Out-of-Town Mailer Hits Hughes In Select Board Race

A nonpartisan local election has taken an unexpected turn as Massachusetts Republican Party mailers targeting Select Board candidate Rachel Hughes arrived in Hanover residents' mailboxes days before voting begins.

The political advertisements, which label Hughes as "radical" and "way out there," have sparked concern among community members unaccustomed to state-level partisan involvement in town governance.

"When I saw that mailer in my mailbox, my stomach turned," said resident Michelle Ramponi. "This is Hanover. This is our small town. These are our neighbors. The person being attacked is a mother of young children who volunteers her time year-round to make our community better... The mailer is entirely inappropriate."

Hughes expressed disappointment about the outside intervention.

"It's unfortunate that we have a partisan state-level committee attacking a candidate for a local, nonpartisan volunteer position," said Hughes. "This is what they've decided to spend money on instead of focusing on the issues."

The controversial mailers feature Hughes' image alongside excerpts from a 2020 Facebook post discussing police funding redistribution. Hughes contends these comments were taken out of context.

"I have police in my family and have always been a supporter of our police," Hughes said. "My actions speak louder than any words. I've advocated for the Hanover Police Department to receive more budget and strongly supported the override the last two years. I've spent considerable time with Chief Kane and his department during my time on the Advisory Committee, consistently working to secure their funding."

John Milligan, Executive Director of the Massachusetts Republican Party, defended the organization's approach.

"The role of the state party is to do the negative mail; we let our Republican candidates do the promotional items themselves," Milligan said. "We're more of the attack wing, hitting what we think is bad policy and people who shouldn't be anywhere near government, which I think this individual fits."

Select Board candidate Nick Spolsino did not respond to requests for comment. Local State Republican Committee Member Alex Haggerty was also unavailable for comment.

Questions remain about why the state GOP chose to intervene in this specific local race.