Massachusetts GOP Lt. Gov. Nominee Shawn Oliver Arrested on OUI After New Bedford Crash

NEW BEDFORD, Mass., Oct. 18 (TodayViralUSA) — Shawn Oliver, the Republican nominee for Massachusetts lieutenant governor and a New Bedford city councilor, was arrested on drunken-driving charges after a late-Saturday crash that overturned his vehicle and damaged multiple parked cars, police said, prompting his gubernatorial running mate to call for him to suspend his campaign two weeks before Election Day.

New Bedford police said officers responded about 11:40 p.m. Saturday to Dartmouth Street near a shopping plaza after a car overturned following collisions with five parked vehicles, two of them extensively damaged. Oliver, 42, was taken to St. Luke’s Hospital for treatment of injuries, then arrested and charged with operating under the influence of liquor, negligent operation of a motor vehicle, speeding and a marked-lanes violation.

Running mate demands he step aside

Oliver was booked about 6:45 a.m. Sunday and held at Ash Street Jail before being released on personal recognizance later that morning, according to local reporting. Leaving the jail in a white T-shirt with belongings in a plastic bag, he told a New Bedford Light reporter he had been in a crash on Dartmouth Street but declined further comment.

“I am extremely disappointed. Shawn is lucky to be alive and lucky that no one innocent was hurt,” Republican gubernatorial nominee Mike Minogue said. “There is no excuse for driving under the influence.”

Minogue said he had spoken with Oliver, asked him to immediately suspend his campaign, and added that if elected he would formally ask Oliver to resign. He urged Oliver, a father and grandfather, to “put his family first” and offered help so “this never happens again.”

Party awaits answers; mayor raises concerns

Massachusetts Republican Party Chairwoman Amy Carnevale said the party had “just learned of the car accident” and was “awaiting additional information.” New Bedford Mayor Jon Mitchell said he was relieved no one was seriously injured but called the allegations “deeply concerning,” saying the public deserves Oliver’s explanation.

Oliver, a corrections officer since 2013 who was elected to the Ward 3 City Council seat in 2023, is running on Minogue’s ticket against Democratic Gov. Maura Healey and Lt. Gov. Kim Driscoll in the Nov. 3 general election. He became the GOP lieutenant governor nominee after other hopefuls failed to make the ballot; Minogue had earlier backed a different candidate for the slot.

Oliver had appeared at a campaign-related event in Newton on Saturday, according to his social media, before the overnight crash. Massachusetts voters go to the polls on Nov. 3.