Rady Mom (born 1970) is an American politician and a former representative of the

Massachusetts House of Representatives The Massachusetts House of Representatives is the lower house of the Massachusetts General Court, the State legislature (United States), state legislature of Massachusetts. It is composed of 160 members elected from 14 counties each divided into ...

, representing the 18th

Middlesex Middlesex (; abbreviation: Middx) is a Historic counties of England, former county in South East England, now mainly within Greater London. Its boundaries largely followed three rivers: the River Thames, Thames in the south, the River Lea, Le ...

district. The district was formerly represented by Kevin Murphy, who vacated his seat in 2014 when he was hired as the

city manager A city manager is an official appointed as the administrative manager of a city in the council–manager form of city government. Local officials serving in this position are referred to as the chief executive officer (CEO) or chief administ ...

of Lowell. Mom is the first Cambodian-American to be elected to the Massachusetts state Legislature as well as the first Cambodian American elected to a state legislature in the country.

Early life and education

Born in Pailin, Cambodia in 1970, the son of a ruby miner. When he was 10, his family was sent to a refugee camp by the

Khmer Rouge The Khmer Rouge is the name that was popularly given to members of the Communist Party of Kampuchea (CPK), and by extension to Democratic Kampuchea, which ruled Cambodia between 1975 and 1979. The name was coined in the 1960s by Norodom Sihano ...

. According to Mom, his entire family was on a list to be executed. Rady and his family emigrated to America in 1982, when he was 12, sponsored by the Chester Park United Methodist Church in

Duluth, Minnesota Duluth ( ) is a Port, port city in the U.S. state of Minnesota and the county seat of St. Louis County, Minnesota, St. Louis County. Located on Lake Superior in Minnesota's Arrowhead Region, the city is a hub for cargo shipping. The population ...

. In 1984 they moved to

Lowell, Massachusetts Lowell () is a city in Massachusetts, United States. Alongside Cambridge, Massachusetts, Cambridge, it is one of two traditional county seat, seats of Middlesex County, Massachusetts, Middlesex County. With an estimated population of 115,554 in ...

. Mom became an American Citizen in 1990. He attended Middlesex Community College. Rady, an acupressure therapist, owns Mom's Therapy & Herbal Center in Lowell, MA. Before going to college he became a Buddhist Monk. His grandfather was the high priest at the Lowell Glory Buddhist Temple. He is married to Sirady. They have four children: Justin, Joee, Amelia and Allyanna. Mom is a graduate of Middlesex Community College and in 2015 received the Distinguished Alumni Award at commencement. In 2005 he ran and lost the race for Lowell City Council.

Elections

2014

Mom defeated independent Fred Bahou in the 2014 Massachusetts general election with 3,847 votes, 61.7% of the vote. His election made him the first new state representative for Lowell in 15 years.

2016

The 2016 election marked the first time three Cambodian-American candidates faced off for a state legislature position. Mom ran against Republican Kamara Kay, in the general election, and Cheth Khim, in the Democratic Primary in a bid to keep his seat in the Massachusetts House. Mom faced heavy opposition, with a large part of the local Cambodian-American constituency disliking Mom's association with

Hun Manet Hun Manet (, ; born 20 October 1977) is a Cambodian politician and general who has served as Prime Minister of Cambodia since 2023, succeeding his father, Hun Sen. He is also the vice president of the ruling Cambodian People's Party (CPP). Pri ...

, who visited Lowell in May, 2016. Mom won the primary election with 51% of the vote and went on to be reelected by a landslide victory over Kay.

2018

Mom ran largely unopposed in the 2018 Massachusetts general election with 5,8742 votes, 92% of the vote.

Political career

In December 2023 Mom filed "An act relative to instruction on the Cambodian and Vietnamese American refugee experience, Cambodian genocide and the history and culture of the Hmong people
Bill HD.4752

Committee assignments

Joint Committee on Education
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Joint Committee on Election Laws
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Joint Committee on Public Safety and Homeland Security
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Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy
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References

External links

Campaign website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mom, Rady Living people American people of Cambodian descent Cambodian emigrants to the United States Middlesex Community College (Massachusetts) alumni Democratic Party members of the Massachusetts House of Representatives Asian-American state legislators in Massachusetts Politicians from Lowell, Massachusetts 1970 births 21st-century members of the Massachusetts General Court