{{short description|American politician (born 1971)}} {{for|the Scottish footballer|Steve Kerrigan (footballer)}} {{Infobox officeholder | name = Steve Kerrigan | image = Stephen Kerrigan Portrait.jpg | office = Chair of the Massachusetts Democratic Party | term_start = April 24, 2023 | term_end = | predecessor = Gus Bickford | successor = | office2 = Chief Executive Officer of the Democratic National Convention | term_start2 = 2009 | term_end2 = 2012 | predecessor2 = Leah D. Daughtry | successor2 = Amy Dacey | birth_name = Stephen Kerrigan | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1971|9|17}} | birth_place = Lancaster, Massachusetts, U.S. | death_date = | death_place = | party = Democratic | spouse = {{marriage|Jacob Watts|2017}} | education = University of Maryland, College Park (BS) }}
'''Stephen "Steve" Kerrigan''' is an American political executive who has served as the chair of the Massachusetts Democratic Party since April 2023<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.masslive.com/politics/2023/04/steve-kerrigan-is-the-new-head-of-the-mass-democratic-party-and-is-no-stranger-to-politics.html|title=Steve Kerrigan is the new head of the Mass. Democratic Party and is no stranger to politics|work=The Republican (Springfield, Massachusetts)|date=April 25, 2023|accessdate=December 25, 2023|last=Lisinski|first=Chris}}</ref> and was the Democratic nominee for Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts in the 2014 election.<ref>{{cite news|last=Hartwell|first=Michael|title=Kerrigan says lieutenant governor should be advocate|url=http://www.sentinelandenterprise.com/local/ci_22712677/kerrigan-says-lieutenant-governor-should-be-advocate?source=rss|accessdate=July 24, 2013|newspaper=Sentinel & Enterprise|date=March 4, 2013}}</ref> From 2003 to 2007, Kerrigan served as chief of staff to Massachusetts Attorney General Thomas Reilly, and from 2009 to 2012, CEO of the Democratic National Convention. Kerrigan was also president of the 2013 Presidential Inaugural Committee.
==Early life and education== Kerrigan was born and raised in Lancaster, Massachusetts. His father worked as a lineman for the Massachusetts Electrical Company, and his mother served as the Mary Rowlandson Elementary School secretary.<ref name=Gottesman>{{cite news|last=Gottesman|first=Jan|title=Kerrigan brings lifetime of experience to state race|url=http://www.telegram.com/article/20130329/COULTER01/103299904|accessdate=July 24, 2013|newspaper=The Item|date=March 29, 2013}}</ref>
Kerrigan graduated in 1989 from St. John's High School in Shrewsbury, Massachusetts and went on to earn his bachelor's degree from the University of Maryland in 1993.<ref name=Gottesman />
==Political career==
===Aide=== For more than 10 years, Kerrigan worked in the office of Senator Ted Kennedy. Kerrigan began his work for Senator Kennedy as an intern. Once a member of the Senator's staff, Kerrigan fulfilled the roles of scheduler and constituent services director until becoming the senator's political director, a position he maintained from 1996 to 2003. After his departure, Kerrigan maintained his relationship with the Senator and his family. In 2009 he arranged the Senator's funeral mass in Boston.<ref>{{cite news|last=Rowland|first=Christopher|title=A firm hand at the helm of Democrats' convention|url=https://www.bostonglobe.com/news/nation/2012/05/18/firm-hand-helm-democrats-convention/knO7y9fSF70OLHtb0Z4GSN/story.html|accessdate=July 24, 2013|newspaper=The Boston Globe|date=May 19, 2012}}</ref>
From 2003 to 2007, Kerrigan was Massachusetts Attorney General Thomas Reilly's Chief of Staff.<ref name=Charlotte>{{cite news|last=Morrill|first=Jim|title=Dems' point man for Charlotte stage|url=http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2011/09/05/2580621/dems-point-manfor-charlotte-stage.html|accessdate=July 24, 2013|newspaper=Charlotte Observer|date=September 5, 2011|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://archive.today/20130724210339/http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2011/09/05/2580621/dems-point-manfor-charlotte-stage.html|archivedate=July 24, 2013}}</ref> He worked on Reilly's unsuccessful 2006 gubernatorial campaign.<ref name=SentinelEnterprise>{{cite news|last=Graham|first=Jonathan|title=Former Lancaster selectman heads Reilly's campaign|newspaper=Sentinel & Enterprise|date=April 17, 2006}}</ref>
===Democratic Party=== Kerrigan was chief of staff of Boston's host committee at the 2004 Democratic National Convention.<ref name=Charlotte />
