The 2020 United States House of Representatives elections in Massachusetts were held on November 3, 2020, to elect the nine U.S. representatives from the

state State most commonly refers to: * State (polity), a centralized political organization that regulates law and society within a territory **Sovereign state, a sovereign polity in international law, commonly referred to as a country **Nation state, a ...

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...

, one from each of the state's nine

congressional districts Congressional districts, also known as electoral districts in other nations, are divisions of a larger administrative region that represent the population of a region in the larger congressional body. Countries with congressional districts includ ...

. The elections coincided with the

2020 U.S. presidential election Presidential elections were held in the United States on November 3, 2020. The Democratic ticket of former vice president Joe Biden and California junior senator Kamala Harris defeated the incumbent Republican president Donald Trump and vi ...

, as well as other elections to the House of Representatives,

elections An election is a formal group decision-making process whereby a population chooses an individual or multiple individuals to hold public office. Elections have been the usual mechanism by which modern representative democracy has operated ...

to the

United States Senate The United States Senate is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the United States House of Representatives, U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and ...

and various

and

local elections Local may refer to: Geography and transportation * Local (train), a train serving local traffic demand * Local, Missouri, a community in the United States Arts, entertainment, and media * ''Local'' (comics), a limited series comic book by Bria ...

Primary election Primary elections or primaries are elections held to determine which candidates will run in an upcoming general election. In a partisan primary, a political party selects a candidate. Depending on the state and/or party, there may be an "open pr ...

s were held on September 1.

Overview

District 1

The 1st district is based in the western and central parts of the state, and includes the city of Springfield. The incumbent was Democrat

Richard Neal Richard Edmund Neal (born February 14, 1949) is an American politician serving as the United States House of Representatives, U.S. representative for since 1989. The district, numbered as the Massachusetts's 2nd congressional district, 2nd di ...

, who was reelected with 97.6% of the vote in 2018 without major-party opposition.

Democratic primary

Candidates

=Nominee

= *

, incumbent U.S. representative

=Eliminated in primary

= *

Alex Morse Alex Benjamin Morse (born January 29, 1989) is an American politician who served as the 44th mayor of Holyoke, Massachusetts from 2012 to 2021. A member of the Democratic Party, he was elected the youngest mayor of Holyoke at age 22. He was re ...

, mayor of Holyoke

=Declined

= *Tahirah Amatul-Wadud, attorney and candidate for

Massachusetts's 1st congressional district Massachusetts's 1st congressional district covers the western portion and the south of the central portion of the state. It is the largest and most sparsely populated district in the state, covering about 30% of the state's land area. The larges ...

2018 Events January * January 1 – Bulgaria takes over the Presidency of the Council of the European Union, after the Estonian presidency. * January 4 – SPLM-IO rebels loyal to Chan Garang Lual start a raid against Juba, capital of ...

*David Daley, author and former editor-in-chief of ''

Salon Salon may refer to: Common meanings * Beauty salon A beauty salon or beauty parlor is an establishment that provides Cosmetics, cosmetic treatments for people. Other variations of this type of business include hair salons, spas, day spas, ...

=Endorsements

Polling

Debate

Primary results

Republican primary

Candidates

=Withdrawn

= *John Cain, businessman and former Navy officer

General election

Predictions

Results

District 2

The 2nd congressional district is in

central Massachusetts Central Massachusetts is the geographically central region of Massachusetts. Though definitions vary, most include all of Worcester County and the northwest corner of Middlesex County. Worcester, the largest city in the area, and the seat of Wor ...

and includes

Worcester Worcester may refer to: Places United Kingdom * Worcester, England, a city and the county town of Worcestershire in England ** Worcester (UK Parliament constituency), an area represented by a Member of Parliament * Worcester Park, London, Engl ...

. The incumbent was Democrat Jim McGovern, who was reelected with 67.1% of the vote in 2018.

