Dean Tran

Dean Tran

Republican Party

Prior offices

Massachusetts State Senate Worcester and Middlesex District

Successor: John J. Cronin

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Elections and appointments

Last election

November 8, 2022

Contact

Campaign website

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Dean Tran (Republican Party) was a member of the Massachusetts State Senate, representing Worcester and Middlesex District. He assumed office on December 20, 2017. He left office on January 6, 2021.

Tran (Republican Party) ran for election to the U.S. House to represent Massachusetts' 3rd Congressional District. He lost in the general election on November 8, 2022.

Committee assignments

2019-2020

Tran was assigned to the following committees:

• Higher Education Joint Committee
• Public Safety and Homeland Security Joint Committee
• Municipalities and Regional Government Joint Committee
• Cannabis Policy Joint Committee
• State Administration and Regulatory Oversight Joint Committee
• Transportation Joint Committee
• Intergovernmental Affairs Committee

Elections

2022

See also: Massachusetts' 3rd Congressional District election, 2022

General election

General election for U.S. House Massachusetts District 3

Incumbent Lori Trahan defeated Dean Tran in the general election for U.S. House Massachusetts District 3 on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Lori Trahan (D)	63.5	154,496
		Dean Tran (R)	36.4	88,585
		Other/Write-in votes	0.1	220

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 243,301
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for U.S. House Massachusetts District 3

Incumbent Lori Trahan advanced from the Democratic primary for U.S. House Massachusetts District 3 on September 6, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Lori Trahan	99.6	64,190
		Other/Write-in votes	0.4	283

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 64,473
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates

• Miranda Tozier-Robbins (D)

Republican primary election

Republican primary for U.S. House Massachusetts District 3

Dean Tran advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House Massachusetts District 3 on September 6, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Dean Tran	99.3	24,087
		Other/Write-in votes	0.7	180

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 24,267
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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2020

See also: Massachusetts State Senate elections, 2020

General election

General election for Massachusetts State Senate Worcester and Middlesex District

John J. Cronin defeated incumbent Dean Tran in the general election for Massachusetts State Senate Worcester and Middlesex District on November 3, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		John J. Cronin (D)	50.9	42,188
		Dean Tran (R)	49.0	40,558
		Other/Write-in votes	0.1	105

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 82,851
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Massachusetts State Senate Worcester and Middlesex District

John J. Cronin advanced from the Democratic primary for Massachusetts State Senate Worcester and Middlesex District on September 1, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		John J. Cronin	99.6	21,485
		Other/Write-in votes	0.4	77

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 21,562
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Massachusetts State Senate Worcester and Middlesex District

Incumbent Dean Tran advanced from the Republican primary for Massachusetts State Senate Worcester and Middlesex District on September 1, 2020.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Dean Tran	99.6	7,577
		Other/Write-in votes	0.4	33

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 7,610
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

2018

General election

General election for Massachusetts State Senate Worcester and Middlesex District

Incumbent Dean Tran defeated Susan Chalifoux-Zephir in the general election for Massachusetts State Senate Worcester and Middlesex District on November 6, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Dean Tran (R)	54.3	33,199
	Submit photo	Susan Chalifoux-Zephir (D)	45.7	27,935
		Other/Write-in votes	0.0	29

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 61,163
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Massachusetts State Senate Worcester and Middlesex District

Susan Chalifoux-Zephir advanced from the Democratic primary for Massachusetts State Senate Worcester and Middlesex District on September 4, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Susan Chalifoux-Zephir	100.0	10,231

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 10,231
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Massachusetts State Senate Worcester and Middlesex District

Incumbent Dean Tran advanced from the Republican primary for Massachusetts State Senate Worcester and Middlesex District on September 4, 2018.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Dean Tran	100.0	7,514

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 7,514
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

2017

See also: Massachusetts state legislative special elections, 2017

A special election for the position of Massachusetts State Senate Worcester & Middlesex District was called for December 5, 2017. A primary election was held on November 7, 2017. The filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was October 3, 2017.

The seat became vacant on August 31, 2017, when Jennifer Flanagan (D) resigned to join the state's Cannabis Control Commission.

Susan Chalifoux Zephir defeated Michael Mahan and Michael Kushmerek in the Democratic primary. Dean Tran was unopposed in the Republican primary. Claire Freda ran as an unenrolled candidate and Charlene DiCalogero ran as a Green-Rainbow Party candidate. Tran defeated Chalifoux Zephir, Freda, and DiCalogero in the special election.