Kerrigan served as the chief of staff for President Barack Obama's first Presidential Inaugural Committee in 2008. In his role, Kerrigan managed a staff of nearly 450, a $55 million budget and an army of 17,500 volunteers to create the largest event in the history of the United States.<ref>{{cite web|title=Stephen Kerrigan|url=http://www.iop.harvard.edu/stephen-kerrigan|work=Harvard University Institute of Politics|publisher=Harvard IOP|accessdate=July 24, 2013}}</ref>
In 2012, Kerrigan was appointed president and chief executive officer (CEO) of the 2013 Presidential Inaugural Committee (PIC). Immediately prior to joining the PIC, Kerrigan served as CEO of the 2012 Democratic National Convention. In his capacity of president and CEO, Kerrigan was responsible for supervising a National Day of Service, President Barack Obama's swearing-in, a parade down Pennsylvania Avenue, and two official balls.<ref name=UMDPIC>{{cite web|last=Brown|first=Lauren|title=Steve Kerrigan: A Terp In Charge of the Obama Inauguration|url=http://www.umdrightnow.umd.edu/news/steve-kerrigan-terp-charge-obama-inauguration|work=UMD Right Now|publisher=University of Maryland|accessdate=July 24, 2013|archive-date=July 19, 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130719031643/http://www.umdrightnow.umd.edu/news/steve-kerrigan-terp-charge-obama-inauguration|url-status=dead}}</ref>
===Elected office=== At the age of 24, Kerrigan lost his first race for the Lancaster Board of Selectmen by 26 votes. He was later appointed to the town's finance committee, where he served for two years. Kerrigan then served on the Lancaster Board of Selectmen from 1998 to 2001.<ref name=SentinelEnterprise />
In 2008, Kerrigan challenged incumbent Harold Naughton, Jr. for the 12th Worcester District Massachusetts House of Representatives seat. He lost 3,990 (72%) votes to 1,551 (28%).<ref>{{cite web|title=09/16/2008 State Primary|url=http://www.sec.state.ma.us/ele/elepdf/2008democratic_primary_results.pdf|work=Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts|accessdate=July 24, 2013}}</ref>
In 2017, Kerrigan announced that he would be running for the Massachusetts 3rd Congressional District seat vacated by Niki Tsongas's retirement.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.lowellsun.com/todaysheadlines/ci_31386806/kerrigans-3rd-congressional-district-run-menu-at-lowell|title=Kerrigan's 3rd Congressional District run on menu at Lowell diner (VIDEO)|date=19 October 2017}}</ref> He dropped out of the race in February 2018 following the death of his mother.<ref>{{cite web|title= Steve Kerrigan dropping out of race for Tsongas' seat in Congress|url=https://www.boston.com/news/politics/2018/02/26/steve-kerrigan-dropping-out-of-race-for-tsongas-seat-in-congress/|work=Boston.com|publisher=The Boston Globe|access-date=September 4, 2018|date=February 26, 2018}}</ref>
===Massachusetts Military Heroes Fund=== Kerrigan is the president and co-founder of the Massachusetts Military Heroes Fund, a nonprofit organization dedicated to providing support to the families of military service personnel from Massachusetts who lost their lives in service to the United States of America since September 11, 2001.<ref>{{cite web|title=Board of Directors|url=http://www.massmilitaryheroes.org/board-of-directors|work=Massachusetts Military Heroes Fund|accessdate=July 24, 2013|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20131101050051/http://www.massmilitaryheroes.org/board-of-directors|archivedate=November 1, 2013}}</ref>
== Current positions and personal life == Kerrigan is President and Chief Executive Officer of the Edward M. Kennedy Community Health Center in Worcester, Massachusetts. He currently lives in his hometown of Lancaster with his husband, Jacob Watts.<ref>{{Cite web |date=9 November 2013 |title=Massachusetts lieutenant governor's office draws interest from political operative Steve Kerrigan, research center head Mike Lake |url=http://www.masslive.com/politics/index.ssf/2013/11/massachusetts_lieutenant_gover.html |website=MassLive |accessdate=November 9, 2013}}</ref>
==See also== * Massachusetts gubernatorial election, 2014
==References== {{Reflist}}
{{s-start}} {{s-ppo}} {{s-bef|before=Tim Murray}} {{s-ttl|title=Democratic nominee for Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts|years=2014}} {{s-aft|after=Quentin Palfrey}} |- {{s-bef|before=Gus Bickford}} {{s-ttl|title=Chair of the Massachusetts Democratic Party|years=2023–present}} {{s-inc}} {{s-end}}
{{Democratic State Chairs}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kerrigan, Steve}} Category:1971 births Category:American nonprofit executives Category:American gay politicians Category:LGBTQ people from Massachusetts Category:Living people Category:Massachusetts Democratic Party chairs Category:People from Lancaster, Massachusetts Category:University of Maryland, College Park alumni Category:Candidates in the 2018 United States House of Representatives elections