Thursday, 4:30 PM
State treasurer to endorse Niki Tsongas in 5th District race
By Globe Staff
The campaign of Niki Tsongas is expected to get boost from a high-profile Democrat today when state Treasurer Timothy P. Cahill endorses her in the race to fill the vacancy in the Fifth Congressional District.
Cahill is expected to appear with Tsongas this afternoon at a credit union in Lowell, according to a schedule issued by her campaign. Tsongas is one of five Democrats running in a special primary on Sept. 4. They are vying for a chance to fill the seat vacated by US Representative Martin T. Meehan, who held the seat for 14 years but stepped down to run the University of Massachusetts at Lowell. It is rare for a high-ranking office holder such as Cahill to endorse a candidate before a primary.
They are vying for a chance to fill the seat vacated by US Representative Martin T. Meehan, who held the seat for 14 years but stepped down to run the University of Massachusetts at Lowell.
Niki Tsongas is the dean of external affairs at Middlesex Community College in Lowell and wife of the late Paul Tsongas, a former US senator and presidential candidate.
In a recent poll conducted by SurveyUSA, Tsongas led with 38 percent of respondents, followed by 15 percent for Eileen Donoghue; 13 percent for Jamie Eldridge; 14 percent for Barry Finegold; and 4 percent for James Miceli. Ten percent of respondents chose "other," while 6 percent were undecided. The survey included responses from 1,400 adults who were interviewed between Aug. 11 and 13.
The five Democratic candidates plan to have a debate tonight in Acton.
Two Republicans candidates are also running for the seat. Jim Ogonowski is a Dracut farmer whose brother piloted one of the planes that was flown into the World Trade Center on Sept. 11, 2001. Thomas P. Tierney is a Framingham resident who ran and lost in 2004.
