United States House of Representatives elections in Massachusetts, 2008
Encyclopedia
The 2008 congressional elections in Massachusetts were held on November 4, 2008 to determine who will represent the state
of Massachusetts
in the United States House of Representatives
. Representatives are elected for two-year terms; whoever is elected will serve in the 111th Congress
from January 4, 2009 until January 3, 2011. The election coincides with the 2008 U.S. presidential election
.
Massachusetts has ten seats in the House, apportioned according to the 2000 United States Census. Its 2007-2008 congressional delegation consisted of ten Democrats
. This remains unchanged, and CQ Politics had forecasted all districts safe for its Democratic incumbent.
covers roughly the northwest half of the state. It has been represented by Democrat John Olver
since June, 1991. CQ Politics forecasted the race as 'Safe Democrat'.
lies in the south-central part of the state. It has been represented by Democrat Richard Neal
since 1989. CQ Politics forecasted the race as 'Safe Democrat'.
lies in the central and southeastern part of the state. It has been represented by Democrat Jim McGovern since 1997. CQ Politics forecasted the race as 'Safe Democrat'.
lies in the southern part of the state, including the South Coast
region. It has been represented by Democrat Barney Frank
since 1981. CQ Politics forecasted the race as 'Safe Democrat'.
lies in the north-east part of the state. It has been represented by Democrat Niki Tsongas
since October, 2007. CQ Politics forecasted the race as 'Safe Democrat'.
since 1997. CQ Politics forecasted the race as 'Safe Democrat'.
lies in the eastern part of the state, including some Boston suburbs. It has been represented by Democrat Edward J. Markey since 1976. CQ Politics forecasted the race as 'Safe Democrat'.
and the immediately adjacent cities of Cambridge
, Somerville
, and Chelsea
. It has been represented by Democrat Mike Capuano
since 1999. CQ Politics forecasted the race as 'Safe Democrat'.
lies in the eastern part of the state, including part of Boston
and some of its southern suburbs. It has been represented by Democrat Stephen Lynch
since October 2001. CQ Politics forecasted the race as 'Safe Democrat'.
covers the south-east part of the state, including parts of the South Shore and all of Cape Cod
and The Islands
. It has been represented by Democrat Bill Delahunt
since 1997. CQ Politics forecasted the race as 'Safe Democrat'.
U.S. state
A U.S. state is any one of the 50 federated states of the United States of America that share sovereignty with the federal government. Because of this shared sovereignty, an American is a citizen both of the federal entity and of his or her state of domicile. Four states use the official title of...
of Massachusetts
Massachusetts
The Commonwealth of Massachusetts is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. It is bordered by Rhode Island and Connecticut to the south, New York to the west, and Vermont and New Hampshire to the north; at its east lies the Atlantic Ocean. As of the 2010...
in the United States House of Representatives
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...
. Representatives are elected for two-year terms; whoever is elected will serve in the 111th Congress
111th United States Congress
The One Hundred Eleventh United States Congress was the meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government from January 3, 2009 until January 3, 2011. It began during the last two weeks of the George W. Bush administration, with the remainder spanning the first two years of...
from January 4, 2009 until January 3, 2011. The election coincides with the 2008 U.S. presidential election
United States presidential election, 2008
The United States presidential election of 2008 was the 56th quadrennial presidential election. It was held on November 4, 2008. Democrat Barack Obama, then the junior United States Senator from Illinois, defeated Republican John McCain, the senior U.S. Senator from Arizona. Obama received 365...
.
Massachusetts has ten seats in the House, apportioned according to the 2000 United States Census. Its 2007-2008 congressional delegation consisted of ten Democrats
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...
. This remains unchanged, and CQ Politics had forecasted all districts safe for its Democratic incumbent.
Overview
| United States House of Representatives elections in Massachusetts, 2008 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Votes | Percentage | Seats | +/– | |
| Democratic | 2,245,778 | 86.21% | 10 | — | |
| Republican Republican Party (United States) The Republican Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United States, along with the Democratic Party. Founded by anti-slavery expansion activists in 1854, it is often called the GOP . The party's platform generally reflects American conservatism in the U.S... |
318,461 | 12.22% | 0 | — | |
| Independents | 40,875 | 1.57% | 0 | — | |
| Totals | 2,605,114 | 100.00% | 10 | — | |
District 1
John 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....
since June, 1991. CQ Politics forecasted the race as 'Safe Democrat'.
District 2
Richard 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....
since 1989. CQ Politics forecasted the race as 'Safe Democrat'.
District 3
District 4
South Coast (Massachusetts)
The South Coast of Massachusetts is the region of southeastern Massachusetts consisting of southern Bristol and Plymouth counties bordering Buzzards Bay, and includes the cities of Fall River, New Bedford, the southeastern tip of East Taunton and nearby towns...
region. It has been represented by Democrat Barney Frank
Barney 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...
since 1981. CQ Politics forecasted the race as 'Safe Democrat'.
District 5
Niki Tsongas
Nicola Dickson "Niki" Sauvage Tsongas is the U.S. Representative for , serving since a special election in 2007. She is a member of the Democratic Party.She is the widow of U.S. Senator Paul Tsongas, who represented the 5th district in the 1970s...
since October, 2007. CQ Politics forecasted the race as 'Safe Democrat'.
District 6
covers the north-east corner of the state. It has been represented by 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....
since 1997. CQ Politics forecasted the race as 'Safe Democrat'.
District 7
District 8
lies in the eastern part of the state, including part of BostonBoston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
and the immediately adjacent cities of Cambridge
Cambridge, Massachusetts
Cambridge is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, in the Greater Boston area. It was named in honor of the University of Cambridge in England, an important center of the Puritan theology embraced by the town's founders. Cambridge is home to two of the world's most prominent...
, Somerville
Somerville, Massachusetts
Somerville is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States, located just north of Boston. As of the 2010 census, the city had a total population of 75,754 and was the most densely populated municipality in New England. It is also the 17th most densely populated incorporated place in...
, and Chelsea
Chelsea, Massachusetts
Chelsea is a city in Suffolk County, Massachusetts, United States directly across the Mystic River from the city of Boston. It is the smallest city in Massachusetts in land area, and the 26th most densely populated incorporated place in the country.-History:...
. It has been represented by 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...
since 1999. CQ Politics forecasted the race as 'Safe Democrat'.
District 9
Boston
Boston is the capital of and largest city in Massachusetts, and is one of the oldest cities in the United States. The largest city in New England, Boston is regarded as the unofficial "Capital of New England" for its economic and cultural impact on the entire New England region. The city proper had...
and some of its southern suburbs. It has been represented by Democrat Stephen Lynch
Stephen 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....
since October 2001. CQ Politics forecasted the race as 'Safe Democrat'.
District 10
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...
and The Islands
The Islands (Massachusetts)
The Islands is the collective name for the set of large islands south of Cape Cod in the southeast corner of the U.S. state of Massachusetts: Nantucket, Martha's Vineyard, and the Elizabeth Islands, and a small number of minor islands...
. It has been represented by Democrat Bill Delahunt
Bill Delahunt
William D. Delahunt is a former U.S. Representative for , serving from 1997 to 2011. He is a member of the Democratic Party. Delahunt did not seek re-election in 2010, and left Congress in January 2011. He was replaced by Norfolk County District Attorney Bill Keating...
since 1997. CQ Politics forecasted the race as 'Safe Democrat'.
External links
- Elections from 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 Races from 2008 Race Tracker
- Campaign contributions for Massachusetts congressional races 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...