Despite common ground, 8th Bristol House race could be tight

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Freshman state Rep. Steven Ouellette, a Democrat from Westport, and candidate Jesse St. Gelais, a Republican from Acushnet, both agree the cost of living is too high and that Mass Save and broken funding formulas contribute to that problem. However, their views diverge on some key issues at the state level, including abortion and a ballot question on guns. 

They are running for the 8th Bristol seat in the state House — a district that includes all of Westport and parts of Freetown, Acushnet, Fall River and New Bedford. 

Ouellette, 62, has worn many hats — a licensed plumber, reserve police officer, firefighter, facilities director for a school system, and an elected member of the Westport Select Board. He said he decided to run for state office with the encouragement of Paul Schmid, who held the seat for over a decade until his retirement in 2024. 

St. Gelais, 42, is an insurance agent for his family’s business, where he’s worked for over two decades. He has never held public office and is running for the seat for the second time. He came in third during the 2024 general election, when he ran as an independent. This year, he’s running as a Republican and sailed to victory over his opponent, Christopher Thrasher, in the primary. 

Ouellette bested Thrasher in 2024 by fewer than 300 votes. 

The incumbent

Ouellette said his priority is public safety.

During his 22 months in office, he has authored or co-authored three bills. One would allow the Acushnet Board of Selectmen to appoint retired police officers as special police officers on the police chief’s recommendation. It’s been reported out favorably by committee and Ouellette said he hopes it can get adopted by the end of the year. 

Another bill seeks to lift term limits for local cultural councils. Ouellette said that in some small communities, not enough people want to serve. Lifting term limits, he said, would allow those currently and willingly serving to continue in those roles. 

The third bill proposes requiring state and regional agencies and commissions to make public whether a regulatory action might adversely impact commercial agricultural operations. Ouellette said it stemmed from an issue a farm was having that has since resolved. 

In an interview with The Light last year, a few months into his term, Ouellette said he wanted to bring down the cost of living, limit credit card interest rates, and secure state funding.

About his efforts on credit cards, Ouellette recently said, “I’m still digging deeper” and noted that he’s not on any financial committees. 

“I want to address it next term and file legislation,” he said. 

Ouellette listed several earmarks he’s secured for his district: funding for a dock and landfill in Westport, heating and air conditioning systems in Freetown and Acushnet, culvert repairs in Westport, lighting at a Freetown beach, and upgrades to a Fall River park.

He described himself as a moderate, saying he has voted against his party in the Legislature in order to support his constituents. 

This spring, he voted on an amendment to get bonuses for police officers who worked during the COVID-19 pandemic. He was among a handful of Democrats who voted yes for the amendment, along with Republicans. It failed. 

The challenger 

St. Gelais has led an active campaign with door-knocking and events. He said he switched to the Republican ticket for this election because his values (“faith, work hard, play by the rules”) align with those of the party. On his website, he writes that he’s a “lifelong South Coast Resident and Conservative.” 

He has just slightly outraised Ouellette this cycle, with about $19,000 to Ouellette’s $18,000. He has also outspent the incumbent, significantly, at almost $30,000; Ouellette has spent about $6,000, according to data from the Office of Campaign and Political Finance. Better Future for Massachusetts, an independent political action committee that promotes “family centered values,” spent $200 on texts in support of St. Gelais during the primary. 

St. Gelais likened the position of state rep to customer service.

“You listen to [people], and you get to work for them,” he said. “That’s what a state representative is supposed to do, vote along with their district… One of the big issues, I feel, with my opponent, is that he just goes along with his party.”

St. Gelais’ top priorities are an audit of the Legislature, ending unfunded mandates and “stopping the climate agenda,” including energy mandates and offshore wind.  

“I’m just trying to help out,” St. Gelais said, “help the cause and help us navigate through this mess right now that we’re in, and be a representative that’s gonna stand up for the working people, the working poor.”

The 8th Bristol House district presents a pickup opportunity for Republicans. It voted for Donald Trump over Kamala Harris, 54% to 43%. 

