked about during the campaign,” said Elliott, pointing to affordability as the primary issue he heard about from residents. “We were both good candidates, and we both have the best interests of the city in mind.”
Elliott confirmed he intends to still run for reelection to his current seat in the 16th Middlesex District in the state House of Representatives later this year. The winner of the March 3 special election for the 1st Middlesex Senate District will also have to run for the seat again in the regular midterm elections this year, as the special election is only to fill the seat for the remainder of Kennedy’s term.
Beyond the Democratic ticket, candidate Sam Meas mounted a write-in campaign for the Republican nomination on a ballot without any named candidates. Meas needed 300 write-in votes to secure a spot on the general election ballot March 3.
The towns of Pepperell, Tyngsboro and Dracut released their unofficial results, which specified how many write-in votes went to Meas. He received 63 votes from Pepperell, 78 from Tyngsboro and 102 from Dracut. Dunstable initially released their write-in results without naming the candidate, but the Town Clerk’s Office told The Sun Wednesday morning Meas received 56 votes there, which brought Meas to a total of 299 unofficial write-in votes. Dunstable later posted its certified results, which remained the same as the unofficial tallies.
Lowell had 265 total write-in votes according to the official results posted by the city Election & Census Department on Wednesday, with 71 of those votes going to Meas, bringing him over the 300-vote threshold needed to appear on the general election ballot.
In a statement Wednesday morning, Meas declared victory.
“This campaign was about determination, organization, and voters refusing to be shut out of the process,” Meas said. “We proved that when people are given a clear choice and a clear path, they show up. I am grateful to every voter and volunteer who made this possible.”
If Meas’ declaration of victory holds, it would set up for a general election featuring two Cambodian refugees representing the two major political parties. If either Howard or Meas wins the general election, she or he will become the first Cambodian American elected to a state senate in the U.S.
Another candidate, Joe Espinola, is running as an unenrolled candidate and will appear on the general election ballot as well despite not having run in the primary.
Should Howard win in the general special election for state Senate, her 17th Middlesex District seat in the House will be up for grabs in the state elections later this year.
Democratic primary results
Lowell (official): Vanna Howard – 2,159, Rodney Elliott – 1,499
Dracut (unofficial): Elliott – 496, Howard – 359
Dunstable (official): Howard – 154, Elliott – 98
Pepperell (unofficial): Howard – 445, Elliott – 151
Tyngsboro (unofficial): Howard – 219, Elliott – 130
Total: Howard – 3,336, Elliott – 2,374
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