A Democrat won the 8th Bristol District’s State House seat with less than 34% of the vote in 2024. This year, Republican Jesse St. Gelais wants to turn that narrow victory into a one-term stay on Beacon Hill.
The Acushnet insurance agent faces state Rep. Steven Ouellette, D-Westport, in the Nov. 3 election. The district includes Westport and parts of Acushnet, Fall River, Freetown and New Bedford.
Here are five things to know about St. Gelais and his bid to flip the seat.
1. The last election was much closer than a typical Massachusetts race
Ouellette received 7,497 votes in the 2024 election, beating Republican Christopher Thrasher by just 261 votes.
That gave Ouellette 33.8% to Thrasher’s 32.7%. St. Gelais, then running as an unenrolled candidate, finished third with 4,232 votes, or 19.1%. Two other unenrolled candidates also ran.
Those results give Republicans a reason to watch this seat. Ouellette won a plurality, but nearly two-thirds of voters chose someone else.
2. St. Gelais has already won a contest against the last GOP nominee
St. Gelais defeated Thrasher in the Sept. 1 Republican primary, securing the party’s nomination for a seat both men sought two years ago.
The state’s general election candidate list now shows only Ouellette and St. Gelais.
That changes the contest considerably. The Republican and unenrolled candidates divided the vote in 2024. This year, voters seeking a different representative have one challenger on the ballot.
It does not follow that every former Thrasher voter or independent voter will support St. Gelais. He still has to win them over.
3. He comes from the insurance business
According to his campaign biography, St. Gelais has worked in insurance for 24 years and runs an insurance agency.
He was born in New Bedford and moved to Acushnet in 1993. He and his wife, Tess, have three children.
He serves on the boards of the New Bedford Port Society and the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick.
4. He wants an audit of the Legislature
St. Gelais has made legislative transparency part of his campaign.
The New Bedford Light reported that both Republican primary candidates supported auditing the Legislature. The newspaper also reported that Ouellette voted in June to narrow the audit’s scope.
That gives St. Gelais a specific issue on which to challenge the incumbent: whether lawmakers should face the outside scrutiny voters sought through the 2024 audit ballot question.
5. Energy costs and local funding round out his pitch
St. Gelais’ platform calls for halting offshore wind development and examining the costs that state energy policies place on consumers.
He also wants more support for local roads, schools and public safety, along with closer scrutiny of unfunded state mandates.
His task is to persuade voters that those priorities justify replacing Ouellette. With the five-way contest of 2024 reduced to a two-candidate race, the 8th Bristol District offers a clearer test of whether Republicans can take the seat.
