Massachusetts Republicans put a man on the statewide ticket who couldn't stay sober behind the wheel, and now voters are left with a suspended campaign and a wrecked slate less than three weeks before Election Day.
GOP lieutenant governor candidate Shawn Oliver — a sitting New Bedford city councilor and Bristol County House of Corrections officer — was arrested on operating under the influence and negligent operation charges after he flipped his car and smashed into five parked vehicles around 11:40 p.m. Saturday night. Two of those parked cars took extensive damage. Oliver was taken to St. Luke's Hospital with injuries and booked just before 7 a.m. Sunday, according to New Bedford police. He was released from Ash Street Jail around 9:30 a.m.
This is a man who works inside a county corrections facility, charged with the kind of offense that puts people in those cells.
Oliver is believed to have veered into the wrong side of Dartmouth Street and struck a parked car head-on, flipping his own vehicle, New Bedford Live reported. Dramatic photos from the scene show Oliver's car on its roof.
His running mate, GOP gubernatorial candidate Mike Minogue, called for Oliver to suspend his campaign at 11:30 a.m. Sunday. "I am extremely disappointed," Minogue said. "Shawn is lucky to be alive and lucky that no one innocent was hurt. There is no excuse for driving under the influence." Minogue added that he would formally ask for Oliver's resignation "when elected."
Oliver complied — eventually. His suspension statement came at 2:15 p.m., roughly three hours after Minogue's public call. "This election is too important to be overshadowed by personal matters," Oliver said, calling the drunk-driving arrest a "personal matter" that voters should simply look past.
New Bedford Mayor Jon Mitchell called the allegations "deeply concerning" and said the public deserves an explanation. Oliver's wife, approached by the Boston Herald at the family home, said he was sleeping and was "very hurt" but declined further comment.
The Massachusetts GOP is now stuck. Early voting is already underway. Ballots with Oliver's name have been printed. Minogue trails incumbent Democrat Maura Healey by an average of 19 points in recent 270ToWin polling. The party couldn't vet a candidate for the second-highest office in the state well enough to catch a problem as basic as this — and conservatives in Massachusetts are the ones who pay the price.
