Candidate for Massachusetts lieutenant governor ends campaign after arrest | Massachusetts

The Republican candidate for lieutenant governor of Massachusetts announced Sunday the suspension of his campaign hours after being arrested in an alleged drunk driving accident.

Shawn Oliver, a New Bedford city councilman and corrections officer, said in an article on X that he was ending his campaign because “elections are too important to be overshadowed by personal issues.”

The move comes after Mike Minogue, his running mate and Republican gubernatorial candidate, said he had asked Oliver to immediately suspend his campaign and that “once elected, I will formally request his resignation.”

“I’m extremely disappointed,” Minogue said on X. “There is no excuse for driving under the influence.”

Police said Oliver, 42, was arrested after he was involved in a car crash Saturday evening, involving a vehicle that struck several parked vehicles before overturning.

He was taken to the hospital with injuries and arrested on suspicion of operating under the influence of alcohol, negligent operation of a motor vehicle, marked lane violation and speeding, Holly Huntoon, a police spokeswoman, said in an email.

The arrest was first reported by the New Bedford Light.

Jon Mitchell, New Bedford’s Democratic mayor, said the allegations against Oliver were “deeply concerning” and that the public deserved to hear what happened.

A phone message seeking comment was left for Oliver, who was born and raised in New Bedford, a city of 100,000 about 60 miles south of Boston. He was elected to the city council in 2023.

Minogue, a businessman and military veteran, will face incumbent Democratic Gov. Maura Healey in the Nov. 3 runoff. The Democratic candidate for lieutenant governor is incumbent Kim Driscoll.

“Shawn is lucky to be alive and lucky that no innocent people were hurt,” said Minogue’s X-rated post after Oliver’s arrest.

The position of lieutenant governor of Massachusetts is considered largely ceremonial. But the holder of the post is the first to become governor if he resigns or dies.

Oliver has been assigned restricted work duties at his job at the Massachusetts Treatment Center “while all facts and circumstances are reviewed,” says an email from Lindsay Corcoran, a spokeswoman for the state Department of Corrections. This medium security establishment houses sex offenders and people civilly declared sexually dangerous persons.