Politics

Mass. congressional incumbents all win handily

Several races were uncontested.

U.S. Representative Ayanna Pressley speaks to the crowd an Election Night Watch Party hosted by the Massachusetts Democratic party at SoWa Power Station. Pressley won her race uncontested. Erin Clark/Globe Staff

By Lindsay Shachnow

November 6, 2024

2 minutes to read

Although Republican Donald Trump notched a decisive win over Vice President Kamala Harris, Massachusetts’ Democratic congressional incumbents, some uncontested, all won their races.

Democratic incumbent Richard Neal triumphed in Massachusetts’ 1st District, winning 62.7% of the vote, over independent candidate Nadia Milleron, with 96.42% reporting.

“I’m proud of the work I’ve done, but I know there’s more to accomplish for the people of Central and Western Massachusetts,” Neal recently told Boston.com.

Before serving in Congress, Neal, born in Worcester, worked as a city councilor, mayoral aide, and mayor of the city of Springfield. He won over Milleron, who garnered attention for her work leading the passage of the Aircraft Certification, Safety, and Accountability Act, following her daughter’s death in a Boeing 737 MAX crash.

In District 2, Democratic incumbent James McGovern won 68.8% of the vote over independent Cornelius Shea, with 97.67% reporting.

McGovern, the top Democrat on the House Rules Committee since 2018 and a member of the House Agriculture Committee, won over Shea, a Springfield native and former member of the Marine Corps.

“This is not my victory,” McGovern wrote on X. “It’s yours.”

Thank you to every member of my amazing campaign team, every grassroots supporter & volunteer, every small-dollar donor & community organizer.

This is not my victory, it is yours. pic.twitter.com/Wa5naWMWuC
— Jim McGovern (@McGovernMA) November 6, 2024

In District 8, Stephen Lynch, another Democratic incumbent, won 70.8% of the vote over Republican challenger Robert Burke, with 84% reporting.

Lynch’s win marks his 12th term in Massachusetts District 8, and the second time Burke ran against the Democratic incumbent unsuccessfully for the same seat.

“Unlike the sitting congressman I will represent my district and the country with any and all parties in Congress, not just my party,” Burke told Boston.com before the race.

Lynch, born and raised in the public housing projects of South Boston, is a member of the Financial Services Committee and the lead Democrat to the Financial Services Committee’s bipartisan Working Group on Artifical Intelligence.

In District 9, Democratic incumbent Bill Keating won by a smaller margin, 56.6% to Republican Dan Sullivan’s 43.4%, with 92.74% reporting.

“Trump and the Republican Party have shown time and again that they believe they have a right to be in your doctor’s office, in your bedroom, and in your election booth,” Keating told Boston.com prior to the election. “Their policies and plans are the very antithesis of the freedoms so many before us have sacrificed for.”

Keating, elected in 2010, is a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, where he serves as chairman of the Europe, Eurasia, Energy, and the Environment Subcommittee.

Sullivan, a registered nurse, recently told Boston.com he chose to run because he is “disturbed about the current state of affairs.”

“I’m perturbed by the career politicians who care more about themselves than us,” Sullivan said. “I’m tired of the elitists and entitled classes who game the system at our expense.”

Democratic District 3 Rep. Lori Trahan, District 4 Rep. Jake Auchincloss, District 5 Rep. Katherine Clark, District 6 Rep. Seth Moulton, and District 7 Rep. Ayanna Pressley all won their races unopposed.