The 2012 United States House of Representatives elections in Massachusetts were held on Tuesday, November 6, 2012, to elect the nine
U.S. representatives
The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...
, a loss of one seat following the 2010 census,, to be codified at for service in the
113th Congress
The 113th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, from January 3, 2013, to January 3, 2015, during the fifth and sixth years of Barack Obama's presidency. It was composed of the ...
from January 3, 2013, to January 3, 2015. The elections coincided with the elections of other federal and state offices, including a quadrennial
presidential election
A presidential election is the election of any head of state whose official title is President.
Elections by country
Albania
The president of Albania is elected by the Assembly of Albania who are elected by the Albanian public.
Chile
The pre ...
. The candidate elected in each of the state's
congressional districts
Congressional districts, also known as electoral districts and legislative districts, electorates, or wards in other nations, are divisions of a larger administrative region that represent the population of a region in the larger congressional bod ...
was a member the
Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to:
*Democratic Party (United States)
Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to:
Active parties Africa
*Botswana Democratic Party
*Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea
*Gabonese Democratic Party
*Demo ...
.
Primary elections were held on September 6, 2012. This primary was on a Thursday, which is rare in Massachusetts, and it was moved from Tuesday, September 18, 2012, because of a conflicting religious holiday.
Overview
District 1
Democrat
Richard Neal
Richard Edmund Neal (born February 14, 1949) is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for since 1989. The district, numbered as the 2nd district from 1989 to 2013, includes Springfield, West Springfield, Pittsfield, H ...
, who has represented the 2nd district since 1989, was redistricted into the 1st district. He ran for re-election.
Democratic primary
Candidates
=Nominee
=
*
Richard Neal
Richard Edmund Neal (born February 14, 1949) is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for since 1989. The district, numbered as the 2nd district from 1989 to 2013, includes Springfield, West Springfield, Pittsfield, H ...
John Olver
John Walter Olver (born September 3, 1936) is an American politician who was the U.S. representative for Massachusetts's 1st congressional district from 1991 to 2013. Raised on a farm in Pennsylvania, Olver graduated from college at the age ...
, has represented the 1st district, most of which remains in the proposed new 1st district. He was to have been redistricted to the 2nd district, except that he announced his retirement two weeks before the new districts were proposed.
Democrat Jim McGovern, who was redistricted from the 3rd district, ran for re-election.
John Olver
John Walter Olver (born September 3, 1936) is an American politician who was the U.S. representative for Massachusetts's 1st congressional district from 1991 to 2013. Raised on a farm in Pennsylvania, Olver graduated from college at the age ...
, incumbent U.S. Representative
*
Dennis Rosa
Dennis A. Rosa is an American politician who served in the Massachusetts House of Representatives until 2017. He is a Leominster resident and a member of the Democratic Party.
real estate developer
Real estate development, or property development, is a business process, encompassing activities that range from the renovation and re- lease of existing buildings to the purchase of raw land and the sale of developed land or parcels to othe ...
*Dean Mazzarella, Mayor of
Leominster
Leominster ( ) is a market town in Herefordshire, England, at the confluence of the River Lugg and its tributary the River Kenwater. The town is north of Hereford and south of Ludlow in Shropshire. With a population of 11,700, Leominster i ...
General election
Results
District 3
Democrat
Niki Tsongas
Nicola Dickson "Niki" Sauvage Tsongas (; born April 26, 1946) is an American politician who served as a U.S. Representative from Massachusetts from 2007 to 2019. She held the seat formerly held by her husband, the late Paul Tsongas, for the dis ...
, who was redistricted from the 5th district, ran for re-election. She was unopposed in the primary.
Democratic primary
Candidates
=Nominee
=
*
Niki Tsongas
Nicola Dickson "Niki" Sauvage Tsongas (; born April 26, 1946) is an American politician who served as a U.S. Representative from Massachusetts from 2007 to 2019. She held the seat formerly held by her husband, the late Paul Tsongas, for the dis ...
, incumbent U.S. Representative
Primary results
Republican primary
Candidates
=Nominee
=
* Jon Golnik, business consultant and nominee for the 5th district in 2010
=Eliminated in primary
=
* Tom Weaver, businessman and candidate for the 5th district in 2010
Primary results
General election
Polling
Results
District 4
Democrat
Barney Frank
Barnett Frank (born March 31, 1940) is a former American politician. He served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Massachusetts from 1981 to 2013. A Democrat, Frank served as chairman of the House Financial Services Committ ...
, who has represented the 4th district since 1981, retired rather than run for re-election.
Democratic primary
Candidates
=Nominee
=
*
Joseph Kennedy III
Joseph Patrick Kennedy III (born October 4, 1980) is an American lawyer, politician and diplomat who currently serves as United States Special Envoy for Northern Ireland since 2022. Prior to this, Kennedy served as the U.S. representative for fr ...
assistant district attorney
In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or state attorney is the chief prosecutor and/or chief law enforcement officer representing a U.S. state in a lo ...
=Eliminated in primary
=
* Rachel Brown, LaRouche activist and candidate for this seat in 2010
* Herb Robinson,
software engineer
Software engineering is a systematic engineering approach to software development.
