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Bristol County District Attorney Thomas Quinn III is not running for reelection, his office announced on Tuesday.
Quinn, a Democrat, has served three terms as the county’s top prosecutor since he was appointed by Gov. Charlie Baker to fill a vacancy in 2015. His current term expires on Jan. 6, 2027.
His decision to step down leaves only one other candidate in the 2026 race — former Fall River City Administrator Seth Aitken, a Republican.
In a news release, Quinn said he was proud of his accomplishments as district attorney and would “continue to fight for the victims and citizens of Bristol County” during the remainder of his term.
“I have tried to be a District Attorney who listened, who respected differing perspectives, and who worked to ensure that justice was administered thoughtfully and fairly to all,” the press release said.
▸ Read Quinn’s full announcement
Quinn was challenged only once in the three elections since he was appointed, defeating Shannon McMahon in the 2022 Democratic primary with 61% of votes cast.
He did not immediately respond to requests for comment sent to his office and campaign Tuesday afternoon.
Aitken, a former assistant district attorney who worked under Quinn and Quinn’s predecessor Sam Sutter, has been campaigning for the top prosecutor role since August. He has called for more transparency and more resources to manage a high caseload in local district courts.
In a news release shortly after Quinn’s announcement, Aitken said Democrat lawmakers “have done everything to hobble law enforcement and champion the rights of criminals,” adding that “the time has come for aggressive Republican leadership in the D.A.’s office,” though he did not go into detail about how partisan policies have affected public safety. Aitken is the first Republican to run for Bristol County District Attorney since 1974.
In a phone interview, Aitken praised Quinn as a “capable public servant,” but he said it’s time for “new blood.”
“I don’t think we are safer now than we were 10 years ago,” he said.
County-level crime data is not readily available over such a long period of time. Trial court data shows there were just under 29,000 criminal charges filed in Bristol County courts during the most recent fiscal year, down from about 35,300 filed in both of the two fiscal years before the pandemic.
New Bedford’s 2024 crime report shows violent crime dropped by 60% and property crime dropped by 52% in the city over the past decade. The city accounts for 17% of the county’s population.
Aitken said residents have told him they don’t think local prosecutors are doing enough to hold criminals accountable. He said he wants to hire more prosecutors in district court and a full-time trainer to “make sure these young prosecutors are battle-ready.”
The Republican candidate said he had been hearing for months that Quinn planned to step down. He added that he expected Chris Markey, a Democrat from Dartmouth currently serving as state representative for the 9th Bristol district, to jump in the race. Markey did not immediately respond to The Light’s voicemail on Tuesday afternoon.
Candidates intending to run for county offices this year must file nomination papers by April 28. The primary will take place on Sept. 1 and the general election will be held on Nov. 3.
Email Grace Ferguson at gferguson@newbedfordlight.org
It would be interesting to hear Aitken’s views on how he will try to protect us from overzealous law enforcement as well as his priorities.
Resignation over Conflict-of-Interest Concerns (Feb 2025): Aitken resigned as Fall River City Administrator following an “internal, unofficial investigation” into allegations of a conflict of interest. The probe focused on his involvement in assisting a member of the city’s Emergency Medical Systems (EMS) department with paperwork to start a private business.
Mr. Aitken, republican of the same ilk Of republican Congress people doing nothing to contain, limit, and control a very sick US president? Sounds like he read the playbook handed down to him. He’s the last thing that Bristol County needs in the DAs office!