United States House of Representatives elections in Massachusetts, 2012
Encyclopedia
The 2012 congressional elections in Massachusetts will be held on November 6, 2012, to determine the nine members of the United States House of Representatives
from Massachusetts. Massachusetts has ten seats in the House, apportioned according to the 2000 United States Census, but will be reduced to nine seats as a result of apportionment
following the 2010 Census. Representatives are elected for two-year terms; those elected will serve in the 113th Congress
from January 3, 2013 until January 3, 2015. All ten incumbents are members of the Democratic Party
.
Primary election
s will be held on September 6, 2012. This primary will be on a Thursday, which is rare in Massachusetts, and it was moved from Tuesday September 18, 2012 because of a conflicting religious holiday.
, who has represented the 2nd district since 1989, was redistricted into the 1st district. He will run for re-election.
Middle Berkshire Register of Deeds Andrea F. Nuciforo Jr., a former state senator
, will seek the Democratic nomination.
External links
, has represented the 1st district since 1991, most of which will remain in the proposed new 1st district. He was to have been redistricted to the 2nd district, except that he announced his retirement two weeks before the new districts were proposed.
Democrat Jim McGovern
, who will be redistricted from the 3rd district, has not yet announced his re-election plans.
Three Leominster
men were considering running when their city was in the 1st district: Republican
real estate developer Gregg Lisciotti; unenrolled conservative mayor Dean J. Mazzarella; and Democratic state representative
Dennis Rosa.
External links
External links
, who has represented the 4th district since 1981, will retire rather than run for re-election. State senator
Cynthia Creem
; Deborah Goldberg
, the former chairwoman of the Brookline
Board of Selectmen; Alan Khazei
, the co-founder of the City Year
non-profit organization; Brookline Selectwoman Jesse Mermell; state senator Marc Pacheco; state senator Mike Rodrigues
; Bristol County
District Attorney
Samuel Sutter; state senator James Timilty; state representative
James Vallee; and Setti Warren
, the mayor of Newton
, may seek the Democratic nomination to succeed Frank.
Elizabeth Childs, a psychiatrist and member of the Brookline
School Committee, will seek the Republican nomination. State representative Jay Barrows
; Sean Bielat, a technology executive who unsuccessfully challenged Frank as the Republican nominee in 2010; and former Hopkinton
Selectman Brian Herr, may also seek the Republican nomination.
External links
, will be redistricted from the 7th district, having represented it since 1976. Gerry Dembrowski, a physician who unsuccessfully challenged Markey as the Republican nominee in 2010, and Jeff Semon, a financial consultant, will seek the Republican nomination to challenge Markey.
External links
has represented the 6th district since 1997. Bill Hudak, a Tea Party
-endorsed lawyer who unsuccessfully challenged Tierney as the Republican nominee in 2010, and Richard R. Tisei
, the Republican nominee for Lieutenant Governor in the 2010 Massachusetts gubernatorial election
will run.
External links
, increasing its reach over several minority precincts near Boston. Democrat Mike Capuano
, who will be redistricted from the 8th district, having represented it since 1999, will run for re-election. Karla Romero, the founding President and CEO of the non-profit Mass Appeal International and a former Miss USA
contestant will run as a Republican.
External links
, who will be redistricted from the old 9th district, has not yet announced his re-election plans.
Democrat William R. Keating
, who will be redistricted from the old , announced that he will move to Cape Cod
(where he already has a summer home), and run there, putting him in the new 9th district (most of which includes his incumbent district) instead of competing against Lynch.
External links
, who has represented most of the district for the last two years when it was the , has a summer home there. As discussed above, he is planning to move to the future 9th District. Outgoing mayor of New Bedford
Scott W. Lang, Bristol County
District Attorney
C. Samuel Sutter, state senator Mark Montigny
, and former state senator Robert O'Leary
may also seek the Democratic nomination.
Thomas M. Hodgson, the Bristol County sheriff
, and Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy Cruz may seek the Republican nomination.
Democrat Therese Murray
and Republicans Jeff Perry
and Vinny deMacedo
have announced that they will not run.
