Democrats battle for place on ballot the 19th Suffolk in Tuesday primary

Four Democrats battle it out in a high-drama primary Tuesday for a place on the ballot in the upcoming 19th Suffolk state representative race to replace longtime former Speaker Robert DeLeo.

The special election has energized voters in Winthrop and Revere as Democratic candidates have sparred over issues including immigration and abortion, with one grabbing the attention of national candidates including U.S. Sen. Bernie Sanders and U.S. Rep Ayanna Pressley and another becoming embroiled in scandal.

The four Democrats on Tuesday’s ballot include Alicia DelVento of Winthrop, an aide for state Rep. Danielle Gregoire; Jeffrey Turco, a lawyer who formerly served on Winthrop’s town council and school committee; Columbian immigrant and labor organizer Juan Jaramillo of Revere; and Beacon Hill insider Valentino Capobianco who last week grabbed headlines over allegations of inappropriate behavior.

High-profile endorsements for Capobianco from Attorney General Maura Healey, former U.S. Rep. Joseph Kennedy III, Suffolk County Sheriff Steven Tompkins and state Sen. Paul Feeney, D-Foxboro — Capobianco’s former boss — were all withdrawn in the aftermath of a scandalous report by GBH that found allegations of misconduct dating back to when Capobianco was in high school.

Capobianco, Feeney’s former chief of staff, has denied the allegations, calling them “completely untrue and ridiculous” in a statement to the Herald.

And his campaign has continued to raise cash, reporting $6,675 in the week since the allegations were levied — including $150 from former Attorney General Martha Coakley and $100 from Rep. Dylan Fernandes, D-Falmouth.

Opponents DelVento and Jaramillo of Revere have also both spent much of their careers on Beacon Hill.

But it’s Turco, who has raised the most — raking in more than $135,000 since announcing his candidacy barely two months ago. Turco, backed by the police unions, has established himself as the moderate candidate in a district that’s become increasingly diverse since DeLeo was first elected in 1990. The anti-abortion candidate called out the “socialist’ politics of his opponents in a recent candidate forum.

Jaramillo has captured endorsements from both Sanders and Pressley as well as progressive candidates from around the state. The former DeLeo staffer and Democratic State Committee member has also served on Revere’s planning board.

DeLeo’s departure last December to take a job at Northeastern University freed up the 19th Suffolk seat for the first time in 30 years and sent the political world into a frenzy as candidates began to jockey for the role.

Tuesday’s winner will face off against Winthrop Republican Paul Caruccio and unenrolled candidate Richard Fucillo Jr. in the March 30 special election.

from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/3uDRz0R