With Taunton senate seat up for grabs — Who's running? Who might? Who's ruled it out?
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TAUNTON — With State Sen. Marc Pacheco's announcement he will not be seeking reelection after holding the position for nearly 32 years , the question now becomes who’s going after that seat?
The announcement by the Taunton Democrat on Feb. 13 that he won't be running in the Nov. 5 election, paves the way for candidates from both sides of the aisle to step forward and make a bid for the open seat in the 3rd Bristol and Plymouth District.
The Gazette reached out to assorted political figures in the greater Taunton area to find out their thoughts, as well as to respond to the rumor mill of whether or not they are considering making a run.
In addition to Taunton, the district is made up of Berkley, Carver, Dighton, Marion, Middleboro, Raynham, Rehoboth, Seekonk and Wareham.
Here's who's running, who's thinking it over and who's ruled it out.
Raynham Selectman Joseph Pacheco
Longtime Raynham Selectman Joseph Pacheco, no relation to Marc Pacheco, was the first to confirm with the Gazette he’s planning to run as a Democrat for the seat and will be making a formal announcement soon.
A Raynham selectman since 2007, Pacheco previously made a run in state politics back in 2014, when he made an unsuccessful bid for state representative for the 8th Plymouth District, which is made up of Raynham and Bridgewater, losing out to incumbent Angelo D’Emilia.
Pacheco currently serves as director of health services for Barnstable County.
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Taunton City Councilor Kelly Dooner
Kelly Dooner, who won her second term as a Taunton city councilor in November — coming in as the second highest vote getter — as well as her first term on the Planning Board, has announced her candidacy for state senator.
“I believe that I can bring a new, youthful, and common-sense voice to the Massachusetts State Senate,” Dooner said in a written statement.
Dooner has been actively involved in the Massachusetts Young Republicans and currently serves as the National State Committeewoman, she said. She made two unsuccessful bids for state representative in 2020, first in a special election then the regular election.
Dooner works as a paralegal for Adelson Loria & Weisman, P.C., according to her LinkedIn Profile.
Holly Robichaud, political consultant acting as her communications representative, added Dooner sought advice from Taunton Mayor Shaunna O’Connell, as well as key political figures with the Massachusetts Republican Party regarding her decision to run.
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Taunton City Councilor Barry Sanders
Barry Sanders, who has served as city councilor since 2018 and won his fourth term last year, announced he is also considering a run for the state senate seat, as a Democrat.
He told the Gazette there is much for him to consider regarding this decision, such as “the weight of the impact it will have on my family,” as, according to him, he is slated to retire this year, after more than 30 years working as a social worker for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
“This would be changing my trajectory,” he said.
Sanders said he is also gauging if he will have enough support to run a campaign as “it’s a large undertaking that will require the efforts from a lot of people.”
Taunton City Councilor David Pottier
David Pottier, an 18-year incumbent Taunton city councilor, most recently elected to a new term, said he was “giving it thought” regarding running for the state senate seat.
“Seats like this come up once every 25-30 years,” he joked, adding that he believes “anyone serious about representing the people” would at least consider it.
He added that he’s leaning more towards not making a run because he enjoys his job as chief financial officer for MassDOT.
“The district is huge. It’s a big commitment,” he said.
Pottier previously made an unsuccessfull bid as the Republican candidate against Marc Pacheco in 2010 for the same state senate seat.
State Rep. Carol Doherty
State Rep. Carol Doherty, who recently announced her launch for a third term, said she’s not changing track and pursuing the state senate race.
“I’ve thoroughly enjoyed my role as representative,” said the Taunton Democrat, adding she feels she’s accomplished a lot with her position and feels it’s the best position for her to get work done for her district.
Taunton City Councilor Estele Borges
Long-time Taunton City Councilor Estele Borges told the Gazette she has no intention of running for the state senate seat.
“I enjoy very much what I’m currently doing, and I am happy just working in city government,” she said.
She did, however, say she intends to run again for mayor in the future. Borges, who was the top vote getter in the 2023 city council race by a wide margin, made an unsuccessful bid for mayor against O’Connell in 2019.
“In politics, timing is everything, and it wasn’t the right time,” Borges said.
Back in 2016, Borges made an unsuccessful bid for state representative against O'Connell, who was the incumbent state representative at the time.
Taunton City Councilor John McCaul
Taunton City Councilor John McCaul told the Gazette since Marc Pacheco’s announcement he wasn’t seeking a new term numerous constituents have contacted him about going after the seat.
“It’s something to think about, but I’m happy as councilor,” he said, adding the senate position would require him to leave his job as emergency response coordinator for ServiceMaster, which he loves. “It would require changing my whole life around.”
Dighton Selectman Leonard Hull
Dighton Selectman Leonard Hull served as a member of the Dighton-Rehoboth Regional School Committee for 16 years and also worked as a social studies teacher in the Taunton Public Schools for 30 years.
Hull recently announced he wasn’t seeking another term on Dighton’s Selectman Board, said he’s taking a break from politics.
"It took up so much of my time. I got out of balance,” he said.
He said he has no interest in running for the state senate seat, at this time.
What about Mayor Shaunna O'Connell?
The Gazette reached out to the office of Taunton Mayor Shaunna O’Connell to get her feedback on potential candidates, as well as to find out if she was considering the position. As of Tuesday morning, she had not responded.
Currently, O’ Connell is running for State Committeewoman for 3rd Bristol & Plymouth District in the Republican presidential primary on March 5.
O'Connell previously served as Taunton's state representative in the seat currently held by Doherty until O'Connell resigned to become mayor of Taunton.
When is the state primary?
The state primary is Tuesday, Sept. 3. The deadline to register to vote is Aug. 24
When is the general election?
The general election is Tuesday, Nov. 5. The deadline to register to vote is Oct. 26.
This article originally appeared on The Taunton Daily Gazette: Who's running, who's not for Marc Pacheco's Taunton state senate seat?
