Robert McConnell

Robert McConnell

Republican Party

Candidate, Massachusetts State Senate 2nd Bristol and Plymouth District

Elections and appointments

Last election

September 1, 2026

Next election

November 3, 2026

Education

High school

Bethlehem Senior High School

Other

Boston City Hospital School of Practical Nursing, 1982

Personal

Religion

Methodist

Profession

Law enforcement officer

Contact

Campaign website

Campaign Facebook

Personal Facebook

Robert McConnell (Republican Party) is running for election to the Massachusetts State Senate to represent the 2nd Bristol and Plymouth District. He is on the ballot in the general election on November 3, 2026. He advanced from the Republican primary on September 1, 2026.

McConnell completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2026. Click here to read the survey answers.

Biography

Robert McConnell earned a high school diploma from Bethlehem Senior High School. He graduated from the Boston City Hospital School of Practical Nursing in 1982. McConnell's career experience includes working in law enforcement and nursing.

McConnell has been affiliated with the following organizations:

• Fairhaven Town Meeting, member
• Fairhaven Republican Town Committee, chair
• Acushnet Wesley Methodist
• New Bedford Rifle & Revolver Club

Elections

2026

See also: Massachusetts State Senate elections, 2026

General election

The general election will occur on November 3, 2026.

General election for Massachusetts State Senate 2nd Bristol and Plymouth District

Incumbent Mark Montigny (D) and Robert McConnell (R) are running in the general election for Massachusetts State Senate 2nd Bristol and Plymouth District on November 3, 2026.

		Candidate
		Mark Montigny (D)
		Robert McConnell  (R)

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

Democratic primary for Massachusetts State Senate 2nd Bristol and Plymouth District

Incumbent Mark Montigny (D) advanced from the Democratic primary for Massachusetts State Senate 2nd Bristol and Plymouth District on September 1, 2026.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Mark Montigny	99.3	12,866
		Other/Write-in votes	0.7%	89

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 12,955
= 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

Republican primary for Massachusetts State Senate 2nd Bristol and Plymouth District

Robert McConnell (R) advanced from the Republican primary for Massachusetts State Senate 2nd Bristol and Plymouth District on September 1, 2026.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		Robert McConnell	99.0	6,210
		Other/Write-in votes	1.0%	61

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 6,271
= 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 is gathering information about candidate endorsements and voter guide recommendations. To send us an endorsement, click here.

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

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	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

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	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

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	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 McConnell in this election.

2022

See also: Massachusetts House of Representatives elections, 2022

General election

General election for Massachusetts House of Representatives 10th Bristol District

Incumbent William Straus defeated Jeffrey Swift in the general election for Massachusetts House of Representatives 10th Bristol District on November 8, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		William Straus (D)	56.2	10,648
	Submit photo	Jeffrey Swift (R)	43.7	8,280
		Other/Write-in votes	0.0	7

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 18,935
= 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

Incumbent William Straus defeated Richard Trapilo in the Democratic primary for Massachusetts House of Representatives 10th Bristol District on September 6, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔		William Straus	78.9	4,454
	Submit photo	Richard Trapilo	21.1	1,190

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	Incumbents are bolded and underlined. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 5,644
= 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

Jeffrey Swift defeated Robert McConnell in the Republican primary for Massachusetts House of Representatives 10th Bristol District on September 6, 2022.

		Candidate	%	Votes
✔	Submit photo	Jeffrey Swift	53.8	1,622
		Robert McConnell	46.2	1,395

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	There were no incumbents in this race. The results have been certified. Source	Total votes: 3,017
= 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.

Campaign themes

2026

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Robert McConnell completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2026. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by McConnell's responses.

Expand All

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

My name will appear on the November 3rd 2026 ballot as Robert S. McConnell, most folks know me as Bob. I am 69 years old, have two Sons and a and beautiful little 6 year old Grandson. Serving as a part-time Deputy Sheriff and a P.O.S.T certified Massachusetts Peace Officer with the Plymouth County Sheriffs office since 1987 gives me great satisfaction and pride. I have maintained a Massachusetts Nursing License since 1982. A home owning Fairhaven, Massachusetts tax payer since 1997, I serve my Town as an elected Town meeting member and chairman of the Fairhaven Republican Town Committee. On March 5th 2024 I was elected Republican State Committee Man representing the Senate District in which I am seeking election as Massachusetts State Senator. I have mounted bold campaigns for the State Representative seat in my district in 2022 and 2024. My current campaign is yet another bold challenge of a Democrat incumbent of 32 years who has never had a Republican challenger. This is my elected responsibility to field Republican candidates for all seats in the district I represent, even if this duty and obligation falls on me. I will collect the required nomination signatures, insure my name on ballot, campaign to the best of abilities and help and encourage other Republicans to do the same.

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?

• Uphold the will of the voters on reformation and initiative petitions. Demand the audit
• Insure public safety through cooperation with all levels of law enforcement local, state and federal. Increase funding for Law enforcement recruiting and training.
• Advocating for Fixed Income Community Tax Adjustments and Elder Law Protection Legislation

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

My personally passionate public policy will be to support, write bills and amendments that do not attack voter approved tax limits. I will focus on restoring fiscal discipline, prioritizing local aid to cities and towns

What organizations or individuals have endorsed your campaign?

No official endorsements as of yet

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.