Democratic primary

Candidates

=Nominee

= * Jim McGovern, incumbent U.S. representative

Primary results

Republican primary

Candidates

=Nominee

= * Tracy Lovvorn, healthcare operations manager and nominee for Massachusetts's 2nd congressional district in

Primary results

General election

Predictions

Results

District 3

The 3rd district is based in northeastern and central Massachusetts, and includes the cities of Lowell, Lawrence, and Haverhill. The incumbent was Democrat

Lori Trahan Lori Ann Trahan ( ; Loureiro; born October 27, 1973) is an American businesswoman and politician serving as the U.S. representative for since 2019. The district covers Boston's northwestern suburbs, and includes Lowell, Lawrence, Concord, a ...

, who was elected with 62.0% of the vote in 2018.

Democratic primary

Candidates

=Nominee

= *

, incumbent U.S. representative

=Declined

= * Dan Koh,

Andover Andover may refer to: Places Australia *Andover, Tasmania Canada * Andover Parish, New Brunswick * Perth-Andover, New Brunswick United Kingdom * Andover, Hampshire, England ** RAF Andover, a former Royal Air Force station United States * Andov ...

selectman, former chief of staff to

Boston mayor The mayor of Boston is the head of the municipal government in Boston, Massachusetts, United States. Boston has a mayor–council government. Boston's mayoral elections are nonpartisan (as are all municipal elections in Boston), and elect a may ...

Marty Walsh Martin Joseph Walsh (born April 10, 1967) is an American politician and trade union official who served as the 58th mayor of Boston from 2014 to 2021 and as the 29th United States Secretary of Labor from 2021 to 2023. A member of the Democr ...

, and candidate for Massachusetts's 3rd congressional district in

Endorsements

Primary results

General election

Predictions

Results

District 4

The 4th congressional district is mostly in southern

and includes

Brookline Brookline may refer to: Places in the United States * Brookline, Massachusetts, a town near Boston * Brookline, Missouri, a village * Brookline, New Hampshire, a town * Brookline (Pittsburgh), a neighborhood in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania * Brookl ...

, the southwestern suburbs of

Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...

, and northern Bristol County. The incumbent was Democrat

Joe Kennedy III Joseph Patrick Kennedy III (born October 4, 1980) is an American politician and diplomat who most recently served as the United States Special Envoy for Northern Ireland from 2022 to 2024. Prior to this, Kennedy served as the U.S. representative ...

, who was reelected with 97.7% of the vote in 2018 without major-party opposition. On September 21, 2019, Kennedy announced that he would not seek reelection, instead challenging incumbent U.S. Senator

Ed Markey Edward John Markey (born July 11, 1946) is an American politician serving as the Seniority in the United States Senate, junior United States Senate, United States senator from the state of Massachusetts, a seat he has held since 2013. A member of ...

in the Democratic primary for the 2020 United States Senate election in Massachusetts. The open seat attracted 12 candidates to file for the primary. On September 4, the Associated Press called the race for

Jake Auchincloss Jacob Daniel Auchincloss ( ; born January 29, 1988) is an American politician, businessman, and military officer serving as the U.S. representative for Massachusetts's 4th congressional district since 2021. A member of the Democratic Party, h ...

, who won with 34,971 votes, a 1.4% margin over Jesse Mermell. Auchincloss went on to defeat Republican Julie Hall in the general election.

Democratic primary

Candidates

=Nominee

= *

Newton Newton most commonly refers to: * Isaac Newton (1642–1726/1727), English scientist * Newton (unit), SI unit of force named after Isaac Newton Newton may also refer to: People * Newton (surname), including a list of people with the surname * ...

city councilor, U.S. Marine veteran, and former Republican political organizer for Governor

Charlie Baker Charles Duane Baker Jr. (born November 13, 1956) is an American politician serving as the sixth president of the National Collegiate Athletic Association, since 2023. A member of the Republican Party, he served as the 72nd governor of Massa ...

