Trahan ‘Hopeful’ Ahead of Third Congressional Democratic Recount Reveal

Congresswoman Lori Trahan at a Haverhill Democratic City Committee event in 2018. (WHAV News file photograph.)

Lori Trahan addressed supporters at a Haverhill Democratic City Committee event on Sunday, Sept. 16. (WHAV News photograph)

Two weeks and two dozen recounts later, the 3rd congressional district is one step closer to determining a democratic primary winner. On the eve of Monday’s recount deadline, challengers Lori Trahan and Dan Koh rallied last-minute support in Haverhill at a Democratic City Committee “Unity Rally,” with Trahan telling WHAV she remains “hopeful” she’ll be her party’s nominee.

“We’ve got a lot of confidence in the recount process and for the most part it’s been going smoothly the whole way,” she told WHAV Sunday afternoon during an event that brought out local democrats including Alexandra Chandler, state Reps. Andy Vargas, Diana DiZoglio and Linda Dean Campbell, along with Haverhill’s Mayor James J. Fiorentini.

Koh speaks at HDCC’s “Unity Rally.” (WHAV News photograph)

During remarks at downtown’s Barking Dog Ale House, Trahan joked it’s been a stressful two weeks for her and Koh.

“Dan and I are just enjoying being co-chairs of the ‘Every Vote Counts’ campaign,” joked Trahan.

On Saturday, Haverhill recounted all Democratic ballots, yielding one extra vote for Andover’s Koh. The city’s tally stands at 2,072 for Koh and 678 for Trahan. Overall, Trahan maintains a 127-vote lead over Koh with 24 out of 37 communities having completed their recount. All recounts must be completed by Monday.

With her eye on November’s state election, Trahan—expected to face Republican Rick Green and Independent Mike Mullen—told WHAV she’d be honored to step into the legendary shoes of Congresswoman Niki Tsongas to represent cities including Haverhill.

“I’ve often said in this campaign that better decisions are made when more women are at the table, and we need many more women serving. Not just in the halls of Congress, but in boardrooms across the country. I’m excited,” said Trahan. “I know they’re big shoes to fill in terms of the work and legacy of Congresswoman Tsongas but I’m ready to proudly serve.”