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Experience triumphed over enthusiasm Tuesday night when incumbent state Sen. Mark Montigny, a Democrat, beat Fairhaven Republican Robert “Bob” McConnell by a wide margin.
The 2026 election marked the first time Montigny had faced a Republican challenger in the general election since he was elected in 1993. McConnell, the chairman of the Fairhaven Republican Town Committee, ran in 2022 and 2024 for the 10th Bristol District seat held by state Rep. Mark Sylvia.
At midnight, Montigny was leading McConnell 65% to 35%, with results in from four out of five communities in the district.
In a statement Tuesday night, Montigny commended McConnell for running a positive campaign.
“I’m proud of what we’ve accomplished in this special place that we love and get to call home,” Montigny said. “I am beyond grateful that the voters have overwhelmingly put their trust in me for another term, and I look forward to continuing to lead the renaissance of the New Bedford region through the continued deliverance of transformational projects and growth.”
The state senator’s spokesperson, Audra Riding, said he had been busy Tuesday traveling to every municipality in the district. It encompasses New Bedford, Dartmouth, Acushnet, Fairhaven, and Mattapoissett.
McConnell also spent Election Day traveling to every polling station in the 2nd Bristol and Plymouth district. By 9 a.m., Mattapoisett’s polling station had already seen 400 voters, McConnell said.
“[I feel] very positive!” McConnell said Tuesday, adding that he’s seen “amazing” support and encouragement on the campaign trail.
Despite that optimism, McConnell knew his winning would be a longshot against the longstanding state senator. In an interview with The Light earlier in the campaign season, the Republican said his mission was largely just to bring some healthy competition into the race.
McConnell did not immediately respond to a request for comment late Tuesday night.
The 2nd Bristol and Plymouth district leaned 50% Democrat and 47% Republican in the 2024 general presidential election, although historically Democrats had led by wider margins. Montigny won nearly two-thirds of the vote Tuesday, perhaps bolstered by a nationwide “blue wave.”
Voting was slow but steady Tuesday afternoon at the Ward 4 polling location on Pleasant Street in New Bedford. Several voters said they were voting for change, and felt good about their candidates’ odds.
“I came out to reverse Trump’s kinglike power by voting Democrats into the House and Senate,” George Wilkie said.
Montigny said in October that if reelected, he would focus on continuing to hold bad actors in the nursing home industry accountable and prioritize getting his anti-animal-abuse bill through the Legislature.
He also touted the earmark he secured in May for New Bedford’s Fire Station 9, which had been scheduled to close under the mayor’s proposed budget. The $500,000 in one-time local aid, included in the current fiscal year’s budget this summer, has kept the station open temporarily.
Montigny has also supported further state funding for Fire Station 9. In September, Gov. Maura Healey proposed a $1.3 million line item in her supplemental appropriations bill that would keep the fire station open through June 30, the end of the current fiscal year. A version of the bill is pending in the Senate.
Email Brooke Kushwaha at bkushwaha@newbedfordlight.org.
