Steve Kerrigan, Massachusetts Democratic Party chair, arrested on drunk driving charge last month

Steve Kerrigan, the chair of the Massachusetts Democratic Party, was arrested on a drunk driving charge last month, court documents show.

Kerrigan was pulled over on Route 9 westbound in Southboro around midnight on June 13 after an officer reported seeing his BMW SUV "driving in the middle of both lanes ... directly on top of the dotted white line."

The police report said that Kerrigan told the officer he was headed back to his home in Lancaster after leaving a restaurant.

The officer wrote in the report that Kerrigan's eyes "appeared to be glassy and bloodshot red."

"I was unable to detect an odor of alcoholic beverage due to an overwhelming odor of cologne," the officer said. "His speech appeared to be slow, thick tongued, and slurred."

Kerrigan told the officer he had two beers at about 6 p.m. before going to dinner. A breathalyzer test showed his blood alcohol content to be 0.089%, just over the legal limit in Massachusetts.

Kerrigan was charged with operating under the influence of liquor, negligent operation of a motor vehicle and a marked lanes violation. According to court paperwork, he pleaded to "admission to facts sufficient for a finding of guilty" and was placed on probation. He agreed to participate in an impaired driving program and lose his license for 45 days. 

WBZ-TV reached out to the Massachusetts Democratic Party and Kerrigan's attorney but has not heard back yet.

Kerrigan has served as chair of the state Democratic Party since 2023. He was the Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor in 2014.