2024

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Robert McConnell did not complete Ballotpedia's 2024 Candidate Connection survey.

2022

Ballotpedia survey responses

See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection

Robert McConnell completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2022. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by McConnell's responses.

Expand All

Who are you? Tell us about yourself.

With almost 40 years working in law enforcement, and four decades as a licensed Massachusetts nurse, Bob has demonstrated his commitment and passion in service of others. Many of today's issues and concerns are directly relevant to his life and career. These issues and concerns are shared by many in our community.

Bob believes his decades of service and experience will be essential in addressing and solving the many concerns of the residents of the 10th Bristol District.

Bob is currently a sworn Deputy Sheriff with the Plymouth County Sherriff's Office. Since 2014, he has been assigned to the Dept. of Homeland Security ICE teams, working with E.R.O enforcement removal operations.

During his career at the Plymouth County Sheriff's Office, he has planned and organized many charitable events for the Massachusetts Special Olympics and the American Red Cross.

He's an active member of the Acushnet Wesley Methodist Church, where he sings in the choir, teaches vacation Bible School and serves on the Administration Board.

He's also an active member of the New Bedford Rifle & Revolver Club, where he has worked with clean-up committees and has chaired charitable events.

Bob is an elected Town Meeting member, and current chair of the Fairhaven Republican Committee, and served as its delegate to the State Convention earlier this year.

Bob is the proud father of two sons, as well as a grandfather.

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?

• Pro Law Enforcement Candidate with over 34 years in Law Enforcement
• First hand experience in Immigration Issues effecting our nation.
• 40 years experience in health care with a strong focus on public health issues

What areas of public policy are you personally passionate about?

I am a candidate who is fully supportive of law enforcement funding, i will advocate for increased training and recruitment. I will work to advance public awareness of police functions and responsibilities. With over 8 years experience working with the Department of Homeland Security and Immigration Customs Enforcement. I am extremely interested in issues concerning illegal immigration and enforcement of our Federal Immigration laws.

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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Robert McConnell campaign contribution history

Year	Office	Status	Contributions	Expenditures
2024	Massachusetts House of Representatives 10th Bristol District	Lost primary	$1,430	$0
2022	Massachusetts House of Representatives 10th Bristol District	Lost primary	$2,939	$0
Grand total			$4,369	$0
Sources: OpenSecrets,  Federal Election Commission ***This product uses the openFEC API but is not endorsed or certified by the Federal Election Commission (FEC).

See also

2026 Elections

What's on the ballot? Massachusetts U.S. Congress U.S. Congress special elections State executives State legislatures State courts Ballot measures Municipal government School boards Election analysis hub

Government

Who represents me? U.S. CongressState executivesState legislators State courts Ballot measures Municipal governmentList of school districts in Massachusetts

Newsletters

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External links

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Candidate

Massachusetts State Senate 2nd Bristol and Plymouth District

Website

Facebook

Personal

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Footnotes

[show]

Current members of the Massachusetts State Senate

Leadership

Senate President:Karen Spilka

Senators

Berkshire, Hampden, Franklin, and Hampshire District

Paul Mark (D)

Bristol and Norfolk District

Paul Feeney (D)

Cape and Islands District

Julian Cyr (D)

Hampden District

Adam Gomez (D)

Hampden and Hampshire District

John Velis (D)

Hampden, Hampshire, and Worcester District

Jacob Oliveira (D)

Hampshire, Franklin and Worcester District

Jo Comerford (D)

Middlesex and Norfolk District

Karen Spilka (D)

Middlesex and Suffolk District

Sal DiDomenico (D)

Middlesex and Worcester District

James Eldridge (D)

Norfolk and Middlesex District

Cynthia Creem (D)

Norfolk and Plymouth District

John Keenan (D)

Norfolk and Suffolk District

Michael Rush (D)

Norfolk, Plymouth, and Bristol District

William Driscoll (D)

Norfolk, Worcester, and Middlesex District

Becca Rausch (D)

Plymouth and Barnstable District

Dylan Fernandes (D)

Suffolk and Middlesex District

William Brownsberger (D)

Worcester and Hampden District

Ryan Fattman (R)

Worcester and Hampshire District

Peter Durant (R)

Worcester and Middlesex District

John Cronin (D)

1st Bristol and Plymouth District

Michael Rodrigues (D)

1st Essex District

Pavel Payano (D)

1st Essex and Middlesex District

Bruce Tarr (R)

1st Middlesex District

Vanna Howard (D)

1st Plymouth and Norfolk District

Patrick O'Connor (R)

1st Suffolk District

Nick Collins (D)

1st Worcester District

Robyn Kennedy (D)

2nd Bristol and Plymouth District

Mark Montigny (D)

2nd Essex District

Joan Lovely (D)

2nd Essex and Middlesex District

Barry Finegold (D)

2nd Middlesex District

Patricia Jehlen (D)

2nd Plymouth and Norfolk District

Michael Brady (D)

2nd Suffolk District

Liz Miranda (D)

2nd Worcester District

Michael Moore (D)

3rd Bristol and Plymouth District

Kelly Dooner (R)

3rd Essex District

Brendan Crighton (D)

3rd Middlesex District

Mike Barrett (D)

3rd Suffolk District

Lydia Edwards (D)

4th Middlesex District

Cindy Friedman (D)

5th Middlesex District

Jason Lewis (D)

Democratic Party (35)

Republican Party (5)

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