The Carver Journal — News from Carver, Massachusetts

As results come in, keep an eye on the 2nd Plymouth district state representative election. Incumbent state Rep. John Gaskey (R-Caver) is in a rematch against Democratic Carver Select Board member Sarah Hewins. The seat could be up for grabs.

In 2024, Gaskey soundly defeated Hewins with nearly 90% of the vote. However, Hewins ran as a write-in candidate and was not listed on the ballot. This year, Hewins’ name is on the ballot, setting up Gaskey’s first general election contest for state representative with another candidate officially listed.

There have been no pre-election polls for the 2nd Plymouth state house election, but a strong national environment for Democrats could make the district competitive. The district voted for Trump in 2016, Biden in 2020 and Trump again in 2024. It has voted Republicans in to the State House since the early 2000s.

Gaskey’s seat was previously held for two decades by former Republican state Rep. Susan Gifford, who died of cancer in October 2024. Gaskey ousted her in the September 2024 Republican primary.

Gifford first won the seat in 2002 and consistently won reelection. In 2016 and 2018, she faced Hewins herself. Gifford won both times, by about 15 points in 2016 and 13 points in 2018.

This year is Gaskey’s first election as an incumbent and it is not clear if he holds the same electoral advantage Gifford had. Gaskey faced a tough primary election to get on today’s ballot. In September, he narrowly fended off Carver Select Board Chair Mark Townsend by 190 votes to secure the district’s Republican nomination. It isn’t clear how many of Townsend’s voters will ultimately back Gaskey. 

Before the primary, Gaskey’s campaign was also rattled by a sexual harassment lawsuit filed against him in August by a former aide. Gaskey has denied the allegations calling them “baseless, politically motivated, and false.” 

Gaskey is up against Hewins, a longtime Carver official who has poured thousands of dollars into her campaign.

A win for Gaskey would keep his historically red district in the Republican column, bucking a potentially splintered Republican electorate, a scandal and the current nationwide momentum for Democrats. If Hewins prevails, her win would mean flipping a seat she’s tried to run for several times and could be a sign that the 2nd Plymouth State House seat is not as reliably Republican as it seems.

Polls close at 8 p.m. today.

Today is Election Day. Voters across Carver will cast their ballots on nine ballot questions and elections for governor and state representative, among other seats. Keep up with the Carver Journal’s coverage here!

ElectionsWhat’s on your ballot?