External links
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives is one of the two Houses of the United States Congress, the bicameral legislature which also includes the Senate.The composition and powers of the House are established in Article One of the Constitution...
from Massachusetts. Massachusetts has ten seats in the House, apportioned according to the 2000 United States Census, but will be reduced to nine seats as a result of apportionment
Apportionment
The legal term apportionment means distribution or allotment in proper shares.It is a term used in law in a variety of senses...
following the 2010 Census. Representatives are elected for two-year terms; those elected will serve in the 113th Congress
113th United States Congress
The One Hundred Thirteenth United States Congress will be the next meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government after the 112th Congress is seated. It will be composed of the United States Senate and the United States House of Representatives. It is scheduled to meet...
from January 3, 2013 until January 3, 2015. All ten incumbents are members of the Democratic Party
Democratic Party (United States)
The Democratic Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Republican Party. The party's socially liberal and progressive platform is largely considered center-left in the U.S. political spectrum. The party has the lengthiest record of continuous...
.
Primary election
Primary election
A primary election is an election in which party members or voters select candidates for a subsequent election. Primary elections are one means by which a political party nominates candidates for the next general election....
s will be held on September 6, 2012. This primary will be on a Thursday, which is rare in Massachusetts, and it was moved from Tuesday September 18, 2012 because of a conflicting religious holiday.
District 1
Democrat Richard NealRichard Neal
Richard Edmund Neal is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1989. He is a member of the Democratic Party. He is a former city councilor and mayor of Springfield, Massachusetts....
, who has represented the 2nd district since 1989, was redistricted into the 1st district. He will run for re-election.
Middle Berkshire Register of Deeds Andrea F. Nuciforo Jr., a former state senator
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 state...
, will seek the Democratic nomination.
External links
- Andrea Nuciforo Jr. campaign website
- Campaign contributions from OpenSecrets.orgCenter for Responsive PoliticsThe Center for Responsive Politics is a non-profit, nonpartisan research group based in Washington, D.C. that tracks money in politics and the effect of money and lobbying activity on elections and public policy and maintains a public online database of its information.Their database...
- Richard Neal campaign website
District 2
Democrat John OlverJohn Olver
John Walter Olver is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1991. He is a member of the Democratic Party. Early in his career, he was a chemistry professor and served in both chambers of the Massachusetts General Court....
, has represented the 1st district since 1991, most of which will remain in the proposed new 1st district. He was to have been redistricted to the 2nd district, except that he announced his retirement two weeks before the new districts were proposed.
Democrat Jim McGovern
Jim McGovern
James Patrick "Jim" McGovern is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1997. He is a member of the Democratic Party....
, who will be redistricted from the 3rd district, has not yet announced his re-election plans.
Three Leominster
Leominster, Massachusetts
Leominster is a city in Worcester County, Massachusetts, United States. It is the second-largest city in Worcester County, with a population of 40,759 at the 2010 census. Leominster is located north of Worcester and west of Boston. Both Route 2 and Route 12 pass through Leominster. Interstate 190,...
men were considering running when their city was in the 1st district: Republican
Republican
Republican can refer to:* An advocate of a republic, a form of government that is not a monarchy or dictatorship, and is generally associated with the rule of law...
real estate developer Gregg Lisciotti; unenrolled conservative mayor Dean J. Mazzarella; and Democratic state representative
Massachusetts House of Representatives
The Massachusetts House of Representatives is the lower house of the Massachusetts General Court, the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It is composed of 160 members elected from single-member electoral districts across the Commonwealth. Representatives serve two-year terms...
Dennis Rosa.
External links
- Jim McGovern campaign website
- Campaign contributions from OpenSecrets.orgCenter for Responsive PoliticsThe Center for Responsive Politics is a non-profit, nonpartisan research group based in Washington, D.C. that tracks money in politics and the effect of money and lobbying activity on elections and public policy and maintains a public online database of its information.Their database...
District 3
Democrat Nikki Tsongas, who will be redistricted from the 5th district, has not yet announced her re-election plans.External links
- Campaign contributions from OpenSecrets.orgCenter for Responsive PoliticsThe Center for Responsive Politics is a non-profit, nonpartisan research group based in Washington, D.C. that tracks money in politics and the effect of money and lobbying activity on elections and public policy and maintains a public online database of its information.Their database...
District 4
Democrat Barney FrankBarney Frank
Barney Frank is the U.S. Representative for . A member of the Democratic Party, he is the former chairman of the House Financial Services Committee and is considered the most prominent gay politician in the United States.Born and raised in New Jersey, Frank graduated from Harvard College and...
, who has represented the 4th district since 1981, will retire rather than run for re-election. State senator
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 state...
