Republican lieutenant governor candidate Shawn Oliver pleaded not guilty in New Bedford District Court to charges stemming from a late-night vehicle crash that left his Lincoln Navigator flipped upside down.
Oliver, 42, appeared in court facing charges of operating under the influence of liquor, negligent operation of a motor vehicle, a marked lanes violation, and speeding. He left the courthouse Monday in a black vehicle without speaking to reporters after being released on personal recognizance. His defense attorney, John Hendrie, declined to comment when asked outside the courthouse, stating, “Not today.”
The crash occurred late in the evening on Oct. 17 on Dartmouth Street in New Bedford. Police reports filed in court indicate that responding officers found Oliver’s Lincoln Navigator overturned, with Oliver sitting on a chair brought out by a civilian while bleeding from a laceration on the right side of his head and behind his right ear.
A witness told police that Oliver’s vehicle initially failed to move when a red light turned green, then accelerated forward, drifted right toward a curb, and abruptly veered left to strike multiple parked cars, causing the Navigator to flip upside down upon impact. Another police report noted that Oliver was speaking on his cellphone when officers arrived, stating that it had been a “long day” and that he was on his way home after meeting with friends. Oliver repeatedly asked if everyone else was all right and remarked that he had been “burning both ends of the wick.”
While hospitalized, Oliver spoke with police and admitted to consuming at least two alcoholic beverages earlier at the Black Bass Grill in Dartmouth before visiting a friend’s house. According to the police report, officers observed that Oliver’s eyes were bloodshot and glassy, and he emanated a moderate odor of alcoholic beverages before vomiting prior to his arrest. Oliver entered the courtroom on Monday with a visible head injury.
The incident triggered an immediate fracture in the Republican gubernatorial ticket. Hours after Oliver’s arraignment, gubernatorial nominee Michael Minogue released a statement demanding Oliver’s resignation from the ticket.
“We’ve come to an agreement,” Minogue told reporters in Hamilton. “He will not be my lieutenant governor. Period.”
Oliver announced Sunday that he would suspend his campaign after facing public pressure from Minogue, stating that the election is “too important to be overshadowed by personal matters.” However, Minogue’s campaign emphasized that Oliver’s name will remain on the ballot for the Nov. 3 election against incumbent Governor Maura Healey and Lieutenant Governor Kim Driscoll. Campaign officials urged supporters not to alter the line on their ballots featuring their names, warning that doing so could invalidate their votes. Hundreds of thousands of voters have already cast ballots through mail-in or early voting, and the legal deadline to remove a candidate’s name passed more than six weeks prior.
Historical precedents exist in Massachusetts for candidates dropping out late in an election cycle. In 2010, former state representative Paul Loscocco abruptly dropped out in early October while running for lieutenant governor as an independent alongside Timothy P. Cahill, endorsing Republican nominee Charlie Baker. Loscocco’s name remained on the ballot, and Cahill later filed a lawsuit against former strategists accusing them of orchestrating the defection to aid Baker’s campaign.
Debra O’Malley, a spokesperson for the secretary of state’s office, confirmed that no constitutional procedure exists in Massachusetts to replace a lieutenant governor who steps down after election. Should Minogue win in November and Oliver either decline to take the oath or immediately resign upon swearing-in, the office would remain vacant.
Minogue framed the potential vacancy as a cost-saving measure, pointing out that neighboring states like New Hampshire and Maine operate without a lieutenant governor, and argued that leaving the post empty could save hundreds of thousands of dollars in salary. The office has previously sat vacant following the 2013 resignation of then-Lieutenant Governor Timothy Murray to lead the Worcester Regional Chamber of Commerce. During such vacancies, formal duties like presiding over Governor’s Council meetings fall to the governor, while the secretary of state stands next in the line of succession for acting gubernatorial duties.
