Taunton City Councilor pulls papers to run for vacant state rep seat. Is anyone else running?
TAUNTON — City Councilor Chris Coute has pulled papers to run for Carol Doherty's old state representative seat.
Coute did not respond immediately to a request for comment.
Doherty, a Taunton Democrat who died on Feb. 15 of pancreatic cancer, previously represented the 3rd Bristol District, which consists of part of Taunton and part of Easton. Specifically, the district consists of Precincts 4A, 5, and 6 in the south-west of Easton, and Ward 1 Precincts A, B, Ward 2, Ward 5, Ward 7 and Ward 8 in the west of Taunton. A special election to fill the seat was announced on March 10.
In 2023, Coute, a Taunton Republican, made an unsuccessful bid for the seat against Doherty, a Democrat.
No other candidate has pulled papers to run for the 3rd Bristol District seat so far, according to the Secretary of State's office. The deadline to pull papers is April 1st, 2025.
A primary election for the 3rd Bristol District seat will be held on Tuesday, May 13, before the general election on Tuesday, June 10.
A local business owner and real estate developer, Coute is the principal partner of Taunton-based Brownstone Realty Group. Coute previously owned Liberty & Union Ale House and the National Charter 957 downtown.
Coute first won election to the Taunton City Council in 2019 and then won re-election in 2021. Coute lost his bid for re-election in 2023, but as the first runner-up he was first in line to replace former City Councilor Kelly Dooner when she left that post to take on her new roll as Taunton state senator after she won election to that seat in November 2024.
Doherty, who died on Feb. 15 at the age of 82 of pancreatic cancer, had just been reelected in November to a third two-year term.
Doherty was first elected to serve as state representative in 2020 in a special election to replace former State Rep. Shaunna O'Connell, who resigned when she was elected mayor of Taunton. Prior to that, Doherty served five terms on the Taunton School Committee.
With reporting by Daniel Schemer.
This article originally appeared on The Taunton Daily Gazette: Taunton City Councilor Chris Coute runs for Carol Doherty's old seat
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
23 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Circle (CRCL) IPO Soars, Sparks Talk of Crypto Public Listing Boom
Circle (CRCL, Financials), the issuer of USDC, saw its shares jump 245% in its debut weekan explosive public market entrance that could set off a wave of crypto IPOs, according to a new report from Bybit. The Dubai-based exchange, which ranks second globally by volume, said Circle's oversubscribed offering and first-week surge underscore rising institutional appetite for crypto equities. Analysts at Bybit believe Wall Street significantly underpriced the deal, underestimating demand and the sector's valuation dynamics. Advertisement The Circle IPO isn't just about one companyit's a signal that crypto is being taken seriously in traditional markets, the report noted. The Bybit Crypto Insights report names six other crypto-native companies preparing for public listings, including blockchain security firm Fireblocks and data analytics provider Chainalysis. Each is expected to draw multi-billion-dollar valuations amid a friendlier regulatory environment under the new U.S. administration. Bybit says this is a "reset moment" for how investment bankers approach crypto businesses, with conventional valuation models proving insufficient for companies native to decentralized finance. This article first appeared on GuruFocus.
Hamilton Spectator
30 minutes ago
- Hamilton Spectator
Trump says he will ‘liberate' Los Angeles in speech to mark the 250th anniversary of the Army
FORT BRAGG, N.C. (AP) — President Donald Trump called protesters in Los Angeles 'animals' and 'a foreign enemy' in a speech at Fort Bragg on Tuesday as he defended deploying the military on demonstrators opposed to his immigration enforcement raids. Trump, in his most aggressive language yet regarding the protests in Los Angeles, used a speech ostensibly supposed to be used to recognize the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army to denounce the demonstrators while repeating his false statements about the 2020 election being rigged and attacking the previous commander-in-chief, former President Joe Biden. The Republican president, who sees the military as a critical tool for domestic goals, has used the recent protests in Los Angeles as an opportunity to deploy the National Guard and U.S. Marines over the objections of California's Democratic governor to quell disturbances that began as protests over immigration raids. While protesters blocked a major freeway and set cars on fire over the weekend in Los Angeles, the demonstrations in the city of 4 million people have largely been centered in several blocks of downtown. 'We will not allow an American city to be invaded and conquered by a foreign enemy. That's what they are,' Trump said Tuesday. Trump's heated rhetoric came has he's left open the possibility of invoking the Insurrection Act, one of the most extreme emergency powers available to the president. It authorizes him to deploy military forces inside the U.S. to suppress rebellion or domestic violence or to enforce the law in certain situations. The president also called Los Angeles 'a trash heap' with 'entire neighborhoods under control' of criminals and said the federal government would 'use every asset at our disposal to quell the violence and restore law and order.' 