In 2019, Robert McConnell reached out to the Massachusetts Republican Party. A Fairhaven resident, McConnell met with party leadership regarding a lack of Republican candidates in the 10th Bristol district.

Their reply: “What are you doing?” McConnell said.

It served as his “genesis of political activity,” according to McConnell, a Republican candidate for 10th Bristol district state representative.

McConnell is running for the seat held since 1992 by Rep. Bill Straus (D-Mattapoisett). He will face Joe Pires in the Republican primary Tuesday, Sept. 3. The 10th Bristol district includes Marion, Mattapoisett, Rochester, Fairhaven and parts of New Bedford and Acushnet.

McConnell has a “proven track record of involvement and participation” and a “strong law enforcement background” spanning several years, he said.

In addition to more than three decades serving as a deputy sheriff for the Plymouth County Sheriff's Department, McConnell has a medical nursing license and for eight years worked in enforcement and removal operations for U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

“Those occupations and experiences have a very real relevance to a lot of problems that we're facing in this country right now,” McConnell said. “Law enforcement, immigration, medical costs. All those things will give me a leg up or a good reference in dealing or addressing these social problems.”

McConnell is also chair of the Fairhaven Republican Town Committee and a committeeman representing the Second Bristol and Plymouth district for the Massachusetts Republican State Committee.

He ran for the 10th Bristol district seat in 2022 but lost in the Republican primary to Jeffrey Swift of Mattapoisett.

He said his brief time thus far in politics has “built a great network of political associations within the Republican Party and within government.”

“That will also be a great asset in service,” McConnell said.

McConnell’s platform as a candidate includes fiscal responsibility, individual freedoms and maintaining a low tax rate, he said.

He hopes to increase unenrolled and Republican voter turnout, as well as Republican representation in Massachusetts state governing.

“We are very much in the minority and need to bring about some type of equity on Beacon Hill,” McConnell said.

He said he believes his candidacy “encouraged” both the retirement of longtime 10th Bristol representative Bill Straus and the candidacy of fellow Republican challenger Joe Pires of Rochester.

“This goal of bringing about awareness and participation has been achieved and will continue to get stronger,” he said.

A member of the New Bedford Rifle and Revolver Club, McConnell said he’s a strong supporter of the Second Amendment, a Christian who regularly attends church and a volunteer for Donald Trump’s 2024 presidential campaign.

“People have seen the consistency of my character and my mission and what I'm doing, and I think that goes a long way in building trust, and it's very hard earned,” McConnell said.