20 years ago he was a staffer for some other guy. That guy stepped down after the primary filing deadline. By the rules of the time he got to pick his successor, picked Crowley. Crowley ran unopposed in primaries and general elections for the next 20 years.

I'm not sure if that's the whole story, but that's the impression I got.

I don't claim that Crowley had any right to his seat whatsoever. And I certainly don't think the party is gonna lose the seat now. The only shame is that we're replacing a member who knew how to raise money with a member who seems to think raising money is some kind of moral failing. Other than that, it's just a cute story, and yes, an electoral fluke.