'We will liberate Los Angeles and make it free, clean, and safe again,' Trump added. Trump also announced his administration was restoring the names of seven military bases that were given the monikers of Confederate leaders until being changed by the Biden administration. Fort Pickett, Fort Hood, Fort Gordon, Fort Rucker, Fort Polk, Fort A.P. Hill and Fort Robert E. Lee will have their names changed back, Trump said. Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth already brought back the names of Fort Bragg and Fort Benning in Georgia. 'Can you believe they changed that name in the last administration for a little bit?' Trump said. 'We'll forget all about that.' Before he spoke, Trump watched the U.S. Army demonstrate a missile strike, a helicopter assault and a building raid, a preview of the kind of show of American military might he's expected to display in the nation's capital for a massive military parade this weekend . Fort Bragg, which is located near Fayetteville, North Carolina, serves as headquarters for U.S. Army Special Operations Command. Highly trained units like the Green Berets and the 82nd Airborne are based there. The atmosphere resembled a state fair with military flair. Inflatable slides and attractions for children were set up in a field, with artillery, trucks and helicopters parked on another section of the lawn. Right outside the security checkpoint — but still on the base — two stands were selling Trump political hats, T-shirts and other paraphernalia. Hegseth and Army Secretary Dan Driscoll were also at Tuesday's event, along with service members, veterans and their families. Hegseth, who has said he's ridding the military of 'woke,' told the crowd at Fort Bragg that the U.S. is 'restoring the warrior ethos' to its armed forces. 'We're not a college or a university. We're not interested in your woke garbage and political correctness,' Hegseth said, drawing cheers. Driscoll, who spoke to the crowd earlier in the afternoon, called Trump 'the greatest recruiter in our Army's history.' Trump has promoted the Army's anniversary as a reason to hold a military parade in Washington on Saturday, which is also his 79th birthday. Tanks and other vehicles will roll down city streets in a reminder of how the Republican president is reshaping the armed forces after returning to the White House this year. Trump has authorized the deployment of 4,000 National Guard soldiers to the city over the objections of California Gov. Gavin Newsom, a Democrat. About 700 Marines were deployed to the Los Angeles area, but had not yet been sent to respond to the protests. California sued Trump over the deployment, with the state attorney general arguing that the president had 'trampled' the state's sovereignty. California leaders accused Trump of fanning protesters' anger, leading crowds to block off a major freeway and set self-driving cars on fire. ___ Price reported from Washington. Associated Press writer Lolita Baldor in Washington contributed to this report. Follow the AP's coverage of President Donald Trump at . ___ This story has been corrected to reflect that the 82nd Airborne Division, not the U.S. Army Rangers, is based at Fort Bragg. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
Axios
30 minutes ago
- Axios
Poll: Rep. Gabe Evans' approval lags behind Trump's
Republican U.S. Rep. Gabe Evans' favorability rating five months into the job is lower than President Trump's among registered voters in the congressman's district, according to a poll released Tuesday. Stunning stat: Evans' favorability (40%) lagged behind Trump's (45%) in Colorado's 8th District, which stretches from the suburbs north of Denver toward Greeley. The big picture: More than half of registered voters in the state's most competitive congressional district would be less likely to vote for a candidate who voted to cut Medicaid funding, per a poll released by Healthier Colorado, a nonprofit that supports expanding the federal safety net program. Why it matters: The poll comes as a major warning for Evans, who's gunning for reelection next year while staunchly defending the "big, beautiful bill" calling for historic reductions in Medicaid spending. Context: The poll, conducted from May 29 to June 4, included 404 registered 8th District voters, per Healthier Colorado. The survey had a margin of error of +/- 4.87% at the 95% confidence interval. State of play: A majority of 8th District voters (53%) share a favorable view of the safety net program, the poll shows, citing the health care access it provides to low-income and vulnerable people. Less than a quarter of respondents (23%) hold an unfavorable opinion of Medicaid. Between the lines: Republicans like Evans are framing the federal spending proposal as a measure to curb fraud and waste in the federal safety net program — but most voters aren't buying that, Healthier Colorado CEO Jake Williams said during a Tuesday press call. What they're saying:"Republicans' plan increases Medicaid spending every single year and makes the program more efficient by cutting out fraud, waste, and abuse," Delanie Bomar, a spokesperson for Evans' reelection campaign, said in a statement.
