Who’s Challenging Jim McGovern for Congress?

Monday, May 21, 2012

Sandy Meindersma, GoLocalWorcester Reporter

If Congressman Jim McGovern can get by challenger William Feegbeh in the Democratic primary, his trip back to Washington looks like will be an easy one.

To date, only one of the five individuals who pulled papers for the Second Mass. District has filed them with the Secretary of State’s Office. Two others, Robert Louis Potvin of West Brookfield and Richard Eustis have confirmed to GoLocalWorcester that they are no longer in the running.

“I pulled the papers and never did anything with them,” Potvin said.

Eustis Running for State Representative Instead

Eustis, a Republican who lives in Medway, said he had formed an exploratory committee but that the new district configuration was a big part of his decision not to run. Medway had been in the 3rd Mass. District, but is now part of the 4th Mass. District after the 2010 redistricting.

“I grew up Northborough, I work in Southborough, but my daughter will be a senior at Medway High in the fall, and I didn’t want to trade a future opportunity for the present,” Eustis said. “It was an agonizing decision – I had met with half of the city and town committees.”

Eustis told GoLocalWorcester that he has decided to run for state representative instead, running in the 10th Norfolk/Middlesex district.

Luis R. Guiot of Worcester has pulled papers for the congressional seat, but has not returned them. No phone number was available for Guiot.

Barron Still on the Fence

Patrick Barron, who ran as an independent against McGovern in 2010, said he is still undecided whether or not he will run again in 2012.

“I haven’t even started collecting signatures. As an independent, I have until July 31,” Barron said.

“The first campaign really opened my eyes,” he said. “I learned that if you get elected to Congress, you’re in debt to your party $100,000. I’ve spent the last 18 months researching how Congress is a Pay to Play system.”

Barron, who said he ran in 2010 because of the healthcare issue, said he would love to run again. “I’ll probably decide within the next four weeks,” he said.

Feegbeh on the Primary Ballot

Feegbeh has collected 2251 certified signatures, and will be on the Democratic primary ballot in September. This is his second attempt at public office; in 2010 he ran unsuccessfully for Second Suffolk and Middlesex District primary against Steven Tolman.

“I got my signatures in 11 cities and towns,” Feegbeh said. “I did not get them all in Worcester.”

Feegbeh, who moved to Worcester last year, said he has four major issues he wants to bring to Congress: affordable housing, jobs, primary education for the middle class and bringing the troops home from Iraq and Afghanistan.

When pressed for more specifics regarding the issues, Feegbeh said he wanted to work with his Congressional colleagues to see what federal money is available.

Feegbeh, who was born in Liberia, said he is in the process of getting a website put together, and said he is hoping to begin raising money. Information about Feegbeh’s campaign finances are not yet available through the Federal Election Commission.

“Right now I am paying for my campaign myself,” he said. “Some of my friends have promised me money, but they haven’t given me anything yet."

In addition to needing money, Feegbeh is dealing with some personal legal issues, having been arrested twice in the last two months. His first arrest, which was on March 29 in Leominster, occurred while he was out campaigning; Feegbeh was charged with disorderly conduct, trespassing, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon, assault and battery on a police officer and resisting arrest.

The second arrest, a domestic dispute, occurred on April 8. Feegbeh said the charges, assault and battery with a dangerous weapon and assault and battery, were trumped up by the Worcester Police and are completely false. Both cases have been continued until June.

McGovern Campaign Weighs In

Scott Zoback, Director of Communications for the McGovern campaign said the Congressman is continuing to get to know the new members of his district.

“He’s been traveling around this very large new district, from the Vermont border to the Rhode Island border aggressively campaigning and getting to know the hundreds of thousands of new constituents,” Zoback said. “Regardless of who is in or out, Congressman McGovern is not going to change what he does.”