Kerrigan jumps into Dem race for Tsongas’ seat
Steven Kerrigan — the former Democratic candidate for lieutenant governor — has announced he is running for Congress in the Merrimack Valley seat left vacant by Niki Tsongas.
Kerrigan, of Lancaster, was failed Democratic gubernatorial candidate Martha Coakley’s running mate in 2014.
Kerrigan is expected to make a formal announcement in a video posted to his campaign website and stop at diners in Methuen, Lawrence and Lowell this morning.
“I’m running for Congress to represent the people and families of the Third District because, throughout my life, I’ve seen the enormous good that dedicated public servants can do for those they represent,” Kerrigan said in a statement.
Kerrigan served as an aide to the late U.S. Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, as chief executive officer for the Democratic National Convention Committee in 2012, as chief of staff for former President Barack Obama’s Presidential Inaugural Committee in 2009, and as chief of staff to former state Attorney General Tom Reilly.
“I was raised by a public school secretary and a union lineman for Mass. Electric in a home that embodied that fundamental American truth — that if you work hard and play by the rules, you deserve a chance to succeed,” Kerrigan said. “Though some in our district enjoy growing prosperity, too many are finding the opportunity to build a better life increasingly out of their reach. “
The other Democrat running for the seat is Daniel Koh, the former chief of staff for Boston Mayor Martin J. Walsh.
State senators Barbara A. L’Italien and Eileen M. Donoghue have also expressed interest in running, as have Cambridge City Councilor Nadeem A. Mazen and former Martin T. Meehan aide Lori A. Trahan. Trahan has raised $59,803, according to her campaign’s crowdfunding website.
Republican Rick Green of Pepperell is also running for the seat.