Massachusetts Republican lieutenant governor candidate Shawn Oliver has suspended his campaign after allegedly driving drunk and crashing his car into five parked vehicles in New Bedford, the New York Post reported.
Oliver, 42, the running mate of GOP gubernatorial candidate Mike Minogue, was arrested around 11:40 p.m. Saturday near his home, MassLive reported. Police say he veered into the wrong side of the road and struck a parked car head-on, causing his own car to flip over. In total, five vehicles were damaged, and photos from the scene showed Oliver’s car lying on its back surrounded by damaged vehicles.
Oliver, who also serves as a New Bedford city councilor, was taken from the scene to a nearby hospital with injuries. He was arrested on drunken-driving charges just before 7 a.m. Sunday, police said. He was released from jail around 9:30 a.m. and was due to be arraigned in a New Bedford court on Monday morning. No one else was hurt in the crash.
In a statement released just after 2:15 p.m. Sunday, Oliver said: “After careful reflection, I have made the decision to suspend my campaign for Lieutenant Governor. This election is too important to be overshadowed by personal matters.”
His announcement came less than three hours after Minogue said he had urged his running mate to step down. “I am extremely disappointed. Shawn is lucky to be alive and lucky that no one innocent was hurt. There is no excuse for driving under the influence,” Minogue wrote on X. Minogue said that if elected, he would formally ask for Oliver’s resignation.
When a journalist visited the family home, Oliver’s wife said he was sleeping and was “very hurt” about the situation but declined to comment further, the Boston Herald reported.
Oliver’s arrest comes fewer than three weeks before the Nov. 3 general election. Minogue, who is challenging incumbent Democrat Gov. Maura Healey, is trailing her by an average of 19 percentage points in recent 270ToWin polling.
Replies