Crean To Face Fattman In November After Write-In Campaign

MILFORD, MA — State Sen. Ryan Fattman will face a challenge in November after Milford Democrat Christine Crean mounted a successful write-in campaign to get her name on the ballot.

Crean, 63, said she had earned close to 700 votes in the Sept. 1 primary in the Worcester and Norfolk state Senate district, above the 300-vote minimum. Crean, the former chair of the Milford Democratic committee, will be only the second Democrat to face off against Fattman in the general since he first won the seat in 2014.

In her announcement Tuesday, Crean knocked Fattman's record, but didn't name him directly.

"Our towns and communities have been forgotten," she said. "I'm tired of politicians who get voted in and then ghost us when we need them most."

Fattman, a former member of the state House, won the Worcester and Norfolk seat after beating incumbent Democrat Richard Moore by more than 10 points in the 2014 election. He's been unopposed in every election since except 2016, when he defeated Thomas Merolli in the general by about 15 points.

Fattman made headlines this summer when he blocked a police reform bill that came in the wake of the George Floyd killing. He said in July that the bill was "rushed and done hastily." The House passed a version of the bill in July, but it has stalled since then.

Fattman did not face a Republican challenger in the September primary. Here's Crean's announcement on Tuesday about her successful write-in bid: