{"id":7253,"date":"2026-08-23T20:06:59","date_gmt":"2026-08-23T20:06:59","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=7253"},"modified":"2026-08-23T20:06:59","modified_gmt":"2026-08-23T20:06:59","slug":"exclusive-lefty-dem-tipped-as-next-house-incumbent-slayer-has-rap-sheet-with-drunken-er-fight-car-crash","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=7253","title":{"rendered":"Exclusive | Lefty Dem tipped as next House-incumbent slayer has rap sheet with drunken ER fight, car crash"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

WASHINGTON \u2014 A lefty teacher\u2019s campaign to knock off longtime Rep. Richard Neal in western Massachusetts is gaining national attention as left-wing insurgents take scalps across the country in primary contests \u2014 but police records obtained by The Post reveal he has a colorful rap sheet.<\/p>\n

Read more Exclusive | Cause of death revealed in horror case of Long Island teacher and mom of 4 who died after driving SUV into pool<\/a><\/p>\n

Jeromie Whalen, a 39-year-old high school journalism teacher, was arrested at least twice in confrontations with authorities \u2014 accused of a drunk assault in a hospital emergency room and then nearly driving his pickup truck into a house at 4 a.m. while also under the influence.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not going to say that I haven\u2019t made mistakes in my life, but I\u2019ve learned from mistakes that I had in my younger years,\u201d the candidate told The Post ahead of the Sept. 1 primary election \u2014 saying the earlier incidents left him realizing it was \u201ctime to shape up. It\u2019s time to grow up.\u201d<\/p>\n

While Whalen admitted \u201cseveral \u2026 run-ins with the law\u201d \u2014 blaming it on \u201cnewfound independence and alcohol\u201d when he got to college \u2014 he raged at the embarrassing leak, while accusing Neal of being \u201cs\u2013t-scared\u201d about losing the Sept. 1 Democratic primary after 18 terms in office.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat you\u2019ve been given is probably illegal,\u201d Whalen told The Post. \u201cIt\u2019s been so long, [the records] have been sealed, and so you were given illegal documents. And that\u2019s going to be something that\u2019s really important moving forward.\u201d<\/p>\n

Whalen\u2019s admitted run-ins, however, \u201craise significant questions about Whalen\u2019s conduct, judgment and temperament,\u201d said a source who provided the records.<\/p>\n

In 2006, a college-aged Whalen was arrested for misdemeanor battery in Osceola County, Fla., for allegedly drunkenly assaulting a security guard after resisting nurses\u2019 attempts to insert an IV. <\/p>\n

A mug shot shows him grinning at the police station.<\/p>\n

The candidate told The Post there were \u201ctwo sides\u201d to the story, and that he was just \u201crefusing services.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThey said, \u2018If you go try to get by me and leave the hospital right now, we\u2019re going to take you to jail,’\u201d he claimed, of the case that prosecutors did not pursue.<\/p>\n

In 2009, Whalen was arrested for a noise violation at a house party in Amherst, Mass., this time without a smile in his mugshot.<\/p>\n

Officers were met with \u201cuncooperative and rude\u201d backtalk about needing a warrant to enter the premises as guests were spotted playing beer pong, according to a police report.<\/p>\n

Whalen received a $100 noise citation.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe police wanted to come into the house, [but] I did not want them to come into the house,\u201d Whalen told The Post. \u201cWhen I actually had to appear in court, the judge was just like, \u2018You know, keep it down,\u2019 and sent me on my way.\u201d<\/p>\n

A year later, Whalen, then 23, crashed his Mazda pickup truck into the bushes 10 feet from an Amherst home at 4:07 a.m., police files indicate.<\/p>\n

A diagram included in the incident report showed how the vehicle swerved off a road, narrowly missing a telephone pole and breaking its front axle as it careened toward the house.<\/p>\n

Whalen initially declined to say whether he was drunk or under the influence of drugs at the time of the crash, saying in a Friday interview, \u201cI can\u2019t remember all of the things that happened.\u201d<\/p>\n

In a subsequent Facebook post on Saturday night, however, he confirmed he was busted for driving under the influence, for which he lost his driver\u2019s license and was required to take classes.<\/p>\n

