Special Election Date Set for Bristol and Norfolk District

The special election to select a successor for James Timilty will be Oct. 17. Timilty, a Walpole Democrat, resigned from the Senate on Wednesday evening to become Norfolk County treasurer. The primary will be Sept. 19 and the deadline for submitting nomination papers is Aug. 8.

Timility's resignation leaves some holes. He represented Foxborough, Mansfield, Medfield, Norton, Rehoboth, Seekonk, Walpole, and portions of Attleboro and Sharon. Now that district will be without representation during this month's expected debate on the fiscal 2018 Senate budget bill.

The district is one where a Republican candidate could have a shot at winning. Trump actually beat Clinton in Rehoboth, and the percentage of votes he received in the district was much higher than the statewide average.

According to the Sun Chronicle, Mansfield Republican Rep. Jay Barrows and State Committee member Angela Davis of Foxborough opted against a run. Rep. Steven Howitt of Seekonk announced Thursday afternoon that he will not make a bid for the seat.

On the Democratic side, legislative aide Ted Philips, of Sharon and former Bernie Sanders Campaign State Director Paul Feeney of Foxborough, are running. Former WBZ-TV reporter Joe Shortsleeve, a Medfield Democrat, is also getting in the race, according to the Sun Chronicle.

Materials from the State House News Service were used in this report