Wareham voters will see two contested races in the upcoming primary election on Tuesday, Sept. 3. 

Two candidates will compete in the Democratic primary for the 3rd Bristol and Plymouth Senate Seat. The seat is currently held by long-time Senator Marc Pacheco, who decided in February not to run for re-election. 

Meanwhile, Representative Susan Williams Gifford will face a challenger in the Republican primary for the 2nd Plymouth seat in the House of Representatives. 

Senate. Sen. Marc Pacheco served four years in the House of Representatives and 32 in the Senate, which has earned him the title of the Massachusetts Senate’s longest continuously serving member. 

He said he reevaluates every year whether he wants to run again, and felt that with this being a national election year, it was the right time to make a change. 

As the long-time senator takes his exit, a hotly contested race to replace him has begun. 

Joe Pacheco, no relation, and Barry Sanders are both seeking the Democratic nomination for the race. Kelly Dooner is running on the Republican line, and Jim DuPont is running as an Independent. 

Joe Pacheco has experience in multiple levels of government. He served as a Raynham Selectman for 17 years, spent five years working in the state legislature, including one working for Senator Marc Pacheco, and spent five years working in the state executive branch. 

His legislative experience means “on day one, I can be filing legislation and advocating for the interests of the district,” he said. 

Sanders, who describes himself as “a dad, social worker and Taunton City councilor,” said he got in the race to stand for transparency and accountability in state government and to put his constituents over politics. 

He points to his 35 years of experience as a social worker as a key part of what will make him an effective senator. 

While Senator Marc Pacheco and Joe Pacheco are not related, the former has endorsed the latter as his replacement. 

House of Representatives. Representative Susan Williams Gifford, the incumbent in the 2nd Plymouth District, will face a Republican challenger, John Gaskey, in the race to retain her seat. No Democratic or Independent candidates have entered the race. 

Gifford was elected to the House in 2002, and previously served three years as a member of the Wareham Select Board. 

“People want a representative who will spend tax dollars wisely and make sure government lives within its means just like you or I have to,” said Gifford. “Over the years, I have made one promise to the people of the second Plymouth district: I will represent you to the best of my ability.”

Her challenger, Gaskey is a 23-year veteran of the Coast Guard who has worked since his retirement in the medical field. 

“I’ve been very upset with a lot of the legislation that has come out in the last cycle,” said Gaskey, explaining his decision to run. Specifically, he opposes the state’s latest gun control bill and the funding of shelter for “illegal” immigrants ahead of veterans and the Commonwealth’s citizens. 

Dates to know. The last day to register to vote and to change party enrollment for the state primary is Saturday, Aug. 24. That day is also the first day of in-person early voting for the state primary; early voting will take place that day at the Wareham Town Hall, 54 Marion Road, from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m.

A virtual forum to meet the candidates in the Senate race will be held on Thursday, Aug. 29 with Joe Pacheco, Sanders, Dooner and DuPont all participating. 

It will take place over zoom at 8:30 a.m. Visit cranberrycountry.org/events to register. 

Voting on the day of the election, Tuesday, Sept. 3, will take place from 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. at the Town Hall.