Nguyen Outspent Lyons To Win State Rep's Race

ANDOVER, MA -- Shortly after Democrat Tram Nguyen scored an upset win over state Rep. Jim Lyons (R-Andover) Tuesday night, Boston city councilor and fellow Democrat Lydia Edwards sent a congratulatory tweet. "You ran an incredible ground game that couldn’t be matched. Let it be known for the record: signs don’t vote," Edwards wrote in reference to the observation that Lyons seemingly had more lawn signs in Andover, North Andover, Tewksbury and Boxford.

That ground game was well financed. A review of campaign finance records submitted with the Massachusetts Office of Campaign and Political Finance shows Nguyen amassed a bigger war chest than Lyons, allowing her to outspend the incumbent in the weeks between the Sept. 4 primary and Tuesday's general election.

Related coverage: Lyons Out As State Rep In 18th Essex

Between August 18 and October 19, Nguyen spent more than $53,000, compared to the $44,869 spent by Lyons. While incumbents are generally seen as having the fundraising advantage, Nguyen -- a first time candidate for political office -- began raising money late last year and didn't stop. Throughout the election cycle, Nguyen raised $119,389, compared to $95,757 for Lyons.

Instead of flooding the 18th Essex District with lawn signs, Nguyen, 31, paid a campaign manager $3,250 a month. She hired consultants and licensed analytical software. And when she did spend money on traditional campaign items like printing, she tended to favor fliers and direct mailings over lawn signs, campaign finance records show.

Nguyen described herself as a "pragmatic progressive" throughout the campaign. There were stark contrasts between her and Lyons, a Republican who faced criticism in the race's waning weeks for his record of voting on women's issues. To wit, the Planned Parenthood Advocacy Fund sent out a press release congratulating Nguyen before any media outlets had reported her victory Tuesday night.

Nguyen (pronounced "win") is a graduate of Tufts University and Northeastern University School of Law and has spent the past five years working as an attorney for Greater Boston Legal Services. That likely explains why lawyers and lobbyists were her biggest backers, contributing $11,222 to her campaign, according to an industry breakdown of donors by OpenSecrets.org.

She also received support from labor unions ($3,100), the healthcare sector ($2,939) and nonprofits ($2,600). She contributed $1,907 out of her own pocket, according to the records.

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Patch file photo via Shutterstock.

Dave Copeland can be reached at dave.copeland@patch.com or by calling 617-433-7851. Follow him on Twitter (@CopeWrites) and Facebook (/copewrites).