NEW BEDFORD, Mass. — The Republican candidate for lieutenant governor in Massachusetts dropped out of the race on Sunday hours after he was arrested in a suspected drunk driving crash.
Shawn Oliver, a city‑councilor in New Bedford and a corrections officer, said in a post on X he was ending his campaign because “the election is too important to be overshadowed by personal matters.”
The move came after his running mate, Republican gubernatorial candidate Mike Minogue, said he asked Oliver to immediately suspend his campaign and that “when elected, I will formally ask for his resignation.”
“I am extremely disappointed,” Minogue told X. “There is no excuse for driving under the influence.”
Police reported that Oliver, 42, was arrested after a vehicle he was driving collided with multiple parked cars and then veered off the road, turning over.
He sustained injuries, was hospitalized, and was charged with operating while under the influence of alcohol, negligent driving, a marked‑lane violation and speeding, according to department spokesperson Holly Huntoon.
The incident was first reported by The New Bedford Light.
Mayor Jon Mitchell of New Bedford described the allegations as “deeply concerning” and stressed that the public deserved answers from Oliver about what occurred.
A brief response call was left unanswered; Oliver, a native of New Bedford who won a city‑council seat in 2023, remained unreachable.
Running‑mate Minogue, a businessman and former military reservist, now contends against incumbent Democratic Governor Maura Healey on the November ballot, while the Democratic lieutenant‑governorship ticket is headed by Kim Driscoll.
Oliver has been placed on restricted work duty at the Massachusetts Treatment Center while investigators review all details, said a spokeswoman for the state Department of Corrections. The medium‑security facility holds sex offenders and individuals involuntarily committed as sexually dangerous persons.
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