's 2014 campaign

=Eliminated in primary

= * Becky Grossman,

city councilor *

Alan Khazei Alan Khazei (; born May 28, 1961) is an American social entrepreneur. He served as chief executive officer of City Year, an AmeriCorps national service program he co-founded with Michael Brown, his friend and roommate at Harvard College and Har ...

, co-founder and former

CEO A chief executive officer (CEO), also known as a chief executive or managing director, is the top-ranking corporate officer charged with the management of an organization, usually a company or a nonprofit organization. CEOs find roles in variou ...

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. City ...

and candidate for the U.S. Senate in 2010 * Ihssane Leckey, former Wall Street regulator * Natalia Linos, epidemiologist and executive director of the FXB Center for Health and Human Rights at Harvard University * Jesse Mermell, former

select boardmember and former aide to former governor

Deval Patrick Deval Laurdine Patrick (born July 31, 1956) is an American politician who served as the 71st governor of Massachusetts from 2007 to 2015. He was the first African Americans, African-American Governor of Massachusetts and the first Democratic Pa ...

* Ben Sigel, attorney and former president of the Hispanic National Bar Association

=Withdrew

= * David Cavell, Assistant Attorney General of Massachusetts and former aide to President

Barack Obama Barack Hussein Obama II (born August 4, 1961) is an American politician who was the 44th president of the United States from 2009 to 2017. A member of the Democratic Party, he was the first African American president in American history. O ...

''(withdrew on August 13 and endorsed Mermell)'' ''(remained on ballot)'' * Nick Matthew, former public school teacher and nonprofit activist ''(endorsed Leckey)'' * Herb Robinson, engineer * Thomas Shack, former Massachusetts State Comptroller ''(endorsed Cavell, then Khazei)'' * Chris Zannetos, tech entrepreneur ''(withdrew on August 26 and endorsed Mermell)'' ''(remained on ballot)''

=Declined

= * Chris Dempsey, former policy director for

's election campaign in 2012 *

Paul Feeney Paul R. Feeney is an American politician from the commonwealth of Massachusetts. He serves in the Massachusetts Senate from the Bristol and Norfolk district. Feeney graduated from Don Bosco Technical High School. He worked for Verizon as an of ...

, state senator *

Deb Goldberg Deborah Beth Goldberg (born May 11, 1954) is an American politician and lawyer. She is the Treasurer of Massachusetts, serving since January 2015. She was a member of the Board of Selectmen for the town of Brookline, Massachusetts from 1998 to 2 ...

, Massachusetts State Treasurer *

Jay Gonzalez Juan Manuel "Jay" Gonzalez (born January 8, 1971) is an American academic and government administrator who is the president of Curry College. He served Secretary of Administration and Finance of Massachusetts under Governor Deval Patrick from ...

, former state secretary of administration and finance and nominee for

governor of Massachusetts The governor of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts is the head of government of the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts. The governor is the chief executive, head of the state cabinet and the commander-in-chief of the commonw ...

Patricia Haddad Patricia A. Haddad (born May 7, 1950 in Fall River, Massachusetts) is an American politician who represents the 5th Bristol district in the Massachusetts House of Representatives The Massachusetts House of Representatives is the lower house of ...

, state representative *

, incumbent U.S. representative ''(ran for

U.S. Senate The United States Senate is a chamber of the bicameral United States Congress; it is the upper house, with the U.S. House of Representatives being the lower house. Together, the Senate and House have the authority under Article One of the ...

)'' * Scott W. Lang, former mayor of

New Bedford New Bedford is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, United States. It is located on the Acushnet River in what is known as the South Coast (Massachusetts), South Coast region. At the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, New Bedford had a ...

* Marc Pacheco, state senator * Becca Rausch, state senator * Tommy Vitolo, state representative * Setti Warren, former mayor of

Josh Zakim Josh Zakim (born December 16, 1983) is an American politician, attorney, and community activist from Boston. He formerly served on the Boston City Council representing District 8, Boston, District 8, which includes Boston's Back Bay, Boston, Back ...

