Nineteen-year-old Democrat, unseats GOP incumbent to become one of Massachusetts' youngest House representatives | World News

Daniel Darris-O'Connor, the 19-year-old Democrat, defeated longtime Republican incumbent Marc Lombardo to win the Massachusetts House seat. The results were part of the 2026 midterm elections which saw Democrats wrest control of both the House of Representatives and Senate at the federal level.

Daniel Darris-O'Connor reportedly caught the political bug during COVID-19, when he was in middle school. (Facebook/Daniel Darris-O'Connor for State Representative)The teen from Billerica has said that he's ready to go to work for his constituents on Beacon Hill, local channel WCVB reported. Darris-O'Connor will turn 20 the day before he is sworn into the State House.

“I'm happy that the voters of Billerica had faith in me being their next state representative,” he said after defeating the 44-year-old Lombardo. “I am a younger candidate. My campaign wasn't focused on my age; it was focused on the issues,” Darris-O'Connor added.

“I think there are some great candidates across Massachusetts and across the country who ran great campaigns on the issues that people are facing,” he also said. As per the young Democrat, the rising cost of living and the need for stronger representation locally were issues that resonated with voters.

Darris-O’Connor beat Lombardo by 438 votes, Lowell Sun reported, citing unofficial results released by the town. Darris-O’Connor reportedly got 8,968 votes while Lombardo secured 8,530.

He graduated from Billerica High School in 2025 at 18. Currently, he attends UMass Lowell and two months earlier, he was elected to the Select Board.

“This was a tough race against a 16-year entrenched incumbent. We were outspent, the odds were stacked against us, and I was told by many that winning this race was not possible. But we proved them wrong,” he said in a statement. The Boston Globe reported that Darris-O'Connor caught the political bug during the COVID-19 pandemic, when he was in middle school.

After the win, the Democrat thanked those who helped him in the campaign and said he was “honored that the people of Billerica have put their trust in me.” The teen continued that the town needed “a state representative who will actually fight for Billerica families, address the cost-of-living crisis, deliver the funding we deserve back to Billerica and be there when our residents need them most.”

“Neighboring communities have secured millions of dollars in grants and earmarks, while Billerica has been left with far less than we deserve. Changing that will be my focus from day one,” Darris-O'Connor said.

Lombardo, in a social media post, said, “Friends- we fell just short in a very close race. Thank you for the privilege to serve you as State Representative for 16 years. A big thank you to my campaign team and volunteers for all your time and effort.”

Shuvrajit has over seven years of experience covering US, India, and world news. An English Literature postgraduate from Jadavpur University, Shuvrajit started off covering entertainment, gaming and all things pop culture. There were brief periods away from the media industry, with short stints in content marketing, ed-tech and academic editing. However, the newsroom beckoned and over the last few jobs, Shuvrajit has exceedingly focused on team functioning as well, including tracking news and assigning tasks, working on everyday breaking news, framing detailed coverage plans, and creating immersive and data-driven stories. In his time as a digital journalist, he has covered a Lok Sabha election, multiple state elections, Union Budgets and award ceremonies. He has also helped in planning content for company event panels in the past. For work, Shuvrajit enjoys dabbling with data visualization, editing tools, and AI chatbots and attempts to incorporate AI workflows in everyday tasks. He is deeply interested in geopolitics, sports, films and music. Prompting is a new fascination for Shuvrajit now. Apart from that, he can be found doom-scrolling, sharing memes, or cheering on his favorite football team.Read More