2025 Massachusetts House of Representatives Bristol 3 special election
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A special election in the U.S. state of Massachusetts was held on June 10, 2025, to elect a new member for the 3rd Bristol district in the Massachusetts House of Representatives, representing portions of the towns of Easton and Taunton, in Bristol County. The election will fill a vacancy caused by the death of Democratic state Representative Carol Doherty. According to the official results, Democratic nominee Lisa Field appears to be ahead by 17 votes, a margin of less than half a percent, of Republican nominee Larry Quintal. Field has declared victory, and Quintal has not conceded and is seeking a recount.[1]
Procedure and background
[edit]Under Massachusetts law, all vacancies in the United States Congress or the Massachusetts General Court must be filled by special election, held between 145 and 160 days after the vacancy occurs. The winner serves the remainder of the unexpired two-year term. However, if a vacancy arises after February 1 of an even-numbered year, no special election is held, and the seat remains vacant until the next general election.
A special election was scheduled following the death of incumbent Democrat Carol Doherty on February 15, 2025, at the age of 82. Doherty had represented the 3rd Bristol district since winning a special election in 2020.[2]
Candidates were required to submit nomination signatures by April 1, with a withdrawal deadline of April 11. A primary election was scheduled for Tuesday, May 13.[3]
The 3rd Bristol district includes portions of Easton and Taunton, both located in Bristol County in southeastern Massachusetts. The district comprises Easton’s Precinct 4A and Wards 5 and 6, along with Taunton’s Wards 1, 2, 5, 7, and 8.[4] In the 2024 general election, approximately 76% of the district's votes were cast in Taunton.
The seat has alternated between Democratic and Republican control in recent years. Democrats held the district continuously from at least 1970, the earliest available data in the Massachusetts Elections Archive, until 2010, when Republican Shaunna O’Connell defeated incumbent James Fagan by 31 votes. O’Connell served until 2019, when she was elected mayor of Taunton, prompting a special election in which Doherty reclaimed the seat for the Democrats.[5] Doherty won re-election in 2022 by 14 percentage points and was unopposed in 2024.
According to data from Dave's Redistricting, the district voted for Democratic presidential nominee Kamala Harris by 5.5 percentage points in the 2024 presidential election.[6]
Previous results (2018–present)
[edit]This table shows every election in the 3rd Bristol district won by the previous incumbent, Rep. Carol Doherty, and the election immediately preceding:
| Year | Democrats | Republicans | Write-in | Mgn. | Ref. | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Carol Doherty (i) | 15,398 | 98.43% | 245 | 1.57% | D+96.86 | [5] | |||
| 2022 | Carol Doherty (i) | 8,011 | 57.01% | Christopher Coute | 6,036 | 42.98% | 4 | 0.03% | D+14.03 | |
| 2020 gen | Carol Doherty (i) | 11,505 | 57.97% | Kelly A. Dooner | 8,320 | 41.93% | 20 | 0.10% | D+16.04 | |
| 2020 sp | Carol Doherty | 2,195 | 57.01% | Kelly A. Dooner | 1,646 | 42.75% | 9 | 0.23% | D+14.26 | |
| 2018 | Emily Farrer | 5,215 | 38.46% | Shaunna O'Connell (i) | 8,334 | 61.47% | 10 | 0.07% | R+23.01 | |
Nominees
[edit]The primaries are scheduled for May 13, 2025. Both the Republican and Democratic primaries are uncontested.[7] Voters still have the option to write candidates in.
- Lisa Field, lobbyist (Democratic)
- Larry Quintal, Taunton city councilor and funeral home director (Republican)
General election
[edit]| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Lisa Field | 2,575 | 50.17% | −48.26% | |
| Republican | Larry Quintal | 2,558 | 49.83% | New | |
| Total votes | 5,133 | 100.00% | |||
See also
[edit]External links
[edit]Official campaign Web sites
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ Schemer, Daniel; Rindlisbacher, Emma (June 10, 2025). "Lisa Field declares victory in Taunton state rep race — Larry Quintal calls for recount". The Taunton Daily Gazette. Retrieved June 11, 2025.
- ^ "Mass Rep. Carol Doherty passes away after battle with cancer". NBC 10. WJAR. February 15, 2025. Archived from the original on February 15, 2025. Retrieved May 9, 2025.
- ^ "Special State Election 3rd Bristol Representative District". Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Archived from the original on June 9, 2025. Retrieved May 9, 2025.
- ^ "3rd Bristol". General Court of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Archived from the original on March 9, 2025. Retrieved May 9, 2025.
- ^ a b "Election Results Archive". Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Retrieved May 9, 2025.
- ^ "MA 2022 State House [Date Selector: Election: 2024 President]". Dave's Redistricting. Archived from the original on February 28, 2023. Retrieved May 6, 2025.
- ^ McDermott, Beth (May 7, 2025). "Voting information for Special State Elections in Taunton: details here". Taunton Gazette. Retrieved May 9, 2025.
- ^ Rindlisbacher, Emma (June 13, 2025). "Taunton official election results: Field holds onto 17-vote lead — Quintal says it's not over". Taunton Daily Gazette. Archived from the original on June 14, 2025. Retrieved June 18, 2025.