, former

city councilor

=Endorsements

Polling

Primary results

Republican primary

Candidates

=Nominee

= * Julie Hall, former Attleboro city councilor

=Eliminated in primary

= * David Rosa, U.S. Army veteran

=Declined

= *

Shawn Dooley Shawn C. Dooley is an American politician from the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. He was a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives in the 9th Norfolk district, succeeding Dan Winslow. The 9th Norfolk District constitutes all or par ...

, state representative * Shaunna O'Connell, mayor of

Taunton Taunton () is the county town of Somerset, England. It is a market town and has a Minster (church), minster church. Its population in 2011 was 64,621. Its thousand-year history includes a 10th-century priory, monastic foundation, owned by the ...

and former state representative * Keiko Orrall, former state representative

Endorsements

Primary results

General election

Predictions

Results

District 5

The 5th congressional district contains Boston's northern and western suburbs, including Malden and

Framingham Framingham () is a city in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, United States. Incorporated in 1700, it is located in Middlesex County and the MetroWest subregion of the Greater Boston metropolitan area. The city proper covers with a popula ...

. The incumbent was Democrat

Katherine Clark Katherine Marlea Clark (born July 17, 1963) is an American lawyer and politician who has served as House Minority Whip since 2023 and is currently in her seventh term as the U.S. representative for Massachusetts's 5th congressional district, hav ...

, who was reelected with 75.9% of the vote in 2018.

Democratic primary

Candidates

Nominee

, incumbent U.S. representative Was never in primary. * Raffaele DePalma, demographic analyst

Primary results

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

* Caroline Colarusso, Stoneham selectwoman

Primary results

General election

Predictions

Results

District 6

The 6th district is based in northeastern Massachusetts, and contains most of Essex County, including the North Shore and

Cape Ann Cape Ann is a rocky peninsula in northeastern Massachusetts on the Atlantic Ocean. It is about northeast of Boston and marks the northern limit of Massachusetts Bay. Cape Ann includes the city of Gloucester and the towns of Essex, Man ...

. The incumbent was Democrat

Seth Moulton Seth Wilbur Moulton (born October 24, 1978) is an American politician and former Marine Corps officer who has been the U.S. representative for Massachusetts's 6th congressional district since 2015. A member of the Democratic Party, his distr ...

, who was reelected with 65.2% of the vote in 2018. Moulton was a candidate for the Democratic presidential primary in 2020, and said that he had "no intention of giving up his seat in the House." He won his district's primary with the most votes ever recorded in a House primary election in Massachusetts history.

Democratic primary

Candidates

=Nominee

= *

, incumbent U.S. representative

=Eliminated in primary

= * Jamie Zahlaway Belsito, Massachusetts PPD commissioner and

Salem State University Salem State University (Salem State or SSU) is a public university in Salem, Massachusetts, United States. Established in 1854, it is the oldest and largest institute of higher education on the North Shore and is part of the state university ...

trustee * Angus McQuilken, gun control advocate

=Withdrawn

= x* Nathaniel Mulcahy, scientist * Massachusetts Teachers Association

=Declined

= *

Kim Driscoll Kimberley Lord Driscoll (born August 12, 1966) is an American politician and lawyer who has served as the 73rd lieutenant governor of Massachusetts since 2023. A member of the Democratic Party, Driscoll previously served as the 50th mayor of S ...

, mayor of Salem * Lori Ehrlich, state representative *Terrence Kennedy, member of the 6th district of the

Massachusetts Governor's Council The Massachusetts Governor's Council (also known as the Executive Council) is a governmental body that provides advice and consent in certain matterssuch as judicial nominations, pardons, and commutationsto the Governor of Massachusetts. Council ...