A software engineer is a person who applies the principles of software engineering to design, develop, maintain, test, and evaluate computer software. The term ''p ...
=Withdrawn
=
*Paul Heroux, businessman
=Declined
=
*
Ruth Balser
Ruth B. Balser (born October 30, 1948) is an American state legislator serving in the Massachusetts House of Representatives. She is a Newton resident and a member of the Democratic Party.
Balser received her bachelor's degree at the Universit ...
Town Meeting
Town meeting is a form of local government in which most or all of the members of a community are eligible to legislate policy and budgets for local government. It is a town- or city-level meeting in which decisions are made, in contrast with ...
Fall River
Fall River is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. The City of Fall River's population was 94,000 at the 2020 United States Census, making it the tenth-largest city in the state.
Located along the eastern shore of Mount H ...
*
Barney Frank
Barnett Frank (born March 31, 1940) is a former American politician. He served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Massachusetts from 1981 to 2013. A Democrat, Frank served as chairman of the House Financial Services Committ ...
City Year
City Year is an American education nonprofit organization founded in 1988. The organization partners with public schools in 29 high-need communities across the US and through international affiliates in the UK and Johannesburg, South Africa. Ci ...
Marc Pacheco
Marc R. Pacheco (born October 29, 1952 in Taunton, Massachusetts) is an American state legislator serving in the Massachusetts Senate. He represents the 1st Plymouth and Bristol district, which includes his hometown of Taunton and nearby towns. H ...
Governor
A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...
Setti Warren
Setti David Warren (born August 25, 1970) is an American politician. He served as Mayor of Newton, Massachusetts, a suburb of Boston, and is a former Democratic candidate for United States Senate in 2012. He is the first popularly elected African ...
=
* Sean Bielat, technology executive and nominee for this seat in 2010
=Eliminated in primary
=
* Elizabeth Childs, psychiatrist and member of the Brookline School Committee
* David Steinhof, dentist
=Declined
=
*
Jay Barrows
Fred Jay Barrows (born April 5, 1956, in Attleboro, Massachusetts) is the current member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives for the 1st Bristol district. Barrows has represented the district since 2007.
Electoral History
...
, state representative
* Brian Herr, former Hopkinton Selectman
* Richard J. Ross, state senator
* Tom Wesley, businessman and nominee for the 2nd district in 2010
Primary results
General election
Polling
Results
District 5
Democrat
Ed Markey
Edward John Markey (born July 11, 1946) is an American lawyer, politician, and former Army reservist who has served as the junior United States senator from Massachusetts since 2013. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the U.S. representa ...
was redistricted from the 7th district, having represented it since 1976.
Democratic primary
Candidates
=Nominee
=
*
Ed Markey
Edward John Markey (born July 11, 1946) is an American lawyer, politician, and former Army reservist who has served as the junior United States senator from Massachusetts since 2013. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the U.S. representa ...
, incumbent U.S. Representative
Primary results
Republican primary
Candidates
=Nominee
=
* Tom Tierney, consulting actuary
=Eliminated in primary
=
* Frank John Addivinola, Jr., attorney
* Jeff Semon, financial consultant
=Withdrawn
=
* Gerry Dembrowski, physician and nominee for the 7th district in 2010
Primary results
General election
Results
District 6
Democrat John Tierney has represented the 6th district since 1997. Daniel Fishman, a Libertarian candidate, who has never run for office before also ran.
Veteran and military commentator
Seth Moulton
Seth Wilbur Moulton (born October 24, 1978) is an American politician serving as the U.S. representative for Massachusetts's 6th congressional district since 2015. A former Marine Corps officer, he is a member of the Democratic Party.
After ...
considered running in the general election as an Independent, but decided against it in July 2012, citing the short time frame left for him to mount a serious campaign.
Massachusetts Senate
The Massachusetts Senate is the upper house of the Massachusetts General Court, the bicameral state legislature of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The Senate comprises 40 elected members from 40 single-member senatorial districts in the st ...
Tea Party
A tea party is a social gathering event held in the afternoon. For centuries, many societies have cherished drinking tea with a company at noon. Tea parties are considered for formal business meetings, social celebrations or just as an afternoon ...
-endorsed lawyer and candidate for this seat in 2010 but withdrew on January 23, 2012, to pursue "a business opportunity".
Primary results
General election
Endorsements
Polling
Predictions
Results
District 7
In the redistricting Act, this district became a
majority-minority district A majority-minority district is an electoral district, such as a United States congressional district, in which the majority of the constituents in the district are racial or ethnic minorities (as opposed to Non-Hispanic whites in the U.S.). Race ...
, increasing its reach over several minority precincts near Boston. Democrat
Mike Capuano
Michael Everett Capuano ( ; born January 9, 1952) is an American politician and attorney who served as a U.S. Representative from Massachusetts from 1999 to 2019. A Democrat, his district included the northern three-fourths of Boston, as well ...
, who was redistricted from the 8th district, having represented it since 1999, ran for re-election.
