Mark Sylvia

Mark Sylvia

Democratic Party

Candidate, Massachusetts House of Representatives 10th Bristol District

Massachusetts House of Representatives 10th Bristol District

Tenure

2025 - Present

Term ends

2027

Years in position

1

Predecessor: William Straus (D)

Compensation

Base salary

$82,044

Elections and appointments

Last election

September 1, 2026

Next election

November 3, 2026

Education

High school

Fairhaven High School

Bachelor's

American University, 1996

Graduate

American University, 1998

Personal

Birthplace

New Bedford, MA

Religion

Roman Catholic

Profession

Government administration

Contact

Official website

Official Facebook

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Campaign Instagram

Campaign YouTube

Personal Facebook

Personal X

Personal LinkedIn

Personal TikTok

Mark Sylvia (Democratic Party) is a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives, representing the 10th Bristol District. He assumed office on January 1, 2025. His current term ends on January 6, 2027.

Sylvia (Democratic Party) is running for re-election to the Massachusetts House of Representatives to represent the 10th Bristol District. He is on the ballot in the general election on November 3, 2026. He advanced from the Democratic primary on September 1, 2026.

Biography

Mark Sylvia was born in New Bedford, Massachusetts. He earned a bachelor's degree from American University in 1996 and a graduate degree from American University in 1998. His career experience includes working in government administration and as a town manager, commissioner, undersecretary, and executive.

Sponsored legislation

The following table lists bills this person sponsored as a legislator, according to BillTrack50 and sorted by action history. Bills are sorted by the date of their last action. The following list may not be comprehensive. To see all bills this legislator sponsored, click on the legislator's name in the title of the table.

Committee assignments

2025-2026

Sylvia was assigned to the following committees:

• House Global Warming and Climate Change Committee
• House Committee on Federal Funding, Policy and Accountability
• Environment, Natural Resources and Agriculture Joint Committee
• Labor and Workforce Development Joint Committee

Elections

2026

See also: Massachusetts House of Representatives elections, 2026

General election

The general election will occur on November 3, 2026.

General election for Massachusetts House of Representatives 10th Bristol District

Incumbent Mark Sylvia (D) and Brendalee Smith (R) are running in the general election for Massachusetts House of Representatives 10th Bristol District on November 3, 2026.

		Candidate
		Mark Sylvia (D)
	Submit photo	Brendalee Smith (R)

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined.
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
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Democratic primary

Democratic primary for Massachusetts House of Representatives 10th Bristol District

Incumbent Mark Sylvia (D) advanced from the Democratic primary for Massachusetts House of Representatives 10th Bristol District on September 1, 2026.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Mark Sylvia	99.7	4,934
		Other/Write-in votes	0.3%	16

---

	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 4,950
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Republican primary

Republican primary for Massachusetts House of Representatives 10th Bristol District

Brendalee Smith (R) advanced from the Republican primary for Massachusetts House of Representatives 10th Bristol District on September 1, 2026.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Brendalee Smith (Write-in)	60.5	185
		Other/Write-in votes	39.5%	121

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 306
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
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Endorsements

See also: Our approach to covering endorsements

Mark Sylvia received the following endorsements and voter guide recommendations. To send us additional endorsements, click here.

• Planned Parenthood Advocacy Fund of Massachusetts

2024

See also: Massachusetts House of Representatives elections, 2024

General election

General election for Massachusetts House of Representatives 10th Bristol District

Mark Sylvia defeated Joseph Pires in the general election for Massachusetts House of Representatives 10th Bristol District on November 5, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Mark Sylvia (D)	52.6	13,663
	Submit photo	Joseph Pires (R)	47.3	12,295
		Other/Write-in votes	0.1	23

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 25,981
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Democratic primary election

Democratic primary for Massachusetts House of Representatives 10th Bristol District

Mark Sylvia advanced from the Democratic primary for Massachusetts House of Representatives 10th Bristol District on September 3, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Mark Sylvia	99.9	4,014
		Other/Write-in votes	0.1	5

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 4,019
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Republican primary election

Republican primary for Massachusetts House of Representatives 10th Bristol District

Joseph Pires defeated Robert McConnell in the Republican primary for Massachusetts House of Representatives 10th Bristol District on September 3, 2024.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Joseph Pires	68.8	1,894
		Robert McConnell	31.0	854
		Other/Write-in votes	0.2	6

---

	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 2,754
= candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey.
If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey.
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team.

Endorsements

See also: Our approach to covering endorsements

Ballotpedia did not identify endorsements or voter guide recommendations for Sylvia in this election.

Campaign themes

2026

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Mark Sylvia has not yet completed Ballotpedia's 2026 Candidate Connection survey. Send a message to Mark Sylvia asking him to fill out the survey. If you are Mark Sylvia, click here to fill out Ballotpedia's 2026 Candidate Connection survey.

