Lyons’ Grassroots Campaign Ready for Election Countdown Surge

ASHBY – Republican challenger Chris Lyons started his 1st Middlesex District State Representative run as about as grassroots as they come, but he’s starting to see the fruits of his labor with the buzz getting around the district, as voters prepare to cast their ballots in November 3’s general in a tough race against incumbent Democrat Margaret Scarsdale.

Since the Lunenburg Ledger’s last check-in on how the campaign aspect is unfolding about a month ago, both candidates are entering into prime-time outreach, and for Lyons this is the most critical junction of his green political candidacy career.

Lyons has been hitting the campaign trail hard, knocking on doors, attending community events, and meeting constituents where they are. One recent stop in the district was pledging to support veterans by visiting the Pepperell VFW at its monthly breakfast. Lyons has supported charitable causes for veterans, including the Home Base Program, a charitable foundation through the Boston Red Sox and Massachusetts General Hospital.

“I talked with veterans and veteran’s families,” Lyons said. “Had great support, and got rid of every sign I had in my truck. Prior to me running for office, I’ve always been a staunch supporter of veterans. I do a lot of charitable work for veterans, and you can see some of it on my website.”

There are challenges to running a grass roots campaign for Lyons, who’s running in his first election ever at any level of government, but the positive reaction from residents who are recognizing him has Lyons realizing that community members are starting to believe he could be a vehicle to positively transform people’s lives in the district.

“There’s been a lot of support from the community,” Lyons said. “A lot of support from business owners. Just talking to people, I go to the store, pump my gas, and people are asking questions and giving support. I go to the Ashby dump like any regular guy.”

A message hitting home with voters is how local he is to the district and region. This is a critical junction in the campaign for Lyons, as he needs a big turnout on election day, and his focus is to beef up the effort in outreach.

“I’m a guy that’s lived in this district my entire life,” Lyons said. “I know what people are like around here because I’m one of them. We’re trying to spread the word, and I’m hoping every person I talk to is bringing one or two people to the polls with them. Talking to people you can get them motivated, word of mouth is a really effective way to grow the grassroots of this campaign. That’s what we’re running, a grassroots campaign. We started from nothing, now I’m going around towns and people are recognizing it. ”

With a grassroots rise in the business world to the top, Lyons is hoping the story of his working life will be replicated with the momentum his campaign is building leading up to the election. With expertise in the restaurant industry, Lyons is hoping to bring an analytical business mind to the legislature that is driven by the voters, and a fresh perspective.

“I have the experience and knowledge to help make the district a better place to live,” Lyons said. “I don’t pretend that I know everything, I don’t pretend I’m an expert in everything, I’m pretty good at business, and have been very successful at that. I’m not an expert, but I’m going to talk with the experts to learn and understand those things. And talk to the people.”

Recent campaign stops included visits to Fitchburg Access Television which will air in the district during the election season. He also has an upcoming visit with Fitchburg’s WPKZ radio station. For more information on Lyons’ campaign visit his website at votechrislyons.com.

Pick up a copy of the Lunenburg Ledger over the weekend of Oct 16 to see a story on both candidates' views of economic development in the state and district.

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