Sign up for the Today newsletter
Get everything you need to know to start your day, delivered right to your inbox every morning.
Longtime Rep. Stephen Lynch will face primary challenger
Patrick Roath, 38, is an attorney who previously worked with former Gov. Deval Patrick. While it’s his first time on the ballot, "I'm not new to the work," he said.
An attorney who previously worked for former Gov. Deval Patrick is launching a bid to oust 13-term U.S. Rep. Stephen Lynch, mirroring a trend nationwide to shake up the Democratic Party since President Donald Trump won his second term.
Patrick Roath, who also worked as a voting rights advocate, announced last week in a video on social media his intent to run as a primary challenger against Lynch, who represents Massachusetts’ 8th Congressional District.
“People are upset with how things are and are worried that we have people that are not getting the job done in DC and that have been there for a long time in office,” Roath, 38, told Boston.com. “It’s about results. It’s about … fighting for our rights while also planning and thinking about the future.”
Advertisement:
Roath, who lives in Jamaica Plain, said he won’t accept corporate PAC donations, and, if elected, would explore term limits on members of the House of Representatives. Then, in the first 24 hours of his official campaign, he raised $115,000, none of which came from PACs or any self-funding, he says.
“Our political system has failed us in actually delivering results, and I think that part of that is the system of politics we have,” Roath said about PAC money. “We’ve got to separate corporate, billionaire oligarchic interests from policy.”
Roath, a graduate of Tufts University, worked on Patrick’s reelection campaign as his deputy press secretary, and as a senior policy aide on Patrick’s presidential campaign in 2020. He said the former governor brought a “hopeful, inclusive, optimistic vision of what politics could be like,” and he wants to bring that back to Massachusetts.
Advertisement:
His campaign announcement comes as some top Democrats aren’t seeking reelection, and as some young candidates are looking to challenge established Democrats. When Trump won the White House, Democrats also lost both chambers of Congress.
“We’ve asked people to just defend democracy for a long time on the ballot, and that’s great, but I think we need to do more of a job of showing that democracy works for people,” Roath said.
His priorities include increasing the supply of affordable housing and improving public education, he said, noting that while it’s his first time on the ballot, “I’m not new to the work.”
Lynch, born and raised in South Boston, represents his home neighborhood in Boston, the North End, and Jamaica Plain, as well as some of the South Shore, and suburbs like Norwood, Brockton, and Easton. He worked as an ironworker and went into state politics in 1994 before joining Congress in 2001.
The congressman didn’t return a request for comment, but Roath’s challenge comes as Lynch is gearing up for another election. He is currently seeking to become the top Democrat on the House Oversight Committee, POLITICO reported, illustrating another generational choice for the Democrats.
Advertisement:
Lynch acknowledged to Axios that there’s pressure to choose a younger lawmaker for the job.
“The base is responding to social media, so they’re pushing the people that they see on social media,” Lynch told Axios. “I get that.” But, “there is a job to be done — and as an attorney, this is an investigations committee, and so it’s serious business. It’s not going to be run in the press.”
Roath said that Lynch’s 24 years in Congress isn’t “necessarily a strength, because I’m not sure that I see the results that you’d expect to see from a long career.” He criticized what he called Lynch’s unclear record on abortion rights, his vote against the Affordable Care Act, and the vote in favor of the Laken Riley Act.
“There is value in having new people come through the system and getting new perspectives and not just having the same set of leaders stay in roles for decades upon decades,” Roath said. “The policies and the approaches that might have made a lot of sense 25, 30 years ago just aren’t necessarily suited to the challenges of today.”
The primary election isn’t until September 2026, and Roath said he’s prepared for the long road ahead.
Advertisement:
“It’s a long, long campaign,” Roath said. “I’m getting in this early because I think the way to win these things and the way to make your point is to just get out there and meet everyone.”
To comment, please create a screen name in your profile
To comment, please verify your email address
Conversation
This discussion has ended. Please join elsewhere on Boston.com