Who fills out Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey?

Any candidate running for elected office, at any level, can complete Ballotpedia's Candidate Survey. Completing the survey will update the candidate's Ballotpedia profile, letting voters know who they are and what they stand for. More than 24,000 candidates have taken Ballotpedia's candidate survey since we launched it in 2015. Learn more about the survey here.

You can ask Mark Sylvia to fill out this survey by using the button below or emailing sylvia4rep@gmail.com.

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Mark Sylvia completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2024. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Sylvia's responses.

Expand All

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

Mark was born in New Bedford, MA and grew up in Fairhaven, MA. He attended the Fairhaven Public Schools, graduating from Fairhaven High School. He earned his bachelor’s degree in political science and his master’s degree in public administration from American University in Washington, DC. Mark has raised his children in Fairhaven and his values and the person he is are all a reflection of his family, the South Coast community and the generations of hard-working people that make up the 10th Bristol District. It is what has driven him to help others, to be an advocate, and to help improve our quality of life.

Mark has over twenty years of municipal experience serving in both appointed and elected roles, including, Town Manager in Plymouth, MA and as an elected member of the Fairhaven School Committee and currently as the elected Town Moderator. He also has extensive experience in state government having served as the first Director of the Green Communities Division, as Commissioner of the Department of Energy Resources and as the Undersecretary of Energy all in the Patrick Administration. For the last nine years, Mark has worked in the private sector as an executive at a Boston based clean energy company.

Mark will be ready to go on Day 1 bringing with him his immense energy and enthusiasm for our communities, his state, municipal and private sector experience and relationships, and the voices of the people of the 10th Bristol District.

Please list below 3 key messages of your campaign. What are the main points you want voters to remember about your goals for your time in office?

• We need to make housing more affordable and available for residents.
• We need to provide more funding for local services such as education, public safety and transportation
• We need to lower healthcare and childcare costs and protect access to reproductive healthcare and expand mental health resources.

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

State funding to cities and towns (education, public safety, seniors), the fishing industry, clean energy, housing, transportation, government transparency, environment and natural resources , health care and economic development.

Is there a book, essay, film, or something else you would recommend to someone who wants to understand your political philosophy?

The movie Mr. Smith Goes to Washington sums up how I view the role of an elected representative.

What characteristics or principles are most important for an elected official?

Honesty, accessibility to your constituents, being present in your district, being a good listener and transparency.

What do you believe are the core responsibilities for someone elected to this office?

There are three core responsibilities of a state representative: (1) providing constituent services - assisting the people of your district with state and local issues, (2) sponsoring and co-sponsoring legislation that improves the lives of people in your district and (3) collaborating with other legislators, local officials and stakeholders to help solve issues in their district and region.

What was your very first job? How long did you have it?

I was a camp counselor at Camp Massasoit in Mattapoisett for nine summers.

What do you believe is the ideal relationship between the governor and state legislature?

A governor and state legislature should function as a partnership - ultimately both branches must work together to address the needs of residents. When the two don't work together, important issues do not get addressed in a timely manner. There will be differences of opinion and competing priorities - but on core issues that enable citizens to thrive and the state grow, there needs to be compromise and partnership.

What do you perceive to be your state's greatest challenges over the next decade?

Housing affordability and accessibility, climate change, transportation and adequate funding of key services.

Do you believe that it’s beneficial for state legislators to have previous experience in government or politics?

Ideally it would be beneficial for state legislators to have previous experience in government and the private sector/business.

Do you believe it’s beneficial to build relationships with other legislators? Please explain your answer.

Yes - its actually critical. The Massachusetts House of Representatives consists of 160 members - for any legislation to pass, it requires a majority of members to agree. And when a legislator hopes to have their priorities passed, they need co-sponsors, support in committee and on the floor. Building relationships establishes trust and respect and understanding - all important to succeeding as a legislator.

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

The incumbent state representative, Bill Straus has endorsed my candidacy as has MA AFL CIO, American Federation of Teachers, Environmental League of Massachusetts, Bricklayers and Allied Craftsmen Local 3, and Moms Demand Action.

What are your views on financial transparency and government accountability?

Financial transparency and government accountability are crucial to voters having faith and confidence in our democratic system of government and its elected leaders.

Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.

Campaign finance summary

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Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.

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Mark Sylvia campaign contribution history

Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2024	Massachusetts House of Representatives 10th Bristol District	Won general	$104,712	$0
Grand total			$104,712	$0
Sources: OpenSecrets,  Federal Election Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).

Scorecards

See also: State legislative scorecards, State legislative scorecards in Massachusetts

A scorecard evaluates a legislator’s voting record. Its purpose is to inform voters about the legislator’s political positions. Because scorecards have varying purposes and methodologies, each report should be considered on its own merits. For example, an advocacy group’s scorecard may assess a legislator’s voting record on one issue while a state newspaper’s scorecard may evaluate the voting record in its entirety.

