Amparo “Chary” Ortiz suspended her campaign for 9th Suffolk representative, clearing the way for fellow South End resident John Moran to take the open seat, but her name will still appear on next month’s primary ballot.
Ortiz and Moran, both Democrats, were set to face off on May 2, with the winner moving on to run unopposed in the May 30 special election. The seat was left vacant when former Rep. Jon Santiago resigned to become the state’s veterans’ services secretary, a gubernatorial appointment that became effective last month.
Despite Ortiz’s decision to drop out, which was made last Thursday, per her campaign spokesperson, she is still technically in the race, according to the Secretary of the Commonwealth’s office.
“The deadline for her to withdraw was a couple of weeks ago,” said Debra O’Malley, spokesperson for the secretary of the commonwealth. “She didn’t file a notice of withdrawal. People are already voting at this point.”
Candidates had until March 31 to withdraw. Therefore, Ortiz’s name will still appear on the primary ballot, O’Malley said.
The campaign for Ortiz didn’t reveal that she had suspended her campaign until Tuesday. However, the decision was made before a candidates’ forum she was scheduled to appear in last Thursday, but didn’t attend due to a “pressing personal matter that presented itself,” her spokesman told the Herald.
“Unfortunately, I have made the difficult decision to suspend my campaign to attend to personal and family matters,” Ortiz said in a statement provided by her campaign. “And while my campaign today is ending, our important work is not. I will continue to be an active, engaged member of our community.”
According to her website, Ortiz is a community organizer involved with the Blackstone Neighborhood Association and works as the assistant director of academic partnership at Boston University’s School of Public Health.
While her name will still appear on the ballot, her decision to stop campaigning clears the path to victory for her opponent, John Moran, a self-described affordable housing advocate and businessman at Biogen.
There are no Republicans running for the 9th Suffolk seat, so whoever wins the Democratic primary is all but assured to become the next state representative.
“Chary is a caring and informed community leader,” Moran said in a statement. “I thank her for her continuous dedication to the 9th Suffolk District, and I wish her nothing but the best as she embarks on other opportunities.”
Both Democrats declared their candidacies in early March, but Moran was able to raise much more money for his campaign in that time period, according to the Office of Campaign and Political Finance.
Moran garnered roughly $64,931 in campaign contributions, and spent $23,229, leaving him with nearly $40,000 cash on hand as of March 31. By comparison, Ortiz raised $6,375 and had no cash on hand by that date, OCPF reports show.
The 10th Suffolk House seat, vacated when former Rep. Ed Coppinger resigned to lead the government affairs department at the Massachusetts Biotechnology Council, will also be decided in the May special elections.