Five Candidates Vye for DeLeo’s House Seat

The race to fill the seat held by State Rep. and Speaker of the House Robert A. DeLeo is on.

Four candidates, Marc Silvestri, Jeffrey Turco, Valentino Capobianco, and Alicia DelVento, have officially announced their intentions to run in the special election for the seat that was held by DeLeo since 1991. Additionally, Revere’s Juan Jaramillo has filed the necessary paperwork and is expected to formerly announce his intentions.

Valentino Capobianco.
Alicia DelVento.
Juan Jaramillo.
Marc Silvestri.
Jeffrey Turco.

The Democratic Primary and the Republican Primary in the special election will be held on Tuesday, March 2. The general election (Democratic Primary winner versus Republican Primary winner) will be held on Tuesday, March 30.

As of Tuesday, no Republican candidate had entered the race. Candidates have until Jan. 19 to submit their nomination signatures to the Revere Election Department or the Winthrop Town Clerk’s Office.

The five Democratic candidates have been reaching out to supporters and elected officials in both Revere and Winthrop. In fact, some key endorsements in the race are expected to be announced within the next seven days.

The race will be a barnburner and generate significant interest among residents in the two politically active communities of Revere and Winthrop, and also among statewide observers who will be following the campaigns to see who ultimately emerges as the successor to the popular DeLeo, the longest-serving speaker in the history of the Commonwealth.

With the condensed, two-month runup to the March 2 Primary, the challenge for the candidates will be to get their message out to the voters at a pace more accelerated than in other, traditional campaigns that usually run through the summer months and into the fall. For example, the Jessica Giannino-Joseph Gravellese 16th Suffolk District state representative race (won by Giannino) was contested over the course of six months before the Primary was held Sept. 1.

Candidates have expressed interest in participating in a state representative debate before the early balloting period in the election begins. Revere Journal President Stephen Quigley, moderator of the Giannino-Gravellese state representative debate, has reached out to Revere TV Executive Director Robert Dunbar about the logistics of holding a debate during the COVID-19 pandemic. The arrangements will necessitate a venue in which the candidates would be safely distanced during a live broadcast, with most likely no spectators in attendance.

Ward 4 Councilor Patrick Keefe said the special election is a major topic of conversation in Revere. He reasons that residents in general are taking more of an interest in elections because of the increased importance and reliance on the delivery of vital services during the pandemic.

“I’ve gotten calls from all the candidates, which is flattering,” said Keefe. “I’ll be rooting for the best person to win. I haven’t decided whether or not l’ll be getting actively involved. Obviously, I want to see what’s best for the district. But it should be an exciting two months of campaigning leading up to the election.”

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