Shawn Oliver has suspended his bid for Massachusetts lieutenant governor after his arrest on drunken-driving charges following a five-vehicle crash.
Oliver, 42, a New Bedford city councilor and the Republican running mate of gubernatorial candidate Mike Minogue, was taken into custody around 6:45 a.m. Sunday, roughly seven hours after the late-night wreck near his home. Police said the incident occurred at approximately 11:40 p.m. Saturday, when Oliver allegedly veered into the wrong side of the road, struck a parked car head-on, and flipped his own vehicle, which then hit four other parked cars.
Dramatic photographs from the scene showed Oliver’s car resting on its roof amid extensively damaged vehicles. He was transported to a nearby hospital with injuries before being arrested on drunken-driving charges. Oliver was released from jail at approximately 9:30 a.m. Sunday and was scheduled for arraignment Monday morning in New Bedford.
Minogue moved swiftly to distance himself from his embattled running mate. On X, the GOP gubernatorial candidate wrote:
“I am extremely disappointed. Shawn is lucky to be alive and lucky that no one innocent was hurt. There is no excuse for driving under the influence.”
Minogue continued, adding that he had spoken directly with Oliver:
“After speaking with Shawn, I am asking him to suspend his campaign immediately, and when elected, I will formally ask for his resignation.”
Minogue also emphasized family priorities in his social media post, noting:
“Shawn is a father and grandfather, and he needs to put his family first. He needs to do the work to ensure this never happens again. If he needs help with that, I will help him.”
Oliver’s withdrawal came less than three hours after Minogue’s public demand. In a statement released shortly after 2:15 p.m. Sunday, Oliver said:
“After careful reflection, I have made the decision to suspend my campaign for Lieutenant Governor.”
He added:
“This election is too important to be overshadowed by personal matters. I want to sincerely thank everyone who has supported me throughout this journey and ask that my family’s privacy be respected during this difficult time.”
When a journalist approached the Oliver family home, Oliver’s wife said he was sleeping and was “very hurt” about the situation but declined to comment further.
The crash and subsequent arrest have thrown the Republican ticket into disarray with fewer than three weeks remaining before the Nov. 3 general election. Minogue faces an uphill battle against incumbent Democrat Maura Healey, trailing by an average of 19 percentage points in recent 270ToWin polling.
The timing leaves Republicans without a lieutenant governor candidate on the ballot as voters prepare to cast ballots in the closely watched race.