Marc R. Pacheco (born October 29, 1952) is an American

state legislator A state legislature is a legislative branch or body of a political subdivision in a federal system. Two federations literally use the term "state legislature": * The legislative branches of each of the fifty state governments of the United St ...

who served as a member of the

Massachusetts Senate The Massachusetts Senate is the upper house of the Massachusetts General Court, the bicameral state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The Senate comprises 40 elected members from 40 single-member senatorial districts in the st ...

from the 1st Plymouth and Bristol district from 1993 to 2025. A member of the Democratic Party, he previously represented the 3rd Bristol district in the

Massachusetts House of Representatives The Massachusetts House of Representatives is the lower house of the Massachusetts General Court, the State legislature (United States), state legislature of Massachusetts. It is composed of 160 members elected from 14 counties each divided into ...

from 1989 to 1993.

Early life and education

Pacheco was born on October 29, 1952 in Taunton, Massachusetts to Emily L. Pacheco (née Henriques) and Richard Pacheco. A graduate of

Taunton High School Taunton High School (often abbreviated THS) is located within a large, three-floor, interconnected, multi-block complex in the eastern section of Taunton, Massachusetts, United States. It is an urban public high school with an estimated average s ...

, Pacheco received an associate degree from the

Stockbridge School of Agriculture The Stockbridge School of Agriculture offers Associate of Science, Bachelor of Science, and graduate degrees as an academic unit of the University of Massachusetts Amherst campus. It was founded as part of the Massachusetts Agricultural College ...

at the

University of Massachusetts Amherst The University of Massachusetts Amherst (UMass Amherst) is a public land-grant research university in Amherst, Massachusetts, United States. It is the flagship campus of the University of Massachusetts system and was founded in 1863 as the ...

, a bachelor's degree from New Hampshire College (now

Southern New Hampshire University Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU) is a private university between Manchester, New Hampshire, Manchester and Hooksett, New Hampshire, United States. The university is accredited by the New England Commission of Higher Education, along with ...

), and a master's degree from

Suffolk University Suffolk University is a private university, private research university in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. With 7,560 students on all campuses, it is the List of colleges and universities in metropolitan Boston, tenth-largest university ...

Political career

Pacheco entered politics in 1980 when he was elected to the Taunton School Committee. He served until 1989, including two years as chair from 1987 to 1988. From 1982 to 1988, he also served as chief assistant to Mayor

Richard Johnson Richard or Dick Johnson may refer to: Academics * Dick Johnson (academic) (1929–2019), Australian academic * Richard C. Johnson (1930–2003), professor of electrical engineering * Richard A. Johnson, artist and professor at the University of ...

. In 1988, with incumbent Theodore J. Aleixo Jr. running for Senate, Pacheco was elected to the 3rd Bristol district of the Massachusetts House of Representatives. He defeated fellow Taunton residents Carol Doherty and Gail Tardo in the Democratic primary and faced no opposition in the general election. Doherty would later be elected to the seat in a special election in 2020. In 1992, Pacheco ran for Senate and defeated incumbent Republican Erving H. Wall Jr. In 2001, Pacheco ran in the 9th congressional district special election caused by the death of Congressman

Joe Moakley John Joseph Moakley (April 27, 1927 – May 28, 2001) was an American politician who served as the United States representative for Massachusetts's 9th congressional district from 1973 until his death in 2001. Moakley won the seat from incumbent ...

. He finished fourth in the Democratic primary with 13% of the vote, placing behind colleagues Brian A. Joyce,

Cheryl Jacques Cheryl Ann Jacques (born February 17, 1962) is an American politician and attorney who served six terms in the Massachusetts Senate, was the president of the Human Rights Campaign for 11 months, and served as an administrative judge in the Massa ...

, and the eventual winner Stephen Lynch. In 2016, Pacheco served as a

presidential elector In the United States, the Electoral College is the group of presidential electors that is formed every four years for the sole purpose of voting for the president and vice president in the presidential election. This process is described in ...

, casting his vote for

Hillary Clinton Hillary Diane Rodham Clinton ( Rodham; born October 26, 1947) is an American politician, lawyer and diplomat. She was the 67th United States secretary of state in the administration of Barack Obama from 2009 to 2013, a U.S. senator represent ...

. On February 13, 2024, Pacheco announced he would not seek another term.

Committee Assignments

Source:

193rd General Court (2023-24)

* Chairperson, Senate Committee on Post Audit and Oversight * Chairperson, Joint Committee on Emergency Preparedness and Management * Vice Chair, Joint Committee on Telecommunications, Utilities and Energy * Senate Committee on Global Warming and Climate Change * Joint Committee on State Administration and Regulatory Oversight

Personal life

Pacheco lives in Taunton with his wife Barbara, a few blocks from where he grew up.

References