Markey has raised more than 4 times Aitken's total this year in the first contested Bristol DA general election in decades

SOUTH COAST Democrat Christopher Markey had taken in $181,301 this year for his campaign for Bristol County district attorney by the end of September, more than four times the $39,803 reported by Republican Seth Aitken, according to reports filed with the state Office of Campaign and Political Finance. Nearly all of Markey's money came from individual donors. About half of Aitken's total this year, $20,000, is money he lent his own campaign, and most of the rest came from individual donors.

Voters will see two names for the office on the Nov. 3 ballot for the first time since at least 1978. State election statistics show every Bristol district attorney general election from 1978 through 2022 had a single candidate: Ronald Anthony Pina, Paul F. Walsh Jr., C. Samuel Sutter and Thomas M. Quinn III each won without an opponent, Quinn in 2016, 2018 and 2022. Quinn is not on this year's ballot, and neither candidate is listed as running for re-election.

Markey, of Dartmouth, represents the 9th Bristol District in the state House, and Aitken lives in Swansea. Each won his party's Sept. 1 primary without an opponent, Markey with 41,665 votes and Aitken with 20,086.

Where the money came from

Markey's committee began the year with $25,544. Its bank reports from January through September list 939 contributions from individuals totaling $180,709. About 64% of that money came from donors who gave an address in Bristol County, and 92% from donors in Massachusetts. Other political committees and union political funds gave 17 contributions totaling $2,276. The committee's bank recorded its biggest months in May, with $58,166 in deposits, and August, with $52,170.

Aitken's committee, whose reports start July 7, 2025, began this year with $5,153. Its bank reports from January through September list 105 contributions from individuals totaling $19,720, about 58% of it from Bristol County addresses and 83% from Massachusetts. The Republican town committees of Fairhaven and Sandwich gave $500 together. Aitken lent the campaign $10,000 on March 9, $5,000 on June 12 and $5,000 on Aug. 20.

Where it went

Markey's committee spent $108,768 through Sept. 30. The committee's two biggest payees were fundraising venues: $17,336 to Allendale Country Club for an Aug. 20 golf fundraiser, including $1,242 charged on the campaign's credit card, and $15,113 to Venus de Milo for an April 30 fundraiser. Express Printing was paid $8,260 for signs and bumper stickers, and the state Democratic Party, listed on the report as Mass Dems, was paid $4,550 for what the report lists as "Vote Builders Bristol DA." The committee also paid rent for a campaign headquarters and bought tickets and sponsorships at community dinners, galas and golf tournaments.

Aitken's committee spent $39,633 through Sept. 30, and the largest share, $14,000, went to the New Bedford Guide and Fall River Reporter websites, under what the reports describe as a contract for online ads from July through November. High Sail Strategies of Seekonk was paid $12,810 for consulting, for live music at a campaign event and as reimbursement for printing and media costs, including $300 paid in cash. Yard signs cost $2,845, and 98 Facebook charges added up to $1,757. The committee also sponsored youth baseball and softball teams in Swansea and Somerset.

At the end of September, Markey had $98,578 on hand and Aitken had $5,472. Deposit reports filed since then show Markey's committee deposited $8,655 on Oct. 26 and Aitken's deposited $2,910 in five deposits from Oct. 1 to Oct. 28, including a $900 loan from Aitken. Neither committee's bank had filed its October report, the one that will show October spending, as of Oct. 30, so no spending after Sept. 30 is counted here.

Contested county races on South Coast ballots: campaign money from Jan. 1 through Sept. 30, 2026 (Office of Campaign and Political Finance)

Candidate	Office	Raised	Spent	Cash on hand Sept. 30
Christopher Markey, Democrat, Dartmouth	Bristol district attorney	$181,301	$108,768	$98,578
Seth Aitken, Republican, Swansea	Bristol district attorney	$39,803	$39,633	$5,472
Thomas Hoye Jr., Democrat, Taunton (incumbent)	Bristol County register of probate	$4,350	$27,450	$35,065
Melanie Layden, independent, Taunton	Bristol County register of probate	$670	$525	$268
Rhonda Nyman, Democrat, Hanover	Plymouth County commissioner	$27,308	$8,019	$19,405
Anthony O'Brien Sr., Republican, Pembroke	Plymouth County commissioner	$746	$1,441	$4,326

The other contested county races

In the race for Bristol County register of probate, Register Thomas Hoye Jr., a Taunton Democrat running for re-election, began the year with $58,165 and deposited $10,100 more on Oct. 10. Melanie Layden, a Taunton independent, deposited a $150 loan of her own on Oct. 8.

Plymouth County voters, including those in Marion, Mattapoisett, Rochester and Wareham, will choose a county commissioner between Rhonda Nyman, a Hanover Democrat, and Anthony O'Brien Sr., a Pembroke Republican. Neither is listed as running for re-election. Plymouth District Attorney Timothy Cruz, a Marshfield Republican, is unopposed and had $138,975 on hand at the end of September. Bristol County Treasurer Christopher Saunders and County Commissioner John Saunders, both New Bedford Democrats running for re-election, are unopposed.

How the numbers work

Each candidate's committee keeps its money in a designated bank account. The bank files a monthly statement with the state, and the committee files a report for each deposit listing every donor. Raised, spent and cash on hand are the office's own totals from Jan. 1 through Sept. 30, rounded to the nearest dollar. The listed receipts add up to more than the totals raised mainly because online gifts reach the bank minus card processing fees, $2,058 for Markey and $517 for Aitken this year. Cash on hand also counts a $500 refund recorded by Markey's committee and $150 in unspent cash Aitken's committee put back in its account, which the office does not count as money raised. The shares from Bristol County and Massachusetts are our count of the individual contributions in each committee's January to September bank reports, by the city and state each donor listed. Anyone can look up the reports by candidate name at ocpf.us.

Each town's ballot and polling places are in the SC360 voter guide.

Label: Reported by us, from the town's posted records.