Massachusetts Maintains All-Democratic US House Delegation
BOSTON (AP) — Massachusetts has maintained its all-Democratic U.S. House delegation, adding two new members and bringing to three the number of women representing the state in the House.
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Democrat Lori Trahan defeated Republican Rick Green to retain her party's hold on a seat in the state's 3rd Congressional District that was left vacant by retiring U.S. Rep. Niki Tsongas.
Trahan spoke to supporters just after 10 p.m.
"I will fight for your families and your futures every single day," Trahan said, pledging to push to create affordable health care, protect Social Security and Medicare, create good paying jobs, and support what she called "commonsense gun measures."
Tsongas' retirement had set off a mad scramble among both parties in the district that includes the Merrimack Valley cities of Lawrence, Lowell and Haverhill. Trahan and nine other candidates had battled it out in September's primaries. Independent candidate Michael Mullen also ran.
Democratic U.S. Rep. Katherine Clark cruised to re-election in the 5th District representing Boston's northwest suburbs by defeating Republican John Hugo.
Clark was first elected to the House in 2013. She has made the opioid addiction crisis, clean energy and climate change her legislative priorities in Washington.
Ayanna Pressley, who unseated veteran Rep. Michael Capuano in September's primary, ran unopposed in the 7th District to become the state's first black woman in Congress .
In the 6th District — which covers most of Essex County, including the North Shore and Cape Ann — Democratic U.S. Rep. Seth Moulton, seen by many as a rising star in the Democratic Party, fended off a challenge from Republican Joseph Schneider to win re-election.
Moulton was first elected to the House in 2015, and sailed through September's primary unopposed.
Moulton served four tours of duty in Iraq, and he has toured the country stumping for other Democratic military veterans running for office. He has been mentioned as a possible presidential candidate in 2020.
He is also publicly called for new Democratic leadership in the House to replace Nancy Pelosi.
Democratic U.S. Rep. Bill Keating won re-election by beating back a challenge from Republican businessman Peter Tedeschi, who ran a chain of convenience stores that bear his name.
Keating, of Bourne, first was elected to Congress in 2010 from the 9th District, which includes the South Shore, Cape Cod, and the islands of Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket.
Democratic U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern overcame a challenge from Republican Tracy Lovvorn in the 2nd District, which includes his home city of Worcester. McGovern first was elected in 1996. He is known for pressing for congressional oversight and approval of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
Democratic U.S. Reps. Joe Kennedy, Stephen Lynch and Richard Neal all ran unopposed, each winning another term in Massachusetts.
Kennedy is returning to Congress for a fourth term representing the 4th District, which covers mostly southern Massachusetts. He was first elected in 2012.
It will be Lynch's ninth full term representing the 8th District, which covers eastern Massachusetts and part of Boston. Lynch first was elected in 2001 to serve out the remainder of the late Joe Moakley's term.
Neal, the dean of the Massachusetts House delegation, was first elected in 1988 and will be serving his 16th term representing the 1st District, which covers a large swath of the central and western part of the state.
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