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. 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. He finished fourth in the Democratic primary with 13% of the vote, placing behind colleagues
Brian A. Joyce,
Cheryl Jacques, and the eventual winner
Stephen Lynch. In 2016, Pacheco served as a
presidential elector, casting his vote for
Hillary Clinton. 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 ==