Republican Francis T. Crimmins Jr. is running against Democrat Tamisha L. Civil for Massachusetts Governor’s Council District 2 in the Nov. 3, 2026, election, according to the official candidate roster.
Crimmins’ campaign biography describes 17½ years as a Massachusetts District Court judge, including service as first justice in Stoughton and on the District Court Appellate Division. He has also held municipal government roles.
Judicial screening and public safety
Crimmins says he would evaluate nominees for qualifications, temperament, integrity and judgment. His campaign emphasizes independent scrutiny, public safety, fairness and constitutional rights rather than automatic approval of the governor’s selections.
For local residents, those confirmation votes help determine who serves in courts handling disputes, criminal cases and family matters. They do not decide the outcome of individual cases.
What the office can do
The Governor’s Council reviews judicial appointments and acts on pardons, commutations and other matters within its constitutional authority. It is separate from Congress and the state Legislature.
A councilor cannot independently rewrite sentencing laws, direct a judge’s bail decisions or pass a state budget. Crimmins’ stated implementation approach is to question nominees and review their records; the campaign page reviewed does not present a separate spending program or estimate of local savings.
The Needham-Dedham Times did not receive a direct questionnaire response from the candidate and does not endorse candidates.