Barbara L'Italien Barbara A. L'Italien (born January 3, 1961) is an American politician from the state of Massachusetts, serving from January 2015 to 2019 as the State Senator from the 2nd Essex and Middlesex District. She was previously the director of government ...

, former state senator and candidate for

Massachusetts's 3rd congressional district Massachusetts's 3rd congressional district is located in north- central and northeastern Massachusetts. The largest municipalities in the district are Lowell, Lawrence, Haverhill, Methuen, Billerica (partial), Fitchburg, and Marlborough. ...

in 2018 * John F. Tierney, former U.S. representative * Paul Tucker, state representative

Endorsements

* Nathaniel Mulcahy, withdrawn 6th district candidate

Primary results

Republican primary

Candidates

Nominee

* John Paul Moran, businessman

Primary results

Independents

Candidates

=Declared

= * Christopher Fisher, carpenter

General election

Predictions

Results

District 7

The 7th district is in eastern

, including roughly three-fourths of

and a few of its northern and southern suburbs. The incumbent was Democrat

Ayanna Pressley Ayanna Soyini Pressley (born February 3, 1974) is an American politician who has served as the United States House of Representatives, U.S. representative for Massachusetts's 7th congressional district since 2019. This district, which was once re ...

, who defeated ten-term incumbent

Mike Capuano Michael Everett Capuano ( ; born January 9, 1952) is an American politician and attorney who served as a U.S. Representative of Massachusetts from 1999 to 2019. A Democrat, his district included the northern three-fourths of Boston, as well as ...

in the 2018

primary election Primary elections or primaries are elections held to determine which candidates will run in an upcoming general election. In a partisan primary, a political party selects a candidate. Depending on the state and/or party, there may be an "open pr ...

and ran against write-in votes only in the

general election A general election is an electoral process to choose most or all members of a governing body at the same time. They are distinct from By-election, by-elections, which fill individual seats that have become vacant between general elections. Gener ...

Democratic primary

Candidates

=Nominee

= *

, incumbent U.S. Representative

=Endorsements

Primary results

Republican primary

In order to qualify for the general election ballot, a write-in candidate must receive at least 2,000 votes.

Candidates

=Nominee

= * Rayla Campbell (write-in), occupational zoning activist

=Eliminated in Primary

= * Rachel Miselman (write-in)

=Primary results

General election

Predictions

Results

District 8

The 8th district includes

South Boston South Boston (colloquially known as Southie) is a densely populated neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts, United States, located south and east of the Fort Point Channel and abutting Dorchester Bay (Boston Harbor), Dorchester Bay. It has under ...

and the southern Boston metro area. The incumbent was Democrat

Stephen F. Lynch Stephen Francis Lynch (born March 31, 1955) is an American businessman, attorney and politician who has served as a member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Massachusetts since 2001. A Democrat, he represents Massachusetts's 8th congr ...

, who was reelected with 98.4% of the vote in 2018 without major-party opposition.

Democratic primary

In the Democratic primary, lawyer and ten-term incumbent Lynch defeated progressive challenger Robbie Goldstein, a medical doctor with expertise in infectious diseases and transgender healthcare. Several weeks before the primary, the ''Boston Globe'' noted the "stark contrast" between the candidates on several key issues, particularly healthcare and police reform. A proponent of Medicare for All, Goldstein ran on a platform of expanding healthcare access during a campaign overshadowed by the COVID-19 pandemic. Lynch, who remains one of only three Democrats in the House who voted against the Affordable Care Act in 2009, advocates reforming the current market-based healthcare system. In the context of nationwide protests against police brutality and killing of unarmed black citizens, Lynch stated his support for efforts to modify qualified immunity for police officers, while Goldstein advocated ending qualified immunity outright. Goldstein's campaign also highlighted differences between the two candidates on LGBTQ issues and reproductive rights. In the past, Lynch has identified as pro-life, a position he now deems too extreme. Several Democratic primary challengers over the years have called Lynch too moderate to serve Massachusetts's electorate. In 2010, Lynch responded, "Calling me the least liberal member from Massachusetts is like calling me the slowest Kenyan in the Boston Marathon. It's all relative."

