19-year-old Democrat Daniel Darris-O’Connor triumphed in the United States elections, securing the Massachusetts House of Representatives seat for the 22nd Middlesex District.
Darris-O’Connor, a student at the University of Massachusetts in Lowell, defeated eight-term Republican Rep. Marc Lombardo, who has been in office since 2011.
The incoming lawmaker thanked supporters and voters in a Facebook post, assuring the people of Billerica town of an “active, effective voice on day one this January.”
In a statement, Lombardo, 44, said, “We fell just short in a very close race” as he credited constituents for “the privilege to serve you as State Representative for 16 years.”
Darris-O’Connor was a seventh grader when he took an interest in politics during the COVID-19 pandemic, a period he recalled gave him time to learn about government.
Now heading to Beacon Hill in Boston, Darris-O’Connor served on local boards and committees before winning a seat on the Billerica Select Board in 2025, while in high school.
During his campaign, the Democrat highlighted the affordability crisis, rising costs of healthcare, housing, and energy as issues that are impacting Massachusetts and the US at large.
Meanwhile, Sebastian Matta, a 19-year-old sophomore at Arizona State University, has been elected as Clerk of the Superior Court for Maricopa County.
Republican Jeff Dial, a former state senator, has conceded to Matta, who will oversee the clerk’s office in the fourth-largest county in the country.
A student of philosophy of law, politics, and morality, Matta will lead hundreds of employees, managing official court records, legal filings, and financial transactions.
The victories of Darris-O’Connor and Matta in the 2026 midterm elections formed part of the Democrats’ blue wave, which swept through many states across America.