Weymouth Republican O’Connor Wins South Shore State Senate Seat

BOSTON (AP) — One of only a handful of seats in the Massachusetts Senate held by Republicans is staying in GOP hands.

Republican Patrick O’Connor defeated Democrat Joan Meschino in Tuesday’s special election in a South Shore district that was represented by Republican Robert Hedlund, now Weymouth’s mayor.

O’Connor is president of the Weymouth Town Council and served as Hedlund’s legislative director. He received about 1,000 votes more than Meschino, according to unofficial results.

Meschino, an attorney, is a former Selectwoman from Hull.

The district includes Weymouth, Hingham, Hull, Cohasset, Scituate, Norwell, Marshfield, and Duxbury.