A candidate who filed a personal bankruptcy case just a few years ago emerged victorious in his Massachusetts primary election battle.
Hopedale businessman Thomas Wesley secured the Republican nomination for the second district U.S. Congress seat by outpolling Dr. Jay Fleitman by a 60%-40% margin.
The 2nd Congressional District encompasses 41 cities and towns in south central Massachusetts, from Bellingham to Chicopee.
Wesley will now face Democratic incumbent Congressman Richard Neal in the November general election.
Leaving the politics aside, Wesley’s victory should be a tremendous inspiration to anyone who has had to face up to their financial difficulties, and wondered if bankruptcy could hurt their reputation. While every case is different, voters in the Second District obviously didn’t hold the bankruptcy against him in sufficient numbers to deny him his party’s nomination.
Wesley’s prior bankruptcy case emerged as an issue in the primary with press reports claiming he was avoiding mention of the filing. Wesley denied this, and specifically claimed that he addressed his bankruptcy at some early campaign meetings.
Wesley said the bankruptcy case was due to a downturn in his aerospace company’s revenues early in the last decade.
Photo: Milford Daily News
By Doug Beaton