Lovvorn Looks To Knock McGovern From 2nd District U.S. House Seat

A member of the Grafton planning board, Tracy Lyn Lovvorn thinks that the biggest issue her legislative district faces is extreme partisanship. Congressman James P. McGovern says the biggest problem is healthcare.

Republican Tracy Lyn Lovvorn, 46, of Grafton, is battling staunch Democrat McGovern, 58, who has been a congressman for more than 20 years, in the mid-term election for the 2nd Congressional District seat in the U.S. House of Representatives.

The 2nd Congressional District includes, in Norfolk County, Precincts 4A and 5 in Bellingham. In Worcester County, the district includes Athol, Auburn, Barre, Blackstone, Boylston, Douglas, Grafton, Hardwick, Holden, Hubbardston, Leicester, Leominster, Mendon, Millbury, Millville, New Braintree, North Brookfield, Northborough, Northbridge, Oakham, Oxford, Paxton, Petersham, Phillipston, Princeton, Royalston, Rutland, Shrewsbury, Spencer, Sterling, Sutton, Templeton, Upton, Uxbridge, Webster, West Boylston, West Brookfield, Westborough, Worcester and Precinct 1 in Winchendon. It also includes several towns and communities in Hampden, Franklin and Hampshire counties.

For McGovern, the single most pressing issue that faces his district is ensuring that everyone has access to affordable, high-quality healthcare.

"I've fought tooth and nail against attempts to take away healthcare for those with pre-existing conditions," he told Patch. "We can't go back to the days when big insurance companies could refuse to cover someone with cancer or drop coverage as soon as they got sick."

Lovvorn argues that the biggest issue is what she calls extreme partisanship among current legislators. She said her goal is to ease the gridlock in Washington that has impeded progress for years.

"I believe that as a people, we have more in common than we have at odds," she said. "This is what I am going to focus on. I have a track record of bringing people together, finding common ground and goals, reaching across the aisle, and making positive things happen."

Lovvorn maintains that in McGovern is the "fifth most partisan member" of the 435-member Congress, aligning with Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi 95 percent of the time.

"My opponent's track record supports higher taxes, increased regulation, and increased governmental control," she told Patch. "He wants to abolish ICE and he supports sanctuary cities and states. His platform aligns with the Progressive Caucus and Democratic Socialist agenda and he unapologetically discounts and suppresses the voices of at least half of his constituents throughout the district based on his own personal agenda and beliefs."

McGovern says he's the better candidate because he knows his district and listens to his constituents. He said he enjoys meeting people from every city and town and always promotes an open door policy.

"I'm incredibly proud of the thousands of constituents we've helped over the years," said McGovern, "from everything from helping a World War II veteran get the medals he courageously earned but never received to helping a single mom working two jobs secure affordable housing assistance for her family."

McGovern said he hopes to enhance opportunities for the middle class and increase wages for working families. Though the stock market is doing well, he said, he hears from middle-class people all the time that their wages haven't gone up during a time of economic recovery.

"Workers aren't feeling the economic recovery and their paychecks don't match the rising costs of living," said McGovern.

Lovvern said her focus would be on healthcare and immigration reform, growth in well-paying jobs and infrastructure.

"We should be focusing on the care of our seniors, our military, our veterans, and the safety of our children," said Lovvorn. "We have mental health and opioid crises to overcome, and college costs and congressional terms that we need to limit."

See also:

>>Election 2018: Candidate Profile Of Tracy Lovvorn

>>>Election 2018: Candidate Profile Of Jim McGovern

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