Cynthia Creem
Cynthia Stone Creem
Cynthia Stone Creem is an American state legislator serving in the Massachusetts Senate. She represents the 1st Middlesex and Norfolk district, which includes her hometown of Newton, Brookline and parts of Wellesley. She is a Democrat who has served since 1999...
; Deborah Goldberg
Deborah Goldberg
Deborah Goldberg served on the Board of Selectmen for the town of Brookline, Massachusetts from 1998–2004, the last two as Chairman, and was a candidate in the 2006 Massachusetts Democratic primary election for Lieutenant Governor....
, the former chairwoman of the Brookline
Brookline, Massachusetts
Brookline is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States, which borders on the cities of Boston and Newton. As of the 2010 census, the population of the town was 58,732.-Etymology:...
Board of Selectmen; Alan Khazei
Alan Khazei
Alan Khazei is an American social entrepreneur. He is the founder and chief executive officer of Be the Change, Inc., a Boston-based group dedicated to building national coalitions of non-profit organizations and citizens to enact legislation on issues such as poverty and education...
, the co-founder of the City Year
City Year
City Year is an education-focused nonprofit organization that partners with public schools to provide full-time targeted intervention keeping students in school and on track to graduate...
non-profit organization; Brookline Selectwoman Jesse Mermell; state senator Marc Pacheco; state senator Mike Rodrigues
Michael Rodrigues
Michael J. Rodrigues is a Democratic member of the Massachusetts Senate representing the 1st Bristol and Plymouth district. He is a resident of Westport who has served since January 2011. From 1996 to 2011 he was a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives from the 8th Bristol district...
; Bristol County
Bristol County, Massachusetts
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 534,678 people, 205,411 households, and 140,706 families residing in the county. The population density was 962 people per square mile . There were 216,918 housing units at an average density of 390 per square mile...
District Attorney
District attorney
In many jurisdictions in the United States, a District Attorney is an elected or appointed government official who represents the government in the prosecution of criminal offenses. The district attorney is the highest officeholder in the jurisdiction's legal department and supervises a staff of...
Samuel Sutter; state senator James Timilty; state representative
Massachusetts House of Representatives
The Massachusetts House of Representatives is the lower house of the Massachusetts General Court, the state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. It is composed of 160 members elected from single-member electoral districts across the Commonwealth. Representatives serve two-year terms...
James Vallee; and Setti Warren
Setti Warren
Setti David Warren , an American politician, is the mayor of Newton, Massachusetts and a former Democratic candidate for United States Senate. He is the first popularly elected African-American mayor in Massachusetts....
, the mayor of Newton
Newton, Massachusetts
Newton is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States bordered to the east by Boston. According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the population of Newton was 85,146, making it the eleventh largest city in the state.-Villages:...
, may seek the Democratic nomination to succeed Frank.
Elizabeth Childs, a psychiatrist and member of the Brookline
Brookline, Massachusetts
Brookline is a town in Norfolk County, Massachusetts, United States, which borders on the cities of Boston and Newton. As of the 2010 census, the population of the town was 58,732.-Etymology:...
School Committee, will seek the Republican nomination. State representative Jay Barrows
F. Jay Barrows
Frederick Jay Barrows is the current member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives for the 1st Bristol district.-References:...
; Sean Bielat, a technology executive who unsuccessfully challenged Frank as the Republican nominee in 2010; and former Hopkinton
Hopkinton, Massachusetts
Hopkinton is a town in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, just under 30 miles west and south of Boston. The town is best known as the starting point of the Boston Marathon, held annually on Patriots' Day in April, and as the home of computer storage firm EMC Corporation.For geographic and demographic...
Selectman Brian Herr, may also seek the Republican nomination.
External links
- Elizabeth Childs campaign website
- Campaign contributions from OpenSecrets.orgCenter for Responsive PoliticsThe Center for Responsive Politics is a non-profit, nonpartisan research group based in Washington, D.C. that tracks money in politics and the effect of money and lobbying activity on elections and public policy and maintains a public online database of its information.Their database...
District 5
Democrat Ed MarkeyEd Markey
Edward John "Ed" Markey is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1976. He is a member of the Democratic Party. The district includes most of Boston's northern and western suburbs, such as Medford and Framingham. Markey is the Dean of both the Massachusetts and New England House delegations...
