The special primary election victory of community college dean, and wife of former Sen. Paul Tsongas, Niki Tsongas on Tuesday puts her in the driver's seat to replace resigning Democratic Rep. Marty Meehan and hold this north-central Massachusetts seat for her party. Tsongas captured 36 percent of the vote in the five-candidate Democratic field, edging out late-breaking Lowell City Councilor Eileen Donoghue by about five points.
Many local Republicans argue that the candidacy of retired Air Force Col. Jim Ogonowski has given the GOP a better opportunity to capture a slot in the Bay State's congressional delegation than the party has had in many years. Although Ogonowski, whose brother was one of the airline pilots who perished in the September 11 th attacks, has a compelling personal story to tell, his viability remains a stretch.
Because this is the only game in town in 2007 and the GOP has been shut out for so long here, it is not difficult to imagine Ogonowski winning a small amount of crossover support, carrying a few of the more Republican-leaning (by Massachusetts standards)
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