Healey Stumps for Down Ticket Dems in Taunton Visit

Massachusetts Attorney General and gubernatorial frontrunner Maura Healey made a swing through Southeastern Massachusetts on Monday that included a business walk in Taunton's downtown district with fellow Democrats State Representative Carol Doherty and Senator Mark Pacheco, both of whom represent Taunton on Beacon Hill.

Doherty was elected to the 3rd Bristol District, which contains parts of Taunton and Easton, in the summer of 2020 in a special election. The seat was previously held by Republican Shaunna O'Connell before she was elected Mayor of Taunton. Doherty now faces a reelection bid against Republican Taunton City Councilor Christopher Coute.

Pacheco has served as the Senator for the 1st Bristol and Plymouth District, which includes Taunton, since 1993 and is running for reelection against sign language interpreter and special education activist Maria Collins.

During her visit to Taunton, Healey offered her emphatic support for both Pacheco and Doherty.

"I'm really delighted to be in Taunton today with my good friend Carol Doherty, who will continue be a fantastic state representative, and of course Senator Mark Pacheco," Healey said.

"These are really important times and this next election is going to decide who's going to be there for you and your family and it's going to be people like Carol Doherty who are gonna be there making sure that we're fighting to lower cost of housing, lower the cost of transportation, fix education and make the improvements and provide the resources especially to workforce, vocational, training and the like and obviously Carol's been a huge champion of those areas," she said.

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Healey also offered words of support for Attleboro Mayor Paul Heroux, a Democrat who is running for Bristol County Sheriff in a hotly contested election against longtime Republican Sheriff Tom Hodgson.

"I strongly believe in Paul Heroux," Healey said. "I know he will bring great things to the Bristol County Sheriff's (Office), and that's why I'm supporting him. He's got the experience, the perspective and the management ability to lead and to move that agency forward."

Healey, Doherty, and Pacheco walked along the Taunton Green visiting the Studio 27 floral shop, Uplifted Nutrition, and El Mariachi Mexican restaurant, speaking with the owners at each location about the concerns they have and how Beacon Hill can help address them,

While campaigning for Governor, Healey and her running mate, Salem Mayor Kim Driscoll, have also been active in endorsing and campaigning for Democrats in down-ballot races such as Doherty and Heroux.

"I just think about it as a whole ticket," Healey told WBSM. "I mean that's the way we've run our campaign and that's my style generally. I know that for me to be successful as governor –and I hope to be elected governor – we're gonna need strong partners across government. I've always been a big believer in getting out and supporting, and working for, and on behalf of, candidates who I know have a proven track record and are going to deliver those results."