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# 5 Things To Know About Eric Meschino And His Bid To Flip The 12th Plymouth District
- URL: https://www.newbostonpost.com/eric-meschino-kathy-lanatra-12th-plymouth-election-2026/
- Published: 2026-10-30T11:30:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-30T11:29:59.000Z
- Description: Republican lobsterman Eric Meschino challenges Kathy LaNatra in Massachusetts’ 12th Plymouth District. Five things to know about their 2026 rematch.
- Author: Abigail Hawthorne
- Tags: Blogs

Eric Meschino came within about six percentage points of unseating a Democratic state representative in 2024\. On Nov. 3, the Plymouth lobsterman gets another chance.

The Republican faces state Rep. Kathy LaNatra, D-Kingston, in the 12th Plymouth District, campaigning on lower costs, government transparency and support for commercial fishing.

The [district](https://malegislature.gov/Legislators/Profile/KPL1/District?ref=newbostonpost.com)⁠ includes Kingston, Plympton and parts of Halifax, Middleborough, Pembroke and Plymouth.

Here are five things to know about Meschino and the rematch.

**1\. He received nearly 47% of the vote last time**

Meschino received 12,754 votes to LaNatra’s 14,462 in the [2024 election](https://electionstats.state.ma.us/elections/view/165493/?ref=newbostonpost.com)⁠.

That put him at 46.8% and LaNatra at 53.1%, with a handful of write-in votes accounting for the rest.

LaNatra won by 1,708 votes. Meschino still needs to make up ground, but he enters the rematch having already shown that a substantial share of district voters will support him.

**2\. He carried several parts of the district**

The town-by-town results show where Meschino found support.

He beat LaNatra in the district’s Halifax precincts, 1,403 to 1,086\. He also finished ahead in its Middleborough and Pembroke precincts and in Plympton.

LaNatra built her winning margin in Kingston and the district’s Plymouth precincts.

For Meschino, that map points to the challenge this year: keep his support in the places he won while cutting into LaNatra’s advantage in the district’s two largest voting blocs.

**3\. He worked in finance before making his living on the water**

Meschino’s [campaign biography](https://www.ericmeschino.com/about?ref=newbostonpost.com)⁠ describes more than 25 years as a commercial lobsterman.

Before that, he worked in the financial industry in New York and Philadelphia, including positions with Merrill Lynch, Janney Montgomery Scott and Sands Brothers.

He graduated from Boston College High School and earned a political science degree from the University of Massachusetts Boston. He also has two children who attended Plymouth public schools.

His platform calls for protecting fishing jobs and reducing regulations that burden small businesses.

**4\. He is campaigning against higher taxes and costly energy mandates**

Meschino’s [published priorities](https://www.ericmeschino.com/priorities?ref=newbostonpost.com)⁠ include opposing new or higher taxes and reducing energy costs.

He also supports exploring nuclear power. At an Oct. 22 candidate forum, he suggested small modular reactors and raised the former Pilgrim nuclear plant site as a possible location, the [Plymouth Independent reported](https://www.plymouthindependent.org/reducing-the-costs-of-living-tops-agenda-in-nov-3-election/?ref=newbostonpost.com)⁠.

That proposal puts another energy option into a campaign centered on what residents pay to live in Massachusetts.

**5\. He wants an outside look at Beacon Hill’s books**

Meschino supports a legislative audit and makes government accountability one of his campaign’s main themes.

At a [WATD candidate forum](https://www.southshore.news/p/12th-plymouth-forum-lanatra-points?ref=newbostonpost.com)⁠, he called for an audit and tax cuts. LaNatra pointed to tax relief and local aid as reasons voters should return her to office.

The choice gives voters a familiar incumbent and a challenger with an established base. Meschino’s 2024 results make this a race worth watching as Republicans seek another seat on Beacon Hill.