By Max Bowen-max.bowen@northstarreporter.com
State Rep. Adam Scanlon, thought to be running unopposed for a second term, may in fact have a challenger in the November General Election.
Patrick McCue, a resident of Mansfield, has announced his intent to hold a write-in campaign on the Sept. 6 Republican Primary ballot for the seat of 14th Bristol District State Representative, with the goal of certification for the Nov. 8 General Election. He’s a newcomer to politics, but hopes to work with both sides of the Beacon Hill aisle.
According to his campaign announcement, McCue is a lifelong resident of the district, a graduate of Mansfield High School and Massasoit Community College, and working towards a bachelor’s degree in history at Bridgewater State University. He is employed at Clinical Science Laboratory in Mansfield.
“The State House is currently an all but exclusive Democrat club,” said McCue in his announcement. “I hope to give voters a choice in November and do my small part in restoring bipartisan representation to the state.”
In an e-mail to the Reporter, McCue said his decision to run came after learning that Scanlon was running unopposed, and he’s seen that residents of the district are looking for a different representation in the State House.
“The 14th district and the state at large needs more politically diverse voices in its chambers and with Governor Baker declining to run for re-election, I fear we’ll lose what little political diversity we have,” he said. “I want to be a representative who will listen to what people in this district want to see from their State House and deliver upon their requests.”
A Democrat elected in 2020, Scanlon was facing no challengers from his party or the Republican Party this year—meaning he was set to serve another term in office. In a previous story published in the North Star Reporter, Scanlon spoke of his priorities for a second term—including tax relief for seniors, studying housing in Massachusetts and potentially improving Chapter 40B, and creating a caucus for young lawmakers.
McCue cited a number of issues facing the district, from the record-high inflation and economic downtown to small businesses impacted by the COVID-19 lockdown and supply chain shortages and a shortage of teachers.
“This area has suffered for a long time from the predation of drug dealers,” wrote McCue. “Heroin and other opioids addictions have plagued us for a long time. I will work with law enforcement to propose legislation to help catch these criminals from going after the vulnerable.”
According to the Secretary of State’s office, those running for office as a write-in candidate should notify the local election official in writing that they are running. When notified, the local election officials can inform precinct officials to carefully count all write-ins and include declared candidates on the tally sheet.
To be nominated in a primary, a write-in candidate must be the top vote-getter among the other candidates for the office. The number of write-in votes for the candidate must at least equal the number of signatures required on nomination papers to qualify for the primary ballot as a candidate. For example, a write-in candidate for state representative would have to get at least 150 write-in votes to win the nomination because that is the number of signatures on nomination papers required for a candidate to have their name printed on the ballot.
“I will need the help of every registered Republican and Independent on September 6,” wrote McCue. “150 is a lot of write-in votes, especially with only one local primary contest, but I am confident that it can be done.”