Democratic primary
Candidates
=Nominee
=
*
Mike Capuano
Michael Everett Capuano ( ; born January 9, 1952) is an American politician and attorney who served as a U.S. Representative from Massachusetts from 1999 to 2019. A Democrat, his district included the northern three-fourths of Boston, as well ...
, incumbent U.S. Representative
Primary results
Independents
*Karla Romero, founding President and CEO of the non-profit Mass Appeal International and a former
Miss USA
Miss USA is an American beauty pageant that has been held annually since 1952 to select the entrant from United States in the Miss Universe pageant. The Miss Universe Organization operated both pageants, as well as Miss Teen USA, until 2020, ...
contestant
General election
Results
District 8
Democrat Stephen Lynch, who was redistricted from the old 9th district, will run in the 8th district.
Democrat William R. Keating, who was redistricted from the old , announced that he would move to
Cape Cod
Cape Cod is a peninsula extending into the Atlantic Ocean from the southeastern corner of mainland Massachusetts, in the northeastern United States. Its historic, maritime character and ample beaches attract heavy tourism during the summer mont ...
(where he already has a summer home), and run there, putting him in the new 9th district (most of which includes his incumbent district) instead of competing against Lynch.
=
* Joe Selvaggi, US Navy veteran of the first Gulf War and small business owner
=Eliminated in primary
=
* Matias Temperley,
Iraq War
{{Infobox military conflict
, conflict = Iraq War {{Nobold, {{lang, ar, حرب العراق (Arabic) {{Nobold, {{lang, ku, شەڕی عێراق ( Kurdish)
, partof = the Iraq conflict and the War on terror
, image ...
veteran and student
Primary results
General election
Results
District 9
There was no incumbent currently residing in this district, but incumbent Democrat William R. Keating, who has represented most of the district for the last two years when it was the , has a summer home there. As discussed above, he moved to the 9th District.Bristol County
Mark Montigny
Mark C. Montigny (born June 20, 1961) is a Massachusetts state senator for the Second Bristol and Plymouth district, which includes his hometown of New Bedford and several nearby towns. He is a Democrat who has served since 1993.William A. Flanagan, Mayor of
Fall River
Fall River is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. The City of Fall River's population was 94,000 at the 2020 United States Census, making it the tenth-largest city in the state.
Located along the eastern shore of Mount H ...
New Bedford
New Bedford (Massachusett: ) is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts. It is located on the Acushnet River in what is known as the South Coast region. Up through the 17th century, the area was the territory of the Wampanoag Native American pe ...
*
Therese Murray
Therese Murray (born October 10, 1947 in Boston) is an American politician who served as President of the Massachusetts Senate from 2007 to 2015. Murray, a Democrat, was the first woman to lead a house of the Massachusetts General Court. She repr ...
,
President of the Massachusetts Senate
The president of the Massachusetts Senate is the presiding officer. Unlike the United States Congress, in which the vice president of the United States is the ''ex officio'' president of the United States Senate, in Massachusetts, the president of ...
*
Robert O'Leary
Robert A. O'Leary is a former member of the Massachusetts Senate ( D- Barnstable) who served from 2001 to 2011. He was a candidate in the 2010 Democratic primary for Massachusetts's 10th congressional district.
Early life and career
O'Leary ...
, former state senator
Primary results
Republican primary
Candidates
=Nominee
=
* Christopher Sheldon, businessman
=Eliminated in primary
=
* Adam Chaprales, former
Sandwich
A sandwich is a food typically consisting of vegetables, sliced cheese or meat, placed on or between slices of bread, or more generally any dish wherein bread serves as a container or wrapper for another food type. The sandwich began as a po ...
Vinny deMacedo
Viriato Manuel Pereira de Macedo (born October 16, 1965), also popularly known as Vinny deMacedo, is a Cape Verdean American politician, and was the Massachusetts State Senator for the Plymouth and Barnstable District, which comprises the com ...
, state representative
* Thomas Hodgson, Bristol County Sheriff
* Jeff Perry, former state representative 2010 Republican nominee for Massachusetts' 10th congressional district will not run.
General election
Results
See also
*
United States Senate election in Massachusetts, 2012
The 2012 United States Senate election in Massachusetts was held in Massachusetts on November 6, 2012, Democrat Elizabeth Warren defeated incumbent Republican Senator Scott Brown. This election was held concurrently with the U.S. presidential ...
OpenSecrets
OpenSecrets is a nonprofit organization based in Washington, D.C., that tracks data on campaign finance and lobbying. It was created from a merger of the Center for Responsive Politics (CRP) and the National Institute on Money in Politics (NIMP) ...
The Boston Herald
The ''Boston Herald'' is an American daily newspaper whose primary market is Boston, Massachusetts, and its surrounding area. It was founded in 1846 and is one of the oldest daily newspapers in the United States. It has been awarded eight Puli ...
''
*
{{United States general elections, 2012
United States House of Representatives
The United States House of Representatives, often referred to as the House of Representatives, the U.S. House, or simply the House, is the lower chamber of the United States Congress, with the Senate being the upper chamber. Together they ...
2012
File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gat ...