Candidates

=Nominee

= *

, incumbent U.S. representative

=Eliminated in primary

= * Robbie Goldstein, infectious diseases physician at

Massachusetts General Hospital Massachusetts General Hospital (Mass General or MGH) is a teaching hospital located in the West End neighborhood of Boston, Massachusetts. It is the original and largest clinical education and research facility of Harvard Medical School/Harvar ...

=Withdrawn

= * Mohammad Dar, physician (endorsed Goldstein) * Brianna Wu, video game developer and candidate for

Massachusetts's 8th congressional district Massachusetts's 8th congressional district is located in eastern Massachusetts, including part of Boston. It is represented by Democrat Stephen Lynch. For one congressional term (1791–1793), it served as the home district of the District of Ma ...

in 2018

Endorsements

Polling

Primary results

General election

Predictions

Results

District 9

The 9th district encompasses

Cape Cod Cape Cod is a peninsula extending into the Atlantic Ocean from the southeastern corner of Massachusetts, in the northeastern United States. Its historic, maritime character and ample beaches attract heavy tourism during the summer months. The ...

and the South Shore, and extends westward into

, part of Fall River, and surrounding suburbs. The incumbent was Democrat

Bill Keating William Richard Keating (born September 6, 1952) is an American lawyer and politician serving as the U.S. representative for Massachusetts's 9th congressional district since 2013. A member of the Democratic Party, he first entered Congress in ...

, who was reelected with 59.4% of the vote in 2018.

Democratic primary

Candidates

=Nominee

= *

, incumbent U.S. representative

=Withdrawn

= * Mark Sylvia, former undersecretary for the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs

=Declined

= * Joe Rull, Norwell town selectman

=Primary results

Republican primary

Candidates

=Nominee

= * Helen Brady, nominee for

Massachusetts State Auditor The state auditor of Massachusetts is an elected constitutional officer in the executive branch of the U.S. state of Massachusetts. Twenty-six individuals have occupied the office of state auditor since the office's creation in 1849. The incumbent ...

=Primary results

General election

Predictions

Results

Notes

Partisan clients

References

External links

* * * (state affiliate of the U.S.

League of Women Voters The League of Women Voters (LWV) is a nonpartisan American nonprofit political organization. Founded in 1920, its ongoing major activities include Voter registration, registering voters, providing voter information, boosting voter turnout and adv ...

) * Official campaign websites for 1st district candidates
Richard Neal (D) for Congress
Official campaign websites for 2nd district candidates
Tracy Lovvorn (R) for Congress

Jim McGovern (D) for Congress
Official campaign websites for 3rd district candidates
Lori Trahan (D) for Congress
Official campaign websites for 4th district candidates
Jake Auchincloss (D) for Congress

Julie Hall (R) for Congress
Official campaign websites for 5th district candidates
Katherine Clark (D) for Congress

Caroline Colarusso (R) for Congress
Official campaign websites for 6th district candidates
John Paul Moran (R) for Congress

Seth Moulton (D) for Congress
Official campaign websites for 7th district candidates
Rayla Campbell (R) for Congress

Ayanna Pressley (D) for Congress
Official campaign websites for 8th district candidates
Stephen F. Lynch (D) for Congress
Official campaign websites for 9th district candidates *
Bill Keating (D) for Congress
{{Federal elections in Massachusetts footer

2020 The year 2020 was heavily defined by the COVID-19 pandemic, which led to global Social impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, social and Economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic, economic disruption, mass cancellations and postponements of even ...

United States House of Representatives The United States House of Representatives is a chamber of the Bicameralism, bicameral United States Congress; it is the lower house, with the U.S. Senate being the upper house. Together, the House and Senate have the authority under Artic ...