Dean Tran

Dean A. Tran is an American politician from Fitchburg, Massachusetts, who was elected to the Massachusetts Senate in 2017 in a special election. He represented the Worcester and Middlesex District, and is a Republican. Before his election to the Massachusetts Senate, Tran was a member of the Fitchburg City Council.

Dean Tran
Massachusetts Senate Assistant Minority Whip
In office
2019 – March 26, 2020 [1]
Member of the Massachusetts Senate
from the Worcester and Middlesex district
In office
December 6, 2017 – January 6, 2021
Preceded byJennifer Flanagan
Succeeded byJohn J. Cronin
Member of the Fitchburg City Council
In office
2005–2017
Personal details
BornSaigon, Vietnam
Political partyRepublican
SpouseKerry
Children4
ResidenceFitchburg, Massachusetts
Alma materBrandeis University
Websitewww.deantran.com

Early life

Tran was born in Saigon, since renamed Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam into a successful business family. He emigrated with his family to the United States at the age of 4. After fleeing Vietnam by boat, Tran’s family spent two years in a refugee camp in while waiting for their application for green cards to be approved. In 1980, he and his family were sponsored by a Catholic priest in Clinton, Massachusetts, which he calls his first real home. In 1986, his family relocated to Fitchburg, Massachusetts where he graduated from Fitchburg High School. Tran continued his education, earning a bachelor's degree from Brandeis University in 1997.[2][3][4]

Political career

In 2005, Tran became the first person of color elected to the Fitchburg City Council.[5] On December 5, 2017, after 12 years as city councilor, Tran won a special election to replace outgoing state senator Jennifer Flanagan for State Senate representing the Worcester and Middlesex district, by less than 700 votes.[6] He ran as an advocate for fiscal discipline and low taxes. Tran is the first Vietnamese American to hold an elected office in Massachusetts.[7][8][9]

On December 20, 2017, Tran was officially sworn in to the State Senate. His senatorial district comprises Berlin, Bolton, Precincts 1 & 2 of Clinton, Fitchburg, Gardner, Lancaster, Leominster, Lunenburg, Sterling, Townsend and Westminster in north central Massachusetts. Tran was re-elected in the general election in November 2018, but he lost re-election in the 2020 general election to Democrat John Cronin, also by less than 700 votes.[10]

On February 2, 2022 Tran officially kicked off his campaign to challenge Lori Trahan in the 2022 Midterm election for the 3rd congressional district.[11][12]

Leadership and Committees
  • Former Assistant Minority Whip
  • Joint Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security (ranking Minority member)
  • Joint Committee on State Administration and Regulatory Oversight
  • Joint Committee on Municipalities and Regional Government
  • Joint Committee on Transportation (ranking Minority member)
  • Joint Committee on Higher Education
  • Senate Committee on Intergovernmental Affairs
  • Joint Committee on Cannabis Policy

Scandals

Tran was stripped of his leadership post, as assistant minority whip, in March 2020 after the Senate Ethics Committee ruled he violated ethics and campaign rules by having staffers work on his 2018 re-election campaign while on state time.[13][1] He subsequently lost re-election in November of the same year.[10]

As of January 2022, neither the Office of Campaign and Political Finance nor the Ethics Commission have taken any public action on these accusations.[7] Tran stated he never had due process to give his side of the story, see the report, or know who the witnesses were.[14]

On July 1, 2022, Tran was indicted on charges of: Larceny of a Firearm, Larceny Over $250 from Person +60/Disabled, Filing an Application for a License to Carry Containing False Information, Obtaining a Signature by False Pretenses with Intent to Defraud, Misleading a Police Investigation, Stealing by Confining or Putting in Fear. These charges stem from an incident when he allegedly stole a firearm from an elderly woman and lied to investigators about it.[15] Tran filed suit in federal court on July 27, 2022 against Attorney General of Massachusetts Maura Healey, alleging the case against him is politically motivated by a partisan Democratic political figure.[16] Tran pled "absolutely not guilty" on all charges on July 28, 2022.[17][18]

In June 2023, Tran's home was raided by the FBI as part of a federal investigation unrelated to the firearm charges.[19]

Personal life

Tran is married to his wife Kerry. They have four children: Isabelle, Olivia, Madilyn, and Dean. In his spare time, Tran likes to spend time with his family and is a volunteer coach for youth soccer, basketball, and baseball.[2] Before being elected to the state senate, he served on the Corporator Board for the Central Massachusetts YMCA, and the Board of Trustees for Mount Wachusett Community College.[2] Tran continues to help families in need as Tran and staff were able to raise monetary donations to purchase food and Christmas gifts for the Perez children as well as give hundreds of dollars to the family to use for expenses.[20]

Tran's daughter, Olivia, ran for a vacant Fitchburg City Council Ward 6 seat in November 2021. She earned 46% of the vote, but lost the election.[21]

See also

References
  1. "Senate Committee on Ethics finds that Sen. Dean Tran violated campaign regulations", Lowellsun.com, March 26, 2020
  2. "Senator Dean A. Tran".
  3. "Game Changer".
  4. "Defying odds".
  5. "Tran and Senate challenger Cronin have economic priorities".
  6. Burke, Amanda (December 5, 2017). "GOP's Dean Tran wins special election for state Senate seat by over 600 votes". Sentinel & Enterprise. Retrieved June 22, 2018.
  7. Stout, Matt (2021-12-08). "Former state senator accused of unethical behavior moves toward Congressional run - The Boston Globe". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 2022-01-22.
  8. "Dean Tran".
  9. "PD43+ » Candidate Profile".
  10. "John Cronin wins Worcester & Middlesex Senate seat over incumbent Dean Tran".
  11. "Former state senator to challenge Lori Trahan in midterms". 8 February 2022.
  12. "Lucas: Ex-state Sen. Dean Tran is ready for his State House comeback". 3 February 2022.
  13. "Mass. Senator dinged in ethics inquiry forms legal defense fund - the Boston Globe". The Boston Globe.
  14. "Former state Sen. Dean Tran kicks off campaign for Congress, alleges racism in ethics report".
  15. "Former Massachusetts State Senator charged with intimidating elderly woman".
  16. "Ex-senator Tran sues Healey over criminal charges of stealing a constituent's gun". 27 July 2022.
  17. "Former state Sen. Dean Tran pleads not guilty to criminal charges related to alleged fraud gun deal". 28 July 2022.
  18. "Maura Healey and the odd prosecution of Dean Tran - the Boston Globe". The Boston Globe.
  19. Gross, Samantha (22 June 2023). "FBI raided Fitchburg home of one-time congressional candidate, former state senator Dean Tran". The Boston Globe. Retrieved 23 June 2023.
  20. "Perez family receives help from former state Sen. Dean Tran and staff". 11 January 2021.
  21. "DiNatale wins another term as Fitchburg's mayor". 3 November 2021.
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