Massachusetts State Senate, Worcester & Middlesex District, Special Election, 2017
Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Republican	Dean Tran	46.5%	7,290
	Democratic	Susan A. Chalifoux Zephir	42.1%	6,614
	Unenrolled	Claire M. Freda	9.9%	1,554
	Green-Rainbow	Charlene R. DiCalogero	1.3%	201
	Other	Blank Votes	0.2%	28
	Other	All Others	0%	6
Total Votes				15,693
Source: Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts

Massachusetts State Senate, Worcester & Middlesex District Democratic Primary, 2017
Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Susan A. Chalifoux Zephir	51.5%	6,835
Michael A. Mahan	26.3%	3,487
Michael P. Kushmerek	21.8%	2,894
Blank votes	0.3%	44
All others	0.1%	15
Total Votes		13,275
Source: Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts

2016

See also: Massachusetts state legislative special elections, 2016

A special election for the position of Massachusetts House of Representatives Third Worcester District was called for March 1. A primary election took place on February 2. The filing deadline for candidates wishing to run in this election was December 29, 2015.

The seat was vacant following Stephen DiNatale's (D) election to be the Mayor of Fitchburg in the November 2015 general election.

Stephan Hay defeated Kimatra Maxwell and Joseph Byrne in the Democratic primary. Dean Tran (write-in) defeated write-in candidate Stephen P. Sandrelli in the Republican primary. Hay defeated Tran in the special election.

Massachusetts House of Representatives, Third Worcester District, Special Election, 2016

Party		Candidate	Vote %	Votes
	Democratic	Stephan Hay	50.7%	4,613
	Republican	Dean Tran	49.3%	4,488
Total Votes				9,101

Massachusetts House of Representatives, Third Worcester District Democratic Primary, 2016

Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Stephan Hay	61.7%	1,153
Joseph Byrne	17.9%	334
Kimatra Maxwell	17.1%	320
Dean Tran (Write-In)	3.3%	62
Stephen P. Sandrelli (Write-In)	0%	0
Total Votes		1,869

Massachusetts House of Representatives, Third Worcester District Republican Primary, 2016

Candidate	Vote %	Votes
Dean Tran (Write-In)	98.9%	747
Stephen P. Sandrelli (Write-In)	1.1%	8
Total Votes		755

Campaign themes

2022

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Dean Tran did not complete Ballotpedia's 2022 Candidate Connection survey.

Campaign website

Tran's campaign website stated the following:

