State Rep. Candidate Facing Sexual Harassment Allegations

FOXBOROUGH, MA — At least two women have accused a candidate for a high-profile seat in the Massachusetts House of Representatives of sexual harassment, prompting several leading state Democrats to withdraw endorsements.

The accusations against Valentino "Tino" Capobianco span a period from 2006 to 2016 and include trying to perform sexual acts on drunk women who were unable to consent and repeated, unwanted, sexual advances. Capobianco, of Winthrop, denied the allegations but said some of his past actions were "juvenile."

He also suggested the incidents had been leaked to media outlets by his opponents. Four other candidates are running in the March 2 Democratic primary for the seat previously held by former House Speaker Robert DeLeo, including Juan Pablo Jaramillo, Jeffrey Turco and Alicia DelVento.

"I know that politics can be a blood sport but I remain incredulous of the false and outrageous allegations that have suddenly been dropped on me by a rival campaign that is struggling," he said in a statement without identifying the campaign. "It is deeply personally embarrassing to see some dumb college behavior also be raised – I will own my own mistakes. It was not predatory. I was overly enthusiastic texting someone I had a crush on. That is the juvenile behavior of a nerdy kid. In hindsight as an adult, I know that."

Capobianco is a former staffer for state Sen. Paul Feeney (D-Foxborough) and had picked up endorsements from high-profile Democrats in his run for the seat, which represents Winthrop and parts of Revere. Massachusetts Attorney General Maura Healey, former Congressman Joe Kennedy and state Sen. Paul Feeney all withdrew endorsements they had made before the allegations came to light last week.

"Tino has an unfortunate history of making women feel uncomfortable and unsafe," one woman wrote to Healey in asking her to reconsider her endorsement. "There are a multitude of women, mostly young women in our community that have personally experienced inappropriate behavior from Tino, myself included."

Capobianco has not been criminally charged. Kennedy, Feeney and Healey all released statements this week saying they did not know about the accusations before making their endorsement.

"Since her endorsement on Friday, Maura has been made aware of several allegations of inappropriate and troubling behavior by Tino,” Healey spokesperson Corey Welford said in a statement to GBH News on Tuesday. “Based on the nature of those allegations, she is withdrawing her endorsement in this race."

Capobianco was previously a staffer for Feeney, who described the allegations as "serious and deeply concerning."

"Every allegation needs to be taken seriously, and the people who have bravely come forward need to be treated with the utmost respect and dignity, Feeney said. "They should be listened to and heard. This afternoon, I notified the campaign that I have withdrawn my previous endorsement of Capobianco’s candidacy."

Capobianco, who sits on Winthrop's school committee, does not plan to withdraw from the race.

"I’d like to think that despite any personal embarrassment this story brings to me, the people of this district who know me will decide that I can still do more for their families and our community over the next two years than can any of the other candidates running," he said.