Ballotpedia is in the process of developing an encyclopedic list of published scorecards. Some states have a limited number of available scorecards or scorecards produced only by select groups. It is Ballotpedia’s goal to incorporate all available scorecards regardless of ideology or number.

Click here for an overview of legislative scorecards in all 50 states. To contribute to the list of scorecards, email suggestions to editor@ballotpedia.org.

• 2025

Below you can find the scorecards found for the Massachusetts General Court in 2025.

• Massachusetts Fiscal Alliance — Legislators are scored on bills of interest to an organization that pledges "to make government more transparent, make fiscally responsible choices, and to hold the line on taxes."
• Massachusetts Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals — Legislators are scored on their sponsorship of legislation related to animal issues.
• The Freedom Index — Legislators are scored on their adherence to the limited government principles of the U.S. Constitution.

See also

2026 Elections

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Footnotes

Political offices
Preceded by William Straus (D)	Massachusetts House of Representatives 10th Bristol District 2025-Present	Succeeded by -

[show]

Current members of the Massachusetts House of Representatives

Leadership

Speaker of the House:Ronald Mariano

Majority Leader:Michael Moran

Representatives

Barnstable, Dukes, and Nantucket District

Thomas Moakley (D)

1st Barnstable District

Chris Flanagan (D)

1st Berkshire District

John Barrett (D)

1st Bristol District

Michael Chaisson (R)

1st Essex District

Dawne Shand (D)

1st Franklin District

Vacant

1st Hampden District

Todd Smola (R)

1st Hampshire District

Lindsay Sabadosa (D)

1st Middlesex District

Margaret Scarsdale (D)

1st Norfolk District

Bruce Ayers (D)

1st Plymouth District

Michelle Badger (D)

1st Suffolk District

Adrian Madaro (D)

1st Worcester District

Kimberly Ferguson (R)

2nd Barnstable District

Kip Diggs (D)

2nd Berkshire District

Tricia Farley-Bouvier (D)

2nd Bristol District

James Hawkins (D)

2nd Essex District

Kristin Kassner (D)

2nd Franklin District

Susannah Whipps (U)

2nd Hampden District

Brian Ashe (D)

2nd Hampshire District

Homar Gomez (D)

2nd Middlesex District

James Arciero (D)

2nd Norfolk District

Tackey Chan (D)

2nd Plymouth District

John Gaskey (R)

2nd Suffolk District

Daniel Ryan (D)

2nd Worcester District

Jonathan Zlotnik (D)

3rd Barnstable District

David Vieira (R)

3rd Berkshire District

Leigh Davis (D)

3rd Bristol District

Lisa Field (D)

3rd Essex District

Andy Vargas (D)

3rd Hampden District

Nicholas Boldyga (R)

3rd Hampshire District

Mindy Domb (D)

3rd Middlesex District

Kate Hogan (D)

3rd Norfolk District

Ronald Mariano (D)

3rd Plymouth District

Joan Meschino (D)

3rd Suffolk District

Aaron Michlewitz (D)

3rd Worcester District

Michael Kushmerek (D)

4th Barnstable District

Hadley Luddy (D)

4th Bristol District

Steven Howitt (R)

4th Essex District

Estela Reyes (D)

4th Hampden District

Kelly Pease (R)

4th Middlesex District

Danielle Gregoire (D)

4th Norfolk District

James Murphy (D)

4th Plymouth District

Patrick Joseph Kearney (D)

4th Suffolk District

David Biele (D)

4th Worcester District

Natalie Higgins (D)

5th Barnstable District

Steven Xiarhos (R)

5th Bristol District

Justin Thurber (R)

5th Essex District

Andrew Tarr (D)

5th Hampden District

Patricia Duffy (D)

5th Middlesex District

David Linsky (D)

5th Norfolk District

Mark Cusack (D)

5th Plymouth District

David DeCoste (R)

5th Suffolk District

Christopher Worrell (D)

5th Worcester District

Donald Berthiaume (R)

6th Bristol District

Carole Fiola (D)

6th Essex District

Hannah Bowen (D)

6th Hampden District

Michael Finn (D)

6th Middlesex District

Priscila Sousa (D)

6th Norfolk District

William Galvin (D)

6th Plymouth District

Kenneth Sweezey (R)

6th Suffolk District

Russell Holmes (D)

6th Worcester District

John Marsi (R)

7th Bristol District

Alan Silvia (D)

7th Essex District

Manny Cruz (D)

7th Hampden District

Aaron Saunders (D)

7th Middlesex District

Jack Lewis (D)

7th Norfolk District

Richard Wells (D)