, will be redistricted from the 7th district, having represented it since 1976. Gerry Dembrowski, a physician who unsuccessfully challenged Markey as the Republican nominee in 2010, and Jeff Semon, a financial consultant, will seek the Republican nomination to challenge Markey.
External links
- Jeff Semon campaign website
- Campaign contributions from OpenSecrets.orgCenter for Responsive PoliticsThe Center for Responsive Politics is a non-profit, nonpartisan research group based in Washington, D.C. that tracks money in politics and the effect of money and lobbying activity on elections and public policy and maintains a public online database of its information.Their database...
District 6
Democrat John TierneyJohn F. Tierney
John F. Tierney is the United States representative for . He is a member of the Democratic Party and an advocate for liberal policies and government oversight. A former attorney, he has served since 1997....
has represented the 6th district since 1997. Bill Hudak, a Tea Party
Tea party
A tea party is a formal, ritualized gathering for afternoon tea.Formal tea parties are often characterized by the use of prestige utensils, such as bone china or silver. The table is made to look its prettiest, with cloth napkins and matching cups and plates. In addition to tea, larger parties may...
-endorsed lawyer who unsuccessfully challenged Tierney as the Republican nominee in 2010, and Richard R. Tisei
Richard R. Tisei
Richard R. Tisei is an American politician from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. A Republican, he served in the Massachusetts state legislature for 26 years, most recently as the minority leader in the Massachusetts Senate...
, the Republican nominee for Lieutenant Governor in the 2010 Massachusetts gubernatorial election
Massachusetts gubernatorial election, 2010
The Massachusetts gubernatorial election of 2010 was held on November 2, 2010. Incumbent Democratic Governor Deval Patrick was re-elected to a second term. Also competing were the Republican Party nominee, businessman Charlie Baker; independent candidate and State Treasurer Tim Cahill; and...
will run.
External links
- Bill Hudak campaign website
- John Tierney campaign website
- Richard Tisei campaign website
- Campaign contributions from OpenSecrets.orgCenter for Responsive PoliticsThe Center for Responsive Politics is a non-profit, nonpartisan research group based in Washington, D.C. that tracks money in politics and the effect of money and lobbying activity on elections and public policy and maintains a public online database of its information.Their database...
District 7
In the redistricting Act, this district will become a majority-minority districtMajority-minority district
A majority-minority district is a United States congressional district in which the majority of the constituents in the district are racial or ethnic minorities . Whether a district is majority-minority is usually decided by United States Census data.Majority-minority districts are often the result...
, increasing its reach over several minority precincts near Boston. Democrat Mike Capuano
Mike Capuano
Michael Everett "Mike" Capuano is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1999. He is a member of the Democratic Party. The district, which was once represented by John F. Kennedy and Tip O'Neill, includes the northern three-fourths of Boston, as well as Somerville and Cambridge...
, who will be redistricted from the 8th district, having represented it since 1999, will run for re-election. Karla Romero, the founding President and CEO of the non-profit Mass Appeal International and a former Miss USA
Miss USA
The Miss USA beauty contest has been held annually since 1952 to select the United States entrant in the Miss Universe pageant. The Miss Universe Organization operates both pageants, as well as Miss Teen USA...
contestant will run as a Republican.
External links
- Mike Capuano campaign website
- Campaign contributions from OpenSecrets.orgCenter for Responsive PoliticsThe Center for Responsive Politics is a non-profit, nonpartisan research group based in Washington, D.C. that tracks money in politics and the effect of money and lobbying activity on elections and public policy and maintains a public online database of its information.Their database...
District 8
Democrat Stephen LynchStephen Lynch (politician)
Stephen F. Lynch is the U.S. representative for . He is a member of the Democratic Party who has served since 2001. Lynch was previously an ironworker and lawyer, and served in both chambers of the Massachusetts General Court....
, who will be redistricted from the old 9th district, has not yet announced his re-election plans.
Democrat William R. Keating
William R. Keating
William Richard "Bill" Keating is the U.S. Representative for . From 1999 to 2011 he was District Attorney of Norfolk County. He is a member of the Democratic Party and a former Massachusetts state representative and state senator....
, who will be redistricted from the old , announced that he will move to Cape Cod
Cape Cod
Cape Cod, often referred to locally as simply the Cape, is a cape in the easternmost portion of the state of Massachusetts, in the Northeastern United States...
(where he already has a summer home), and run there, putting him in the new 9th district (most of which includes his incumbent district) instead of competing against Lynch.