Ouellette said he didn’t know if there was still a “red wave” in the area, but said he wouldn’t be proud to be a Republican “with what’s going on with Washington.” St. Gelais called the 8th Bristol district a “conservative” one. 

Energy, wind, guns, abortion

On energy, Ouellette said the state needs to take a closer look at the Mass Save program to see if the savings actually reach ratepayers. 

“We need to look at and revamp the [Mass Save] program if we want it to continue, because it wasn’t fair across the board,” Ouellette said.

Mass Save is the state’s energy-efficiency program. It is funded by surcharges on ratepayers’ utility bills.

At a candidates forum last week, Ouellette expressed support for the Algonquin Gas Transmission expansion project, which would replace or install 13 miles of natural gas pipeline across New England.

St. Gelais is also critical of Mass Save. He said he wants to help the “working poor” who are living paycheck to paycheck due to rising costs, which include utilities. 

“I feel that we can help fix Mass Save,” he said. “It wouldn’t be a mandated program that people would have to pay into, but more of an incentive program that would help homeowners.”

As for offshore wind, the candidates differ. Ouellette said he supports green initiatives, but that he also wants to see that the “proof is in the pudding” and that Vineyard Wind can power hundreds of thousands of homes. 

“Let’s see the numbers and make sure it’s justified,” he said. 

St. Gelais, in a previous interview, said he wants to see offshore wind end. He cited concerns about impacts to the fishing industry and asserted it is causing more harm than good. 

The candidates agree on fixing the state’s formula for doling out local aid to cities and towns. Ouellette and other candidates characterized it as outdated and broken during the candidate forum. St. Gelais said he could not attend the forum due to a scheduling conflict, but said in an interview that he wants to get into the funding formula problem “on day one.” 

The two candidates differ in their views on ballot Question 9, which asks voters whether they’d like to repeal gun legislation (a yes means keep the law in place; a no means repeal it). The law set stricter regulations on guns, including requiring safety certificates to obtain firearm permits, mandating serial numbers for firearms and enacting penalties for possessing or transferring untraceable firearms, commonly known as “ghost guns.”

St. Gelais said he’d vote no, meaning he wants to repeal it: “As someone who carries legally, I just feel like there’s always some sort of, I don’t want to use the word attack. But it always seems like… more and more and more restrictions on the law-abiding gun owner.”

In Acushnet, where St. Gelais resides, about 1,900 residents have an active firearm license, according to state data, almost 20% of the town’s population. 

Ouellette said he’d vote yes to keep the law in place, saying he supports the right to bear arms, but does not support ghost guns.

St. Gelais has been endorsed by the New Bedford Police Union and the Acushnet Republican Town Committee. 

Ouellette, once a union plumber, received the endorsements of the Massachusetts AFL-CIO and the Greater Southeastern Massachusetts Labor Council. He also gained an endorsement from Reproductive Equity Now, a New England abortion access advocacy organization. 

The incumbent brought up his Irish-Catholic background, but said he’s pro-choice.

This summer, Gov. Maura Healey signed a law lifting restrictions on abortion after 24 weeks of gestation. Ouellette voted yes before it reached her desk. 

It was supported by physicians groups, who said the state’s previous statute did not “adequately meet the needs of all patients,” some of whom needed to travel out of state to get abortion care after pregnancy complications. 

“I think the option should be there for the person… It’s their body. They know what’s going on. They know what they can handle,” Ouellette said. “It’s an extremely tough decision. Thank God I haven’t had to make [it] myself with my wife.”

St. Gelais said that if elected, he’d work to repeal the new abortion law, saying it went too far. He called it irresponsible and “counterproductive to what we’re about as a society.” He said he’d seek to return the law to how it was before. Before this summer, women in Massachusetts could get an abortion up to 24 weeks of gestation. 

A repeal effort would likely face a steep obstacle in the state’s House of Representatives, where 25 Republicans are outnumbered by about 130 Democrats.

Email Anastasia E. Lennon at alennon@newbedfordlight.org.