7th Plymouth District

Alyson Sullivan-Almeida (R)

7th Suffolk District

Chynah Tyler (D)

7th Worcester District

Paul Frost (R)

8th Bristol District

Steven Ouellette (D)

8th Essex District

Jenny Armini (D)

8th Hampden District

Shirley Arriaga (D)

8th Middlesex District

James Arena-DeRosa (D)

8th Norfolk District

Edward Philips (D)

8th Plymouth District

Dennis Gallagher (D)

8th Suffolk District

Jay Livingstone (D)

8th Worcester District

Michael Soter (R)

9th Bristol District

Christopher Markey (D)

9th Essex District

Donald Wong (R)

9th Hampden District

Orlando Ramos (D)

9th Middlesex District

Thomas Stanley (D)

9th Norfolk District

Marcus Vaughn (R)

9th Plymouth District

Bridget Plouffe (D)

9th Suffolk District

John Moran (D)

9th Worcester District

David Muradian (R)

10th Bristol District

Mark Sylvia (D)

10th Essex District

Dan Cahill (D)

10th Hampden District

Carlos Gonzalez (D)

10th Middlesex District

John Lawn (D)

10th Norfolk District

Jeffrey Roy (D)

10th Plymouth District

Michelle DuBois (D)

10th Suffolk District

Bill MacGregor (D)

10th Worcester District

Brian Murray (D)

11th Bristol District

Christopher Hendricks (D)

11th Essex District

Sean Reid (D)

11th Hampden District

Bud Williams (D)

11th Middlesex District

Amy Sangiolo (D)

11th Norfolk District

Paul McMurtry (D)

11th Plymouth District

Rita Mendes (D)

11th Suffolk District

Judith García (D)

11th Worcester District

Hannah Kane (R)

12th Bristol District

Norman Orrall (R)

12th Essex District

Thomas Walsh (D)

12th Hampden District

Angelo Puppolo (D)

12th Middlesex District

Greg Schwartz (D)

12th Norfolk District

John Rogers (D)

12th Plymouth District

Kathleen LaNatra (D)

12th Suffolk District

Brandy Fluker-Reid (D)

12th Worcester District

Meghan Kilcoyne (D)

13th Bristol District

Antonio Cabral (D)

13th Essex District

Sally Kerans (D)

13th Middlesex District

Carmine Gentile (D)

13th Norfolk District

Joshua Tarsky (D)

13th Suffolk District

Daniel Hunt (D)

13th Worcester District

John Mahoney (D)

14th Bristol District

Adam Scanlon (D)

14th Essex District

Adrianne Ramos (D)

14th Middlesex District

Simon Cataldo (D)

14th Norfolk District

Alice Peisch (D)

14th Suffolk District

Rob Consalvo (D)

14th Worcester District

James O'Day (D)

15th Essex District

Ryan Hamilton (D)

15th Middlesex District

Michelle Ciccolo (D)

15th Norfolk District

Tommy Vitolo (D)

15th Suffolk District

Sam Montaño (D)

15th Worcester District

Mary Keefe (D)

16th Essex District

Francisco Paulino (D)

16th Middlesex District

Rodney Elliott (D)

16th Suffolk District

Jessica Giannino (D)

16th Worcester District

Daniel Donahue (D)

17th Essex District

Frank Moran (D)

17th Middlesex District

Vacant

17th Suffolk District

Kevin Honan (D)

17th Worcester District

David LeBoeuf (D)

18th Essex District

Tram Nguyen (D)

18th Middlesex District

Tara Hong (D)

18th Suffolk District

Michael Moran (D)

18th Worcester District

Joseph McKenna (R)

19th Middlesex District

David Allen Robertson (D)

19th Suffolk District

Jeffrey Turco (D)

19th Worcester District

Kate Donaghue (D)

20th Middlesex District

Bradley Jones (R)

21st Middlesex District

Kenneth Gordon (D)

22nd Middlesex District

Marc Lombardo (R)

23rd Middlesex District

Sean Garballey (D)

24th Middlesex District

David Rogers (D)

25th Middlesex District

Marjorie Decker (D)

26th Middlesex District

Mike Connolly (D)

27th Middlesex District

Erika Uyterhoeven (D)

28th Middlesex District

Joseph McGonagle (D)

29th Middlesex District

Steven Owens (D)

30th Middlesex District

Richard Haggerty (D)

31st Middlesex District

Michael Day (D)

32nd Middlesex District

Kate Lipper-Garabedian (D)

33rd Middlesex District

Steven Ultrino (D)

34th Middlesex District

Christine Barber (D)

35th Middlesex District

Paul Donato (D)

36th Middlesex District

Colleen Garry (D)

37th Middlesex District

Danillo Sena (D)

Democratic Party (132)

Republican Party (25)

Unenrolled (1)

Vacancies (2)

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