External links
- Campaign contributions from OpenSecrets.orgCenter for Responsive PoliticsThe Center for Responsive Politics is a non-profit, nonpartisan research group based in Washington, D.C. that tracks money in politics and the effect of money and lobbying activity on elections and public policy and maintains a public online database of its information.Their database...
District 9
There is no incumbent currently residing in this district, but incumbent Democrat William R. KeatingWilliam R. Keating
William Richard "Bill" Keating is the U.S. Representative for . From 1999 to 2011 he was District Attorney of Norfolk County. He is a member of the Democratic Party and a former Massachusetts state representative and state senator....
, who has represented most of the district for the last two years when it was the , has a summer home there. As discussed above, he is planning to move to the future 9th District. Outgoing mayor of New Bedford
New Bedford, Massachusetts
New Bedford is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States, located south of Boston, southeast of Providence, Rhode Island, and about east of Fall River. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 95,072, making it the sixth-largest city in Massachusetts...
Scott W. Lang, Bristol County
Bristol County, Massachusetts
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 534,678 people, 205,411 households, and 140,706 families residing in the county. The population density was 962 people per square mile . There were 216,918 housing units at an average density of 390 per square mile...
District Attorney
District attorney
In many jurisdictions in the United States, a District Attorney is an elected or appointed government official who represents the government in the prosecution of criminal offenses. The district attorney is the highest officeholder in the jurisdiction's legal department and supervises a staff of...
C. Samuel Sutter, state senator Mark Montigny
Mark Montigny
Mark C. Montigny is a Massachusetts state senator for the Second Bristol and Plymouth district, which includes his hometown of New Bedford and several nearby towns. He is a Democrat who has served since 1993.-References:...
, and former state senator Robert O'Leary
Robert O'Leary
Robert A. O'Leary is a former member of the Massachusetts Senate who served from 2001 to 2011. He was a candidate in the 2010 Democratic primary for Massachusetts's 10th congressional district.-Early life and career:...
may also seek the Democratic nomination.
Thomas M. Hodgson, the Bristol County sheriff
Sheriffs in the United States
In the United States, a sheriff is a county official and is typically the top law enforcement officer of a county. Historically, the sheriff was also commander of the militia in that county. Distinctive to law enforcement in the United States, sheriffs are usually elected. The political election of...
, and Plymouth County District Attorney Timothy Cruz may seek the Republican nomination.
Democrat Therese Murray
Therese Murray
Therese Murray is an American state legislator who has served as President of the Massachusetts Senate since March 2007. Murray, a Democrat, is the first woman to lead a house of the Massachusetts General Court...
and Republicans Jeff Perry
Jeff Perry (politician)
Jeffrey Davis "Jeff" Perry is a former member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives who represented the 5th Barnstable District from 2003-2011...
and Vinny deMacedo
Vinny deMacedo
Viriato Manuel Pereira de Macedo , also popularly known as Vinny deMacedo, is a Cape Verdean American politician, and is the Massachusetts State Representative for the First Plymouth District, which comprises the precincts 2 to 10, 12 and 14 of the town of Plymouth, in Plymouth County...
have announced that they will not run.
External links
- Campaign contributions from OpenSecrets.orgCenter for Responsive PoliticsThe Center for Responsive Politics is a non-profit, nonpartisan research group based in Washington, D.C. that tracks money in politics and the effect of money and lobbying activity on elections and public policy and maintains a public online database of its information.Their database...
External links
- Elections Division of the Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth
- U.S. Congress candidates for Massachusetts at Project Vote SmartProject Vote SmartProject Vote Smart is a non-profit, non-partisan research organization that collects and distributes information on candidates for public office in the United States...
- Massachusetts U.S. House from OurCampaigns.com
- Campaign contributions for U.S. Congressional races in Massachusetts from OpenSecrets.orgCenter for Responsive PoliticsThe Center for Responsive Politics is a non-profit, nonpartisan research group based in Washington, D.C. that tracks money in politics and the effect of money and lobbying activity on elections and public policy and maintains a public online database of its information.Their database...
- House - Massachusetts from the Cook Political ReportCook Political ReportThe Cook Political Report is an independent, non-partisan online newsletter that analyzes elections and campaigns for the United States House of Representatives, the United States Senate, Governor's offices and the American Presidency. The Cook Political Report is led by a staff of five...
- Local politics at The Boston Herald