Meehan's wife backs Tsongas
Will serve as campaign chair
US Representative Martin T. Meehan might be staying out of the race to replace him, but his wife is not.
Democrat Niki Tsongas said yesterday that Ellen Murphy Meehan will serve as chairwoman of her campaign for the Fifth congressional seat, an indication that the exiting congressman may have an heir in mind.
Tsongas is battling at least five other candidates for the Democratic nomination to succeed Meehan, who is resigning to become chancellor of the University of Massachusetts at Lowell.
Both Tsongas and Ellen Meehan denied that her involvement was a tacit sign that the seven-term congressman is endorsing Tsongas, the widow of US Senator Paul Tsongas.
"He worked very hard to continue Paul Tsongas's legacy, particularly on economic development," Ellen Meehan said, referring to her husband. "But as chancellor of UMass-Lowell, he feels he can't endorse a candidate and doesn't plan to. I feel differently. I'm an independent person."
Meehan, a healthcare consultant, said she will be a hands-on campaign volunteer working on policy issues and campaign strategy. She said Tsongas has "the expertise and experience that will help foster economic development" in the district, which covers 29 cities and towns north and west of Boston, including Lowell and Lawrence.
Analysts said Meehan's decision to join the campaign gives Tsongas an early edge over rivals.
"I assume this is not something Mrs. Meehan did on her own," said Democratic media consultant Dan Payne. "Let's just say there is a strongly implied endorsement by Congressman Meehan. I can't put a percentage on it, but it helps a lot to establish her as the candidate to beat . . . and it probably won't hurt her fund-raising either."
The other Democratic candidates, however, downplayed the significance of the endorsement, insisting Meehan's involvement in Tsongas's campaign will have little effect on the outcome of the race.
Scott Ferson, a spokesman for Eileen Donoghue, said the Lowell city councilor and former mayor, who will announce her candidacy today, will "stick with the game plan."
"Eileen has the most money, the biggest base, and institutional endorsements from the city council, the mayors, the state senator," Ferson said. "This race will not be won by reacting to what other campaigns do, but by showing how Eileen can best serve the district. This race is very much about the future of the district and not the past."
State Representative James Miceli of Wilmington called the announcement "not totally unexpected" and said that Tsongas is not the front-runner as many believe.
"You should go out in the district, go into Lowell and take a poll of your own," he said. "I don't want to demean anyone. Paul was a great, great statesman and someone I really admired. But I don't think that will carry over into her campaign. You'll find she got an initial lift, but she's not as strong in Lowell as you might think."
State Representative Barry Finegold of Andover said the voters are interested in issues not endorsements. "This campaign needs to be about healthcare, education, and the environment, not who endorses who," Finegold said.
A spokesman for state Representative James Eldridge of Acton congratulated Tsongas on a "good endorsement."
But "we're happy to put our list of grass-roots Democratic activist supporters up against hers any day," said Michael Moschella. "We have the kind of support that is needed to run a truly grass-roots campaign, which is how you win congressional races in Massachusetts."
Longtime Democratic activist David O'Brien of Concord wondered whether the congressman will follow his wife's lead and endorse Tsongas.
"I don't know if it's step one of a two-step process," he said, "and it leaves the rest of us wondering if the other shoe will fall. With him leaving midterm . . . that would be of interest to the voters, possibly in a negative way."
A seventh possible candidate, Middlesex County Sheriff James DiPaola, dropped out of the race yesterday, just one day after moving to Lowell to establish his residency in the district.
"It was the right district, the right race, the right candidate, but the wrong time," said Michael Goldman, a DiPaola campaign spokesman. "For professional and family reasons, the timing turned out to be wrong." 