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.
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.
“This was a tough race against a 16-year entrenched incumbent. The Boston Globe reported that Darris-O’Connor caught the political bug during the COVID-19 pandemic, when he was in middle school. Thank you for the privilege to serve you as State Representative for 16 years.
“I am a younger candidate. My campaign wasn’t focused on my age; it was focused on the issues,” Darris-O’Connor added. As per the young Democrat, the rising cost of living and the need for stronger representation locally were issues that resonated with voters. 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. A big thank you to my campaign team and volunteers for all your time and effort.”
“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 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. 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. 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. 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.
