Nothing says "leader of the bluest state in America" quite like getting busted weaving across lane lines in your BMW SUV shortly after midnight on a Friday. Stephen "Steve" Kerrigan, the 54 year old chairman of the Massachusetts Democratic Party, was pulled over on June 13th in Southborough after a cop spotted him cruising directly over the dotted white line, as The American Tribune reported. Apparently the man was just vibing right down the center of Turnpike Road like he owned both lanes.
Now here is where it gets truly chef's kiss levels of ridiculous. When the officer approached Kerrigan's gray BMW, he noticed the guy had "glassy and bloodshot red" eyes and speech that was "slow, thick tongued, and slurred." But the cop couldn't initially smell any booze on him because Kerrigan was apparently marinating in such an "overwhelming odor of cologne" that it masked everything. Bold strategy, Steve. Really bold.
Kerrigan told officers he had consumed just two beers around 6 p.m. before dinner. Two beers. Sure, buddy. His roadside breath test came back at 0.117 percent, which is well above the legal limit of 0.08 in Massachusetts. Later readings at the station clocked in at 0.089 and 0.086, still over the line. Those must have been some pretty hefty "two beers."
The party boss, who has been running the state's Democratic operation since 2023 and was once the nominee for lieutenant governor back in 2014, got slapped with charges for operating under the influence, negligent operation, and a marked lanes violation. Two days later on June 15th, he admitted to sufficient facts on the OUI charge, which is basically saying "yeah, you got enough evidence to nail me." The court continued the charge without a finding through 2027, gave him a year of probation, ordered him into an impaired driving program, suspended his license for 45 days, and hit him with $600 in fees. The negligent operation charge got tossed, and he was found not responsible for the lane violation.
Here is the kicker. Nobody even knew about this for over a month until news organizations dug up the court documents and police report. Kerrigan eventually released a statement through his attorney saying he "regrets and takes full responsibility" for his actions. He also conveniently cited the 0.089 reading from the station rather than that spicy 0.117 from the roadside test.
Governor Maura Healey, who backed Kerrigan's campaign to become party chairman, was not exactly thrilled. She publicly scolded him, stating that driving under the influence is "never acceptable" and that she personally told him how unacceptable his behavior was. She also noted her relief that nobody was injured.
So to recap, the guy running the Democratic Party in one of America's most progressive states got caught driving drunk in a BMW while doused in cologne. Politics is truly the gift that keeps on giving.
Read more American news stories at: The American Tribune
