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<\/figure>\n\n\n\nNEW BEDFORD \u2014 For only the third time this century, Bristol County\u2019s 10th state representative district will have a contested Republican primary. Bob McConnell of Fairhaven and Joe Pires of Rochester will face off in the Sept. 3 primary, hoping to fill an open seat. The retiring Rep. Bill Straus, a Mattapoisett Democrat, has held the job for more than 30 years. <\/p>\n\n\n\n
The winning Republican will advance to the November election and face Mark Sylvia, who is unopposed in the Democratic primary.\u00a0<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To compete in the district \u2014 which leans Democratic and includes Marion, Mattapoisett, Rochester, Fairhaven, and parts of Acushnet and New Bedford \u2014 candidates McConnell and Pires are hoping to attract independent or frustrated voters by running campaigns that promote moderate values and civic participation. Many of their specific policy agendas, however, are more strictly conservative or libertarian.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
McConnell returns for second campaign<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nMcConnell says the central theme of his campaign is to give voters a choice and encourage their participation. \u201cMy candidacy gives people a choice on the ballot,\u201d McConnell said. \u201cThat was my primary impetus to run.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But when asked about his goals if he were to win a seat on Beacon Hill, McConnell described a philosophy of disruption and dissent. \u201cIf there\u2019s little I can do to cancel certain bills, I will,\u201d McConnell said. For his governing philosophy, McConnell recited words from the 19th century Tammany Hall Democrat, Gideon J. Tucker: \u201cNo man\u2019s life, liberty or property are safe while the legislature is in session.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
McConnell, who first ran for Bristol\u2019s 10th seat in a failed 2022 primary campaign, cited Donald Trump\u2019s rise to political prominence as the inspiration for his own political life. \u201cMy genesis in political activism was truly begun by working on [Trump]\u2019s campaigns,\u201d McConnell wrote on Facebook. Now serving as the chair of Fairhaven\u2019s Republican Town Committee, McConnell attended the July kickoff party for Trump\u2019s Massachusetts campaign, hosted by former Bristol County Sheriff Thomas M. Hodgson. \u201cI am more MAGA now than ever,\u201d McConnell posted after the event.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Still, McConnell, who has worked for more than 35 years in the Plymouth County corrections department and maintains licensure as a nurse, said that he hopes his campaign inspires civility and voter participation. \u201cI have a proven track record of increasing participation and involvement,\u201d McConnell said, \u201cand I will continue to do so after being elected.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Pires promotes moderate values after contentious tenure on ORR School Committee<\/strong><\/h3>\n\n\n\nJoe Pires, who has served three terms on the Old Rochester Regional School Committee, has described himself as a moderate, common-sense conservative in written campaign materials and an interview with The Light. \u201cI want to focus on what we can do in the spirit of the betterment of the whole South Coast region,\u201d Pires said, adding that some of his closest friends are Democrats and independents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In an interview with The Light, Pires, who grew up in New Bedford, did not seek to highlight his most high-profile work on the ORR School Committee, in which he voted to remove books and curriculum materials that were previously approved by school librarians.<\/strong><\/mark> <\/strong>Asked about education issues, Pires focused on new ideas, including increasing opportunities for vocational education.<\/p>\n\n\n\nBut the books issue dominated public attention during Pires\u2019 three terms on the ORR School Committee and has been a subject of his recent political activism. Pires said he believed that some books that taught sex education were not appropriate for schools or children, and that he did not agree with the district\u2019s \u201copt-out\u201d approach \u2014 where any parent could decide which materials were not suitable for their own children. \u201cThere was no compromise,\u201d Pires said, but added that \u201cno student should go without their needs met or feel that they\u2019re excluded.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Joe Pires, who has served three terms on the Old Rochester Regional School Committee, has described himself as a moderate, common-sense conservative in written campaign materials and an interview with The Light. \u201cI want to focus on what we can do in the spirit of the betterment of the whole South Coast region,\u201d Pires said, adding that some of his closest friends are Democrats and independents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In an interview with The Light, Pires, who grew up in New Bedford, did not seek to highlight his most high-profile work on the ORR School Committee, in which he voted to remove books and curriculum materials that were previously approved by school librarians.<\/strong><\/mark> <\/strong>Asked about education issues, Pires focused on new ideas, including increasing opportunities for vocational education.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But the books issue dominated public attention during Pires\u2019 three terms on the ORR School Committee and has been a subject of his recent political activism. Pires said he believed that some books that taught sex education were not appropriate for schools or children, and that he did not agree with the district\u2019s \u201copt-out\u201d approach \u2014 where any parent could decide which materials were not suitable for their own children. \u201cThere was no compromise,\u201d Pires said, but added that \u201cno student should go without their needs met or feel that they\u2019re excluded.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n