“	ECONOMY & ENERGY Budgets matter to you and me, and keeping within a budget should also matter to the federal government. Everyone knows you should not spend more than you can afford, yet the US Government does that on a regular basis. Instead of trimming out-of-control budgets, the government simply prints more money. What does this mean? It means that the value of the dollar is reduced so you can’t buy as much with the same amount of money. Under Democrat leadership, trillions of unfunded dollars have been printed and put in circulation directly causing the 40-year record inflation currently at 7.9%. We are also suffering from bad energy policies and poor decisions that have resulted in the sky-rocketing cost of gas for our cars and increased cost to heat our homes. Yet politicians tell us that if we just buy new electric cars and put solar panels on our homes the soaring prices would have little to no effect on us! The combination of a devalued dollar and increasing energy costs equals spiraling, out-of-control inflation, which hurts every American and every business every single day. In one year, the cost of food has increased to the point where the same bag of groceries that cost $20 last year may cost you $30 or more this year. The cost to heat your home is up 30 percent over last year, and gasoline prices have skyrocketed a whopping 50 percent! None of this is “Putin’s fault.” This falls directly at the feet of President Biden and the US Congress. We need a change–and fast. DEAN WILL WORK TO: Stop wasteful spending, and focus government budgets on fixing our infrastructure and growing good jobs. Ending the excessive printing of dollars, which is devaluing our currency. Enact policies that open up more energy production in our country to help drive down gas and oil prices. Direct funding to assist our local farmers and to increase US-based Food Production. Increase the Social Security Cost of Living Adjustment to help seniors cover the skyrocketing costs of food and fuel. AMERICAN FREEDOMS In the last two years, Americans have seen their freedoms under attack as never before in this country’s history. In the name of solving a medical crisis, Americans were restricted in their freedom of association, freedom to worship, freedom to run businesses, freedom to make their own medical decisions, and, with the help of “Big Tech” platforms, their freedom of speech. Children were kept from attending schools for an extended period of time, and when the schools were finally opened, children were forced to mask their faces all day while trying to learn, form friendships, and enjoy all the experiences that make education complete. These restrictions came by way of unelected bureaucrats who made decisions about responses from not only the federal government but also state governments. Alarmingly, we also saw this tyranny raise its ugly head in other countries formerly seen as bastions of liberty and human rights. DEAN WILL WORK TO: Ensure that any directives for the American people come by way of the U.S. Legislature. Ensure that the Federal Government does not try to impose its will upon the states. Ensure that laws enacted by Congress uphold the freedoms enshrined in the U.S. Constitution. PUBLIC SAFETY Dean Tran believes nothing is more important than safe communities for our families. In our unusual times, law enforcement has come under attack, with voices on the left calling to defund our police. At the same time, the burden of the Covid-19 pandemic falls especially hard on our first responders. Dean Tran supports our men and women in uniform and affirms their right to make their own healthcare choices. DEAN WILL WORK TO: Support fully law enforcement agencies. Deny federal funds to communities that vote to defund police services. Fight against vaccine mandates that unfairly target front-line workers. BORDER SECURITY The current Biden Administration Immigration policy, which encourages open borders, is broken. Thousands of people have crossed our southern border illegally every month. Illegal immigration puts tremendous strain on our local communities, especially the cities in the US Third District already challenged with a number of social issues. The influx of immigrants in these cities has created an increased need for providing and funding quality education to non-English speaking children, as well as healthcare, law enforcement, and social-welfare programs to ensure the safety and strength of all residents. Currently, the Biden Administration is relocating illegals into cities and towns throughout the US without prior notice to the municipality or without giving consideration to their ability to provide necessary services. The United States is a compassionate and welcoming nation, and we must have policies that reflect these values and that encourage more legal immigration. We cannot have open borders that reward illegal crossings into our country. Illegal immigration diverts federal funding that should be used to address the existing problems in our society, such as homelessness, veterans services, and substance/opioid abuse education and healthcare. These should all be priorities for our government. My family escaped from Vietnam in 1975. I was a child refugee fleeing violence and the tyranny of a Communist takeover of my native country. America is and will always be a nation of immigrants. I firmly believe that being a first-generation immigrant does not make me any better than those who have come before me, but the experiences of my early youth had a profound impact on how I view immigration. I have seen firsthand what happens when good people don’t stand up to the trends that are emerging in America today. The kindness and compassion of America saved me. I am running to pay that forward. No child should have to go through what I went through during our journey to America. Even worse is what children are going through at the Southern border today as they make the dangerous trek towards the USA. I cannot even imagine the terrifying experiences of unaccompanied children making this journey, only to be abandoned or put into human trafficking situations by the Cartels. DEAN WILL WORK TO: Increase the number of Border Patrol Agents to better secure our borders and ports of entry. Increase staffing of immigration centers to quickly process Unaccompanied Minors (reducing their time in the system). Increase the number of green cards and H1B Visas available to immigrants that have been vetted and do not have criminal records in their home countries. Enforce accountability on the government to perform medical assessments for illegal immigrants and asylum seekers to ensure COVID, TB, and other deadly diseases are not being carried into our country, which endangers the lives of US Citizens. Immediately deport any illegal border jumpers that have previous criminal history in their country of origin. Require the Federal government receive permission from a community, before relocating illegal immigrants into any community. If a community agrees to accept illegal immigrants, the federal government must also evaluate the ability of the community to absorb the impact on their finances and services. INFRASTRUCTURE Our nation, and Massachusetts in particular, gets a failing grade on the maintenance of the infrastructure that helps keep our society functioning, including roads, bridges, and water/sewer/technology systems. This country depends on a transportation system that is safe, reliable, and efficient, to help stimulate economic growth and create jobs. Yet it’s apparent by the condition of the roads we drive on every day, that our government does not invest enough money to maintain and improve this system. During my years as a local City Councilor and as State Senator, the number one concern of all residents, year after year, was the poor condition of the roads and bridges, and the seasonal disruption of traffic flow due to huge and unseen potholes. These potholes can cause several thousand dollars in damage to vehicles annually, in tires, rim, and suspension. This financial burden on drivers and businesses is due to the failure of our government to properly fund and maintain roads. In addition, 93 percent of the 5,229 bridges in Massachusetts require repair work, and 9 percent of those bridges (nearly 500) are considered deficient, posing a serious risk to the thousands of motorists who traverse our highways and byways every year. As if that were not enough, our water pipelines and sewer systems are aging and are not being replaced and upgraded on a timely schedule, potentially creating contamination and health risks to residents. Finally, the internet and broadband technology are lagging and not meeting the needs of today’s business and industry. We can and need to do better! DEAN WILL WORK TO: Direct more Federal funding to our states and municipalities for basic road repair and maintenance. Provide fiscal incentives for states that complete road and bridge projects on time and under budget. Slow infrastructure expansion, until policies, are in place to maintain our current infrastructure. Enact policies that create competition between broadband providers to reduce costs to the consumer and to provide faster and better internet service to our communities, including rural areas.	”
—Dean Tran's campaign website (2022)

2020

Dean Tran did not complete Ballotpedia's 2020 Candidate Connection survey.

