The

Massachusetts Massachusetts (Massachusett: ''Muhsachuweesut Massachusett_writing_systems.html" ;"title="nowiki/> məhswatʃəwiːsət.html" ;"title="Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət">Massachusett writing systems">məhswatʃəwiːsət'' En ...

congressional elections of 2006 were held on Tuesday, November 7, 2006. The terms of all ten representatives to the

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 ...

were to expire on January 3, 2007, and therefore all were put up for contest. The winners of the elections served in the

110th United States Congress The 110th United States Congress was a meeting of the legislative branch of the United States federal government, between January 3, 2007, and January 3, 2009, during the last two years of the Presidency of George W. Bush. It was composed of ...

from January 3, 2007, to January 3, 2009.

Overview

District 1

In this solidly liberal district based in western Massachusetts, incumbent Democratic Congressman

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 ...

ran for a ninth term in Congress. Olver faced independent candidate William Szych in the general election, whom he handily defeated to return to Congress for another term.

District 2

Incumbent Democratic Congressman

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 ...

has represented this liberal, south-central Massachusetts-based district since his initial election in

1988 File:1988 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: The oil platform Piper Alpha explodes and collapses in the North Sea, killing 165 workers; The USS Vincennes (CG-49) mistakenly shoots down Iran Air Flight 655; Australia celebrates its Bicenten ...

. Seeking a tenth term, Congressman Neal faced no opposition other than write-in candidates and easily won re-election.

District 3

Congressman Jim McGovern, who built a reputation as an advocate for international human rights and as one of the most liberal members of Congress, has represented this solidly Democratic district since 1997. Facing no opposition in his bid for a sixth term, McGovern easily returned to Congress.

District 4

Long-serving incumbent Democratic Congressman

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 ...

, first elected in 1980, was one of the first openly

gay ''Gay'' is a term that primarily refers to a homosexual person or the trait of being homosexual. The term originally meant 'carefree', 'cheerful', or 'bright and showy'. While scant usage referring to male homosexuality dates to the late 1 ...

prominent politicians in American history. Congressman Frank represents a solidly liberal district that extends from the southern suburbs of

Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...

to the South Coast.

District 5

Incumbent Democratic Congressman

Marty Meehan Martin Thomas Meehan (born December 30, 1956) is an American academic administrator, politician, and attorney. Since July 2015, Meehan has served as the President of the University of Massachusetts after serving as Chancellor of the University of ...

has represented this district that includes the northeastern suburbs of

since 1993, and he faced no opposition in his bid for an eighth term. Though Meehan was overwhelmingly re-elected, he did not fully serve out his term and resigned in July 2007 to become the Chancellor of the

University of Massachusetts Lowell The University of Massachusetts Lowell (UMass Lowell and UML) is a public research university in Lowell, Massachusetts, with a satellite campus in Haverhill, Massachusetts. It is the northernmost member of the University of Massachusetts public ...

District 6

Incumbent Democratic Congressman John Tierney, who was first elected in 1996 by defeating Republican Congressman

Peter Torkildsen Peter Gerard Torkildsen (born January 28, 1958) is an American Republican Party politician from Massachusetts. He represented the 13th Essex district, including his hometown of Danvers, in the Massachusetts House of Representatives from 1985 ...

, sought a sixth term in Congress. Congressman Tierney faced Republican candidate Rick Barton in the general election, whom he was able to easily defeat.

District 7

This heavily liberal district, based in the northern and eastern suburbs of

, has been represented by incumbent Democratic Congressman

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 ...

since he was first elected in a 1976 special election. Congressman Markey sought a seventeenth term and faced no opponent in the general election, allowing him to return to Congress with ease.

District 8

This strongly liberal district based in the city of

and some of its suburbs, has been represented by Democratic Congressman

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 ...

since he was first elected in

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for frozen water, in soil in permanently s ...

. Congressman Capuano faced no Republican opponent in his bid for a fifth term, but was easily re-elected over Socialist Workers Party candidate

Laura Garza Laura Garza is an American socialist politician, a garment worker and a member of UNITE HERE Local 187. Garza ran twice for public office in Florida; 1993 for Mayor of Miami, and 1994 for United States House of Representatives in Florida's 21st ...

and garment worker.

District 9

Congressman Stephen Lynch has represented this staunchly liberal, south

district since a 2001 special election. Lynch has established a reputation as being a moderate-liberal in Congress, holding anti-abortion views that separate him from the mainstream of the Democratic Party. Congressman Lynch faced Republican candidate Jack Robinson in the general election and coasted towards a fourth term in Congress.

District 10

This district, the most moderate in the commonwealth, but still decidedly liberal, consists of the South Shore,

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 ...

, and

the Islands The Islands was a provincial electoral district in the Canadian province of British Columbia. It first appeared on the hustings in the 1890 British Columbia general election, 1890 provincial election and lasted until it was integrated into the new ...

, along with some southern parts of Metropolitan Boston. This district has been represented by Democratic Congressman

Bill Delahunt William David Delahunt (born July 18, 1941) is an American lawyer and politician from Massachusetts. He 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 ...

for the past ten years. Delahunt, seeking a sixth term in Congress, ran against Republican businessman Jeff Beatty and independent candidate Peter White, whom he was able to crush in the general election.

References

External links

2006 Primary Election Candidates
on Secretary of the Commonwealth's site

on Secretary of the Commonwealth's site {{United States elections, 2006

United States House 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 ...

2006