Only 4 From GOP On Ballot For US House In Massachusetts
BOSTON (AP) -- The battle for control of Congress may be raging nationwide, but Massachusetts has been a calm outpost this election year.
Neither of the state's two Democratic U.S. senators, Elizabeth Warren and Edward Markey, is up for re-election. Warren's current term ends in 2018, Markey's in 2020.
The state's all-Democratic House delegation, meanwhile, seems unlikely to change. Only four incumbents have Republican opponents and the races in those districts have been largely low profile.
Adding to that is an overwhelming campaign finance edge enjoyed by incumbents, several of whom hold influential positions in the current House minority party.
A glance at the state's nine congressional districts heading into Tuesday's election, along with the most recent fundraising information submitted to the Federal Election Commission for the current two-year cycle:
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FIRST DISTRICT
Location: Western Massachusetts including Springfield, Berkshires
Incumbent: Richard Neal, D-Springfield. The dean of the state's congressional delegation, Neal, was first elected to Congress in 1988 after serving as mayor of Springfield. He is a senior Democrat on the House Ways and Means Committee.
Challengers: There is no Republican on the ballot but Neal has competition from Frederick Mayock, a Springfield teacher and independent, and Libertarian candidate Thomas Simmons, a lawyer and faculty member at Greenfield Community College.
Campaign cash: Neal has raised more than $1.6 million compared to less than $18,000 for Simmons and zero for Mayock.
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SECOND DISTRICT
Location: Central Massachusetts including Worcester
Incumbent: James McGovern, D-Worcester. McGovern is seeking an 11th term and is a member of the Rules and Agriculture Committees.
Challengers: None.
Campaign cash: McGovern has reported raising about $885,000.
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THIRD DISTRICT
Location: Merrimack Valley region
Incumbent: Niki Tsongas, D-Lowell. Tsongas has represented the district since winning a special election in 2007. The widow of former U.S. Sen. Paul Tsongas serves on the Armed Services and Natural Resources Committees.
Challenger: Republican Ann Wofford, a chemical engineer from Haverhill, who also opposed Tsongas in 2012 getting 37 percent of the vote.
Campaign cash: Tsongas reported raising $1.15 million in the current election cycle compared to about $40,000 for Wofford.
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FOURTH DISTRICT
Location: Suburban Boston stretching to southeast Massachusetts
Incumbent: Joe Kennedy, D-Brookline. Kennedy is seeking his third term in the House. The son of former U.S. Rep. Joseph Kennedy II and grandson of the late Sen. Robert F. Kennedy is on the House Energy and Commerce Committee.
Challenger: Republican David Rosa, of Dighton, an Iraq War veteran who served in the Air Force and Massachusetts Army National Guard. He ran for the seat as an independent in 2012, finishing a distant third.
Campaign cash: Kennedy had raised $3 million in the current election cycle, the most of any Massachusetts incumbent. Rosa had raised just under $14,000.
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FIFTH DISTRICT
Location: Greater Boston area including Framingham, Waltham, Woburn.
Incumbent: Katherine Clark, D-Melrose. Clark won a special election in 2013 to fill the seat after Ed Markey succeeded Secretary of State John Kerry in the U.S. Senate. She has risen quickly in Democratic circles and serves as a senior whip for the House Democratic Caucus.
Challengers: None
Campaign cash: Clark has raised nearly $1.25 million.
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SIXTH DISTRICT
Location: North Shore including Salem, Gloucester.
Incumbent: Seth Moulton, D-Salem. The freshman Democrat ousted incumbent Democrat John Tierney in the 2014 Democratic primary and went on to win the general election. Moulton, a U.S. Marine Corps veteran who served four tours of duty in Iraq, sits on the Armed Services, Budget and Small Business Committees.
Challengers: None
Campaign cash: Moulton had raised more than $2.5 million.
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SEVENTH DISTRICT
Location: Much of Boston, Somerville, parts of Cambridge.
Incumbent: Michael Capuano, D-Somerville. A former Somerville mayor, Capuano is running for his 10th term in House and sits on the Transportation and Infrastructure, Financial Services and Ethics Committees.
Challengers: None
Campaign cash: Capuano has raised about $700,000.
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EIGHTH DISTRICT
Location: South Boston, South Shore and Brockton.
Incumbent: Stephen Lynch, D-Boston. Lynch has served in the House since winning a special election in 2001. He's now seeking his eighth full term. The one-time ironworker serves on the House Oversight and Government Reform and Financial Services Committees.
Challenger: Republican William Burke, of Quincy, the owner of a home heating oil company
Campaign cash: Lynch had raised nearly $1.1 million in the current election cycle, compared to less than $40,000 for Burke.
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NINTH DISTRICT
Location: Cape Cod and the Islands, South Coast
Incumbent: William Keating, D-Bourne. Keating is seeking his fourth term and is a member of the Homeland Security, Foreign Affairs and Small Business Committees.
Challengers: The state's most crowded field also includes Republican Mark Alliegro, a scientist from Falmouth, Independent hopeful Paul Harrington, of Chatham and unenrolled candidates Christopher Cataldo, of Norwell, and Anna Grace Raduc, of Halifax.
Campaign cash: Keating has raised more than $1.1 million compared to $260,000 for Alliegro. The other candidates combined reported less than $70,000 in donations.
