Free Republic

LOWELL - Neophyte candidate Niki Tsongas, the widow of Sen. and presidential contender Paul Tsongas, won a hard-fought primary against established Lowell pol Eileen Donoghue and three others in her first election yesterday. The race to replace U.S. Rep. Martin Meehan pitted the Tsongas name against Donoghue’s local political machine. The almost legendary name won out in the Merrimack Valley’s 5th Congressional District with 19,811 votes, or 36 percent, to Donoghue’s 17,373 votes, 31 percent. “This is just Round 1,” Tsongas said. “Make no mistake. This election will be a referendum on the presidency of George W. Bush.” The Democrats...

Democratic candidate Eileen Donoghue has conceded the primary race for the vacant 5th District Congressional seat to Niki Tsongas. In the Republican primary, James Ogonowski has won 89 percent of the votes to Thomas Tierney's 11 percent. For complete election results, pick up Wednesday's The Eagle-Tribune. 191 of 195 precincts reporting Democratic primary Nicola Tsongas: 19,296 - 36 percent Eileen Donoghue: 17, 175 - 32 percent James Eldrige: 7,592 - 14 percent Barry Finegold: 6,938 - 13 percent James Miceli: 3,280 - 6 percent Republicans Jim Ogonowski: 11,642 - 89 percent Thomas Tierney: 1,436 - 11 percent

WASHINGTON -- Candidates for the 5th District Congressional seat are sharply divided on giving millions of unlawful immigrants eventual citizenship, highlighting a passionate issue in a region where nearly one in six people were born outside the United States. Blurring the district's population picture is the presence of perhaps thousands of people who dare not be counted, fearing deportation, job loss, or being separated from family for living in the district's 29 communities illegally. Their presence has helped place Massachusetts among the top 14 states with high numbers of unlawful immigrants, reaching between 150,000 and 250,000 people, according to the...

DRACUT, Mass. (AP) _ The brother of an airline pilot killed when his hijacked plane was flown into the World Trade Center during the Sept. 11 terror attacks announced Tuesday that he's running for Congress. Air Force Lt. Col. James Ogonowski, 49, of Dracut, is the first Republican to announce his intention to run for the seat that will open when Democratic incumbent Martin Meehan takes over as chancellor of the University of Massachusetts at Lowell.