It could be a coincidence, however no sooner did U.S. Rep. Stephen Lynch of South Boston vote to carry former Democratic President Invoice Clinton in contempt, than he received a Democratic major opponent.
Not solely that, his opponent, Patrick Roath, 38, of Jamaica Plain was endorsed by former Massachusetts Democratic Gov. Deval Patrick, who has shut ties to Clinton.
Earlier than serving two phrases as governor (2008-2016) Patrick was Assistant Lawyer Normal for Civil Rights within the Clinton administration from 1994 to 1997. He additionally briefly ran for president in 2020.
Roath, a progressive Democrat, is a Tufts College graduate, lawyer and voting rights advocate. He served as an intern within the Obama/Biden administration earlier than going to work for Gov. Patrick first as a press aide then as a speech author and coverage advisor.
Patrick mentioned Roath would carry recent views to the job. He instructed the Globe that Roath’s “unusual thoughtfulness and empathy is nearly form of an old school dedication to public service.”
Roath, who has not run for workplace earlier than, instructed WBUR that “It’s simply so apparent” that the Eighth Congressional District “wanted new management, new considering and new concepts.”
The district runs from Boston to Quincy and Brockton and contains various South Shore communities.
Lynch, 70, who beforehand served within the Massachusetts state Senate, has held the Congressional seat for 25 years. Whereas thought of a reasonable, Lynch has moved to the left in recent times.
He’s additionally near being the rating Democratic member of the Republican-controlled Home Oversight and Authorities Reform Committee chaired by Rep. James Comer of Kentucky.
It was on this committee per week in the past that Lynch voted to carry each Invoice Clinton and his spouse Hillary in contempt of Congress for failing to look for depositions relating to intercourse offender Jeffrey Epstein, regardless of being subpoenaed.
The vote was 34 to eight with 9 Democrats siding with the Republicans. The measure now goes earlier than the total Home.
Among the many 9 Democrats who defied Home Democratic Minority chief Hakeem Jeffries on the difficulty had been two Democrats from Massachusetts, Lynch and Rep. Ayanna Pressley of Boston who so far has no opponent for re-election.
Neither Lynch nor Pressley, nonetheless, ever had a lot, if any, private or political interplay with the Clintons when the Clintons had been in energy. Lynch was a state senator, and Pressley had not even been elected to the Boston Metropolis Council when Invoice Clinton was president.
So there seems to have been no private contact concerned regardless that Democrats are identified to circle the wagons to defend one in every of their very own.
Regardless, their vote towards the Clintons, together with the votes of the opposite seven Democrats, together with that of fellow Pressley Squad member Rep. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, took observers unexpectedly.
Lynch mentioned there was “loads of proof” that “Clinton might need info that he may share with the committee on Epstein.”
Lynch apparently had in thoughts photographs of Clinton with Epstein and numerous younger girls, together with Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s co-conspirator, who’s now serving time.
“He had flown various occasions with Epstein, he had traveled with them, he knew Maxwell very carefully,” Lynch mentioned.
Pressley’s take was completely different. She mentioned she was involved concerning the younger girls who had been victimized by Epstein. “I’m targeted on the survivors,” she mentioned. “Survivors deserve transparency and accountability.” She added, “I’m a sexual survivor myself.”
The Clintons have claimed that the subpoenas are invalid and that Congress has restricted authority to compel testimony from a former president.
In the meantime, Lynch has a Democratic opponent. Cautious the way you vote.
Veteran political reporter Peter Lucas could be reached at: peter.lucas@bostonherald.com