Read more Erling Haaland cuts off signature hair before Manchester City opener \u2014 leaving his girlfriend in shock: \u2018I think I will cry\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n

\u201cAfter those instances, I said, \u2018You know, it\u2019s time to shape up. It\u2019s time to grow up,’\u201d he told The Post.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow do you make up for your mistakes? \u2026 You improve yourself and you improve the lives around you. And I think that if you actually look at my track record from that age of 23 to 39, I\u2019ve done a lot of good in the community.\u201d<\/p>\n

Whalen is locked in an increasingly nasty fight with Neal, 77, and the two will square off in a local TV debate this coming Wednesday.<\/p>\n

The challenger says he doesn\u2019t label himself as a socialist and has had registered Republicans switching parties to support him.<\/p>\n

His core issues include pushing single-payer \u201cMedicare for All,\u201d hiking taxes on high-income earners, adopting a $15 federal minimum wage and ending military aid to Israel.<\/p>\n

But he told The Post he also wants to improve veterans care, restrict Flock camera license-plate scanners due to privacy concerns and reduce \u201coutrageous congressional spending\u201d to curb the national debt \u2014 saying, \u201cI\u2019m very much in favor of working together to get the job done.\u201d<\/p>\n

Seven House Democrats lost primaries to challengers this year and insiders believe the zeitgeist favors candidates like Whalen, who has been the subject of increasing national attention \u2014 including recent profiles in NOTUS and Politico.<\/p>\n

The teacher was endorsed Thursday by Our Revolution, the group formed to continue the mission of socialist Vermont Sen. Bernie Sanders\u2019 2016 campaign. <\/p>\n

\u201cYou can\u2019t fight for lower utility rates when you\u2019re taking money from Eversource. You can\u2019t advocate for affordable housing when Blackstone, the world\u2019s largest landlord, is one of your biggest donors. You can\u2019t fight for actual health of individuals with lower drug prescriptions when you have money rolling in from Pfizer,\u201d Whalen told The Post.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe congressman waited too long. He didn\u2019t take any of our challenge seriously.\u201d<\/p>\n

Neal has represented western Massachusetts since 1989 and has built a reputation as a centrist institutionalist in policy and style.<\/p>\n

Neal has preferred a more gradual approach to health insurance reform and stuck out visually as the least-dutiful House Democrat wearing COVID-19 masks during the pandemic \u2014 often spotted with one around his neck as colleagues scolded Republicans for flouting federal health guidance.<\/p>\n

\n<\/div>\n

The face-off follows a string of left-wing triumphs in congressional races.<\/p>\n

Reps. Dan Goldman (D-NY), Adriano Espaillat (D-NY), Diana DeGette (D-Colo.), John Larson (D-Conn.), Al Green (D-Texas), Julie Johnson (D-Texas) and Shri Thanedar (D-Mich.) are among the incumbents to lose primaries this year \u2014 most to openly progressive or self-described socialist challengers.<\/p>\n

In a shock to national Democrats, the more centrist Trump impeachment witness Alex Vindman lost the Florida Senate primary Tuesday to Democratic Socialists of America-endorsed state Rep. Angie Nixon, who won by more than 12 points despite possessing far less campaign cash.<\/p>\n

Read more Cops jump in Uber, demand driver chase down fleeing suspect in wild video clip: \u2018Go, go, go, go!\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n

Neal\u2019s campaign did not respond to a request for comment.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Jeromie Whalen, a lefty teacher tipped to knock off longtime Rep. Richard Neal in western Massachusetts, admits having several drunken “run-ins” with the law after The Post obtained police records.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":7252,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7253","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-politics"],"yoast_head":"\nExclusive | Lefty Dem tipped as next House-incumbent slayer has rap sheet with drunken ER fight, car crash - Metro Transit Review<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/metrotransitreview.com\/?p=7253\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Exclusive | Lefty Dem tipped as next House-incumbent slayer has rap sheet with drunken ER fight, car crash - Metro Transit Review\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Jeromie Whalen, a lefty teacher tipped to knock off longtime Rep. 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