Two weeks following the election on November 5th, I had a meeting with Justin Thurber. During our phone conversation to arrange our appointment, I inquired about his life after winning his race. The State Representative-elect informed me that since his significant victory, he has been meeting with a lot of people.
Thurber joked, “Let’s just say I’ve had a lot of cups of coffee these past few weeks.”
We both live in Somerset, and I took the hint and asked him to join me for lunch at Fiesta, a Mexican restaurant. Wearing khaki slacks and a Liberty University hoodie, which I’ve seen him wear a lot, Thurber fit in with the other customers. Thurber’s pride is evident as both his daughter and son attend the school.
A server arrived to collect our drink orders after we had taken our seats at a table in the front of the dining room. Thurber ordered a root beer, and I ordered a Shirley Temple.
Having vowed to abstain from alcohol as a teenager, the 50-year-old married father of three hopes his kids will do the same.
I talked to each of my children about that choice and their self-promise to abstain from alcohol. My wife no longer drinks, although she did in the past.
Just over two years have passed since I first met Justin Thurber. Before a neighbor of mine informed me in the summer of 2022 that the Republican Thurber was considering a bid for the 5th Bristol seat, I had never heard of him. A few months later, I first encountered Justin at a sign-holding event for Bristol County Sheriff Thomas Hodgson in Fall River. He again blended in with the sign-holding mob. Just like he would say he was going to head to Home Depot to get a box of nails, he informed me he was running against Democrat Pat Haddad.
He grinned and added, “I’m running.”
Thurber ran a write-in campaign and was on the ballot for the general election that November, but Haddad defeated him. The outcomes of the election surprised many of us who were watching, even if we lost. Thurber came within 1,400 votes of taking the seat after winning more than 46% of the vote compared to Haddad’s 54%. Despite having virtually little money or name recognition, Thurber’s ground game—and, perhaps more crucially, his personality—won over voters.
Since her initial victory in 2000, Haddad, who had been in office for 22 years at the time, has never been challenged for the seat. She was a gym teacher in the Somerset public school district before joining the Somerset school committee and using her experience to manage the 5th Bristol for more than 20 years. Haddad was well-established in both local and state politics, and either no one believed they could defeat her in an election or everyone thought she was doing a fantastic job. All but Thurber.
Early on, Thurber made the decision to run against Haddad a second time with his family’s help. Massachusetts presidential election years are typically unfavorable for Republican candidates, as large numbers of Democratic voters turn out every four years, causing down-ballot carnage throughout the state. To be honest, I don’t think Thurber ever considered that while deciding to run. He informs me that most people remark his positive, wholesome view on life.
Everyone says I see the bright side at work, and I do, he says.
Thurber worked at a tiny, family-run company in Fall River, which is nearby. Since joining the company less than two years ago, Thurber has effectively prevented the company from going out of business. Throughout his campaign, he worked primarily full-time, juggling his commitments to his blue-collar job with his door-knocking and sign-holding duties. This showed a surprising level of loyalty for a position where he had only been employed for a year or two.
I’m needed there. I was successful in turning the company around and sustaining it. I don’t know what the future holds without me.
According to Thurber, he will keep the corporation solvent after he takes office in January.
One family has numerous people that rely on that business. I regret not being able to work there full-time.
During this campaign, Thurber’s second full-time job was to criticize Haddad’s voting record.According to his website, the incumbent voted in favor of raising the statewide gas tax by five cents, eliminating immigrant status as a barrier to obtaining a driver’s license, and providing public officials with an average 40% pay increase.
Thurber, an Air Force veteran, frequently discussed Haddad’s decision to vote against providing preference to veterans over immigrants when it came to housing. Thurber claims that he repeatedly asked Haddad to discuss those matters, but Haddad never got back to him. Thurber had banners produced that said, “Haddad Refused to Debate,” after she turned down several invites to debate. Ask yourself why.
We discussed the discussion that never took place as our lunches arrived.
I’m willing to wager that she would have won some points if she had debated me. I am not a seasoned politician, but she is. Thurber acknowledged Haddad’s contributions throughout the years, but claimed she had long since forgotten that the seat wasn’t hers.
It is the seat of the people. Not my. The residents of Somerset, Swansea, Dighton, and Taunton are the rightful owners of the fifth Bristol State Representative seat. Not me.
Building relationships with locals and paying attention to their problems is one way to guarantee those they are fairly represented. Since election night, Thurber said, he has had a packed schedule of meetings, the most recent of which was a gathering of all the district’s police chiefs this week.
I enjoy listening to others. I’ll always pay attention and consider what others have to say. It was a major aspect of my work as an Air Force Chief.
According to Thurber, he did not put his Veteran status on his yard signs during his 2022 campaign, but after consulting with his campaign team, he decided to include his service on his campaign materials this time. We even featured a picture of Thurber in his uniform in one of our earlier articles about him, and he requested that we remove it. He didn’t want anyone to believe that he was using his position to gain votes. In addition to changing the picture, I advised Thurber to get a professional headshot taken for the media, but he never gave it much thought.
He assured me that it was okay to use any old picture.
Despite not wanting to advertise his Veteran status, Thurber tells me that one of his personal goals is to inspire other Veterans to get involved in politics and run for office.
I believe that veterans are ideal candidates for elected office. It just makes sense.
We swapped parenting stories as our lunch approached the two hour mark, talking about how important it is for children to face a little adversity to build a good work ethic. He laughed the whole way through telling me what kind of a soccer coach he was when his kids were little, taking pride in his tough no crying in sports approach that parents always appreciated.
Thurber s secret weapon is that he looks too happy to be a politician. He is often smiling and laughing, dressed for comfort and looking relaxed. This past October, he entered and won an apple pie baking contest at the local farmers market, his smile radiating in the local paper after his culinary win.
But the demeanor can be deceiving. Listening to him speak at a campaign event earlier this year, Thurber told the story of how both he and his wife lost their jobs, at the same time, for refusing to get mandated COVID vaccinations. His wife Kerri, a schoolteacher, was one of only three Rhode Island teachers that were fired from their jobs for not getting vaccinated. Thurber himself was forced to retire after 29 years in the Air Force for not getting the vaccine. Busy keeping their family above water, the Thurber s didn t look like a force to be reckoned with, but the signs were there.
Kerri went on tosue the school district she was fired from,reaching a settlement that reinstated her as a teacher and paid her $150,000 in lost wages. Thurber found his own path to vindication:winning the race to be the next State Representative of the 5th Bristol District.
Lunch is over but Justin and I are still talking. He s been speaking with people in Boston about his swearing in, which will take place on New Year s Day and how someone suggested that his office at the statehouse will most likely be a small one in the basement somewhere a notion that Thurber actually prefers.
I would have no problem with a basement office at the statehouse. I like the idea of being unseen he smirks.
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