Scorecards

See also: State legislative scorecards and State legislative scorecards in Massachusetts

A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.

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Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states. To contribute to the list of Massachusetts scorecards, email suggestions to editor@ballotpedia.org.

2020

In 2020, the Massachusetts State Legislature was in session from January 1 to January 5.

• Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance

Legislators are scored on bills of interest to an organization that pledges "to make government more transparent, make fiscally responsible choices, and to hold the line on taxes."

• Massachusetts Public Interest Research Group

Legislators are scored on their votes on public interest issues.

• Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals

Legislators are scored on their sponsorship of legislation related to animal issues.

• National Federation of Independent Business

Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to business issues.

• Progressive Massachusetts

Legislators are scored by the organization on votes that "can show the distinction between a progressive legislator, and everyone else."

• The American Conservative Union

Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.

2019

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2019, click [show].

In 2019, the Massachusetts General Court was in session from January 2 through December 31. Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance Legislators are scored on bills of interest to an organization that pledges "to make government more transparent, make fiscally responsible choices, and to hold the line on taxes." Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Legislators are scored on their sponsorship of legislation related to animal issues. Progressive Massachusetts Legislators are scored by the organization on votes that "can show the distinction between a progressive legislator, and everyone else." The American Conservative Union Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.

2018

To view all the scorecards we found for this legislator in 2018, click [show].

In 2018, the Massachusetts General Court was in formal session from January 3 to July 31. The legislature was in informal session from August 1 to December 31. Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance Legislators are scored on bills of interest to an organization that pledges "to make government more transparent, make fiscally responsible choices, and to hold the line on taxes." Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Legislators are scored on their sponsorship of legislation related to animal issues. Planned Parenthood Advocacy Fund Legislators are scored on their votes on bills related to reproductive health issues. Progressive Massachusetts Legislators are scored by the organization on votes that "can show the distinction between a progressive legislator, and everyone else." The American Conservative Union Legislators are scored on their votes on conservative issues.

Noteworthy events

Ethics violations

On March 26, 2020, the Massachusetts State Senate removed Tran from his leadership position as assistant minority whip and relocated his office to separate him from his senate staff. These actions followed the release of a report from the Senate Ethics Committee, which found that Tran obligated his staff to engage in work and fundraising for his re-election campaign. Using taxpayer-funded government staff for political campaign work is against the rules of the Senate.

Indictments, sentencing to federal prison (2022-2025)

On July 1, 2022, Tran was indicted in Worcester Superior Court following a visit Tran made to an elderly constituent. Tran was indicted on six counts, including larceny, obtaining a signature by false pretenses with intent to defraud, and misleading a police investigation.

On July 28, 2022, Tran pleaded not guilty to the charges.

On June 22, 2023, Tran's home was searched by Federal Bureau of Investigation agents executing a search warrant.

On September 29, 2023, Tran was indicted by a Suffolk County Grand Jury on two counts of Use of Official Position to Secure an Unwarranted Privilege.

On November 17, 2023, the U.S. Attorney’s Office for Massachusetts arrested Tran and indicted him on 25 counts of wire fraud and three counts of filing false tax returns. Tran pleaded not guilty to the charges.

On June 21, 2024, Tran was charged in federal court on counts of obstruction of justice and making a false statement. Tran's sister, Tuyet Martin, was arrested on the same day and charged with obstruction of justice and perjury in Boston federal court. Tran and Martin both pleaded not guilty to the charges.

On September 11, 2024, Tran was convicted by a Massachusetts federal jury on 23 counts, including filing false tax returns and pandemic assistance fraud.

On February 7, 2025, Tran was sentenced to 18 months in federal prison. He was also required to pay a $7,500 fine, as well as more than $23,000 to the Internal Revenue Service, and more than $25,000 to the Massachusetts Department of Public Assistance. Tran said he plans to appeal the verdict.

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U.S. House Massachusetts District 3

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Footnotes

Political offices
Preceded by Jennifer Flanagan (D)	Massachusetts State Senate Worcester and Middlesex 2017-2021	Succeeded by John J. Cronin (D)

[show]

Massachusetts' current delegation to the United States Congress

Senators

Edward Markey (D)

Elizabeth Warren (D)

Representatives

District 1

Richard Neal (D)

District 2

Jim McGovern (D)

District 3

Lori Trahan (D)

District 4

Jake Auchincloss (D)

District 5

Katherine Clark (D)

District 6

Seth Moulton (D)

District 7

Ayanna Pressley (D)

District 8

Stephen Lynch (D)

District 9

Bill Keating (D)

Democratic Party (11)