Two 19-year-old Democrats win Arizona clerk and Massachusetts House races
The gist
Democrat Daniel Darris O'Connor, 19, unseated 16-year Republican Marc Lombardo in Massachusetts by under 500 votes.
Two teenagers winning court and legislative posts show the midterm wave's reach.
How it unfolded
- Sep 10, 2026Seb Matta, a 19-year-old ASU sophomore, became one of the youngest people to win a partisan nomination in Arizona, running for Maricopa County Clerk of the Superior Court against former state senator Jeff Dial.
- Oct 15, 2026Matta campaigned across Maricopa County handing out thousands of brochures.
- Nov 3, 2026Democrat Daniel Darris O'Connor, 19, won the 22nd Middlesex District in Massachusetts, unseating eight-term Republican incumbent Marc Lombardo.
Key terms
- midterms
- US general elections held near the midpoint of a president's four-year term, when all House seats and about a third of Senate seats are contested.
- Select Board
- The executive body governing a New England town, usually made up of three or five elected members.
- clerk
- An officer of the court who maintains court records, files documents, and administers oaths to witnesses and jurors.
Source: Wikipedia