Republican Dean Tran
BOSTON (AP) — Republican Dean Tran of Fitchburg has been sworn-in as the newest member of the state Senate, making him the first Vietnamese American to serve in the Massachusetts Legislature.
Tran won a Dec. 5 special election to replace Democrat Jennifer Flanagan, who left the Senate after being appointed to the Cannabis Control Commission.
On Dec. 20, Republican Gov. Charlie Baker administered the oath to Tran, who was born in Saigon and came to the U.S. as a young child after his family fled post-war Vietnam.
Acting Senate President Harriette Chandler, a Democrat, welcomed the former Fitchburg City Councilor to the Senate and said Tran’s hard work and determination was “exemplary of the American Dream.”
Tran said his priorities include tax relief for working families, addressing the opioid crisis and strengthening public schools.