Barry Sanders, social worker and Taunton City Councilor, has announced that he will be a candidate for the Third Bristol and Plymouth State Senate seat, being vacated by longtime incumbent Marc Pacheco. The seat covers multiple communities across the South Coast including Middleboro.

“I’m running to be the Senator that puts you over politics, stands for transparency and accountability on Beacon Hill, and represents all the towns in this district,” said Sanders in a prepared statement.

Sanders grew up in Raynham and raised his children in Taunton, where he now lives. He has family across the district. He said he has been active in the community for decades. “I’ve coached in the South Coast Soccer League, co-founded the Taunton Opiate and Substance Use Task Force, became an educator at Bridgewater State, and got elected to the Taunton City Council,” he said.

Sanders points to his career as a social worker as a key aspect of his experience, which he believes will make him an especially effective senator. “I’m not a career politician,” said Sanders. “I’ve been a social worker for 35 years. I help families treat challenges like Substance Use Disorder and domestic violence. I’ve seen too many families struggling to get by.”

Sanders said he has a strong record of successfully working with colleagues of different ideological backgrounds to find common ground and get real results. “I know how to bring people together to get things done,” he said. “I work with Republicans, Democrats, and Independents alike, on issues like preventing chemicals from poisoning our air and water, and taking on special interests like Steward Healthcare, who made millions while closing the Morton Hospital maternity ward and pediatric unit.”

Sanders will compete in the Democratic primary on Tuesday, Sept 3. If successful in the primary, he will advance to the general election on Tuesday, Nov. 5.