2012 United States House of Representatives elections in Massachusetts

The 2012 United States House of Representatives elections in Massachusetts were held on Tuesday, November 6, 2012 to elect the nine U.S. Representatives from the state of Massachusetts, a loss of one seat following the 2010 Census,[1] for service in the 113th Congress 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. The candidate elected in each of the state's congressional districts was a member the Democratic Party.[2]

2012 United States House of Representatives elections in Massachusetts

November 6, 2012
All 9 Massachusetts seats in the United States House of Representatives
Party Democratic Republican Last election 10 0 Seats before 10 0 Seats won 9 0 Seat change 1 Popular vote 1,544,103 693,624 Percentage 66.04% 29.67% Swing 8.56% 9.18%

Primary elections were held on September 6, 2012.[3] 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.[4]

Overview

United States House of Representatives elections in Massachusetts, 2012[5]
Party		Votes	Percentage	Seats	+/–
	Democratic	1,544,103	66.04%	9	-1
	Republican	693,624	29.67%	0	—
	Libertarian	16,668	0.71%	0	—
	Independents	83,580	3.57%	0	—
Totals		2,337,975	100.00%	9	-1

District 1

Democrat Richard Neal, who has represented the 2nd district since 1989, was redistricted into the 1st district.[6] He ran for re-election.[7]

Democratic primary

Candidates

• Richard Neal, incumbent
• Andrea F. Nuciforo Jr., Middle Berkshire Register of Deeds and former State Senator[8]
• Bill Shein, writer[9]

Primary results

Democratic primary results[10]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Richard Neal (incumbent)	40,295	65.5
	Democratic	Andrea F. Nuciforo, Jr.	15,159	24.6
	Democratic	Bill Shein	6,059	9.8
	Democratic	Write-ins	33	0.1
Total votes			61,546	100.0

Results

Massachusetts's 1st congressional district, 2012[11][12]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Richard Neal (incumbent)	261,936	98.4
	n/a	Write-ins	4,197	1.6
Total votes			266,133	100.0
	Democratic hold

District 2

Since 1991, Democrat John Olver, has represented the 1st district, most of which remains in the proposed new 1st district.[1] He was to have been redistricted to the 2nd district, except that he announced his retirement two weeks before the new districts were proposed.[13]

Democrat Jim McGovern, who was redistricted from the 3rd district,[6] ran for re-election.[14]

Primary results

Democratic primary results[10]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	James McGovern (incumbent)	24,375	91.3
	Democratic	William Feegbeh	2,265	8.5
	Democratic	Write-ins	44	0.2
Total votes			26,684	100.0

Results

Massachusetts's 2nd congressional district, 2012 [11][12]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Jim McGovern (incumbent)	259,257	98.5
	n/a	Write-ins	4,078	1.5
Total votes			263,335	100.0
	Democratic hold

District 3

Democrat Niki Tsongas, who was redistricted from the 5th district,[6] ran for re-election.[15] She was unopposed in the primary.

Primary results

Democratic primary results[10]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Nicola Tsongas (incumbent)	24,105	99.2
	Democratic	Write-ins	196	0.8
Total votes			24,301	100.0

Republican primary

Candidates

• Jon Golnik, business consultant and 2010 Republican nominee for Massachusetts' 5th congressional district[16]

• Tom Weaver, businessman and 2010 Republican candidate for Massachusetts' 5th congressional district[17]

Primary results

Republican primary results[10]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Jonathan Golnik	12,928	66.3
	Republican	Thomas Weaver	6,527	33.5
	Republican	Write-ins	38	0.2
Total votes			19,493	100.0

Results

Massachusetts's 3rd congressional district, 2012[11][12]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Niki Tsongas (incumbent)	212,119	65.9
	Republican	Jon Golnik	109,372	34.0
	n/a	Write-ins	262	0.1
Total votes			321,753	100.0
	Democratic hold

District 4

Democrat Barney Frank, who has represented the 4th district since 1981, retired rather than run for re-election.[18]

Democratic primary

Candidates

• Rachel Brown, LaRouche activist and 2010 Democratic candidate for Massachusetts' 4th congressional district[19]
• Joseph Kennedy III, Middlesex County assistant district attorney[20]
• Herb Robinson, software engineer[21]

Primary results

Democratic primary results[10]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Joseph P. Kennedy, III	36,557	90.0
	Democratic	Rachel Brown	2,635	6.5
	Democratic	Herb Robinson	6,059	3.4
	Democratic	Write-ins	73	0.1
Total votes			45,324	100.0

Republican primary

Candidates

• Sean Bielat, a technology executive and 2010 Republican nominee for Massachusetts' 4th congressional district[22]
• Elizabeth Childs, psychiatrist and member of the Brookline School Committee[23]
• David Steinhof, dentist[24]

Primary results

Republican primary results[10]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Sean Bielat	14,834	73.2
	Republican	Elizabeth Childs	2,735	13.5
	Republican	David L. Steinhof	2,669	13.2
	Republican	Write-ins	25	0.1
Total votes			20,263	100.0

Polling

Poll source	Date(s) administered	Sample size	Margin of error	Joseph Kennedy III (D)	Sean Bielat (R)	Other	Undecided
UMass Lowell/Boston Herald	February 2–8, 2012	408	± 6.4%	60%	28%	4%	7%

Results

Massachusetts's 4th congressional district, 2012[11][12]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Joseph Kennedy III	221,303	61.1
	Republican	Sean Bielat	129,936	35.9
	Independent	David Rosa	10,741	3.0
	n/a	Write-ins	265	0.1
Total votes			362,245	100.0
	Democratic hold

District 5

Democrat Ed Markey was redistricted from the 7th district,[6] having represented it since 1976.

Primary results

Democratic primary results[10]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Ed Markey (incumbent)	38,196	99.2
	Democratic	Write-ins	316	0.8
Total votes			38,512	100.0

Republican primary

Candidates

• Frank John Addivinola, Jr., attorney
• Jeff Semon, financial consultant[25]
• Tom Tierney, consulting actuary[26]

Withdrew

• Gerry Dembrowski, physician 2010 Republican nominee for Massachusetts' 7th congressional district[27]

Primary results

Democratic primary results[10]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Tom Tierney	4,789	41.2
	Republican	Frank John Addivinola, Jr.	3,531	30.3
	Republican	Jeffrey Semon	3,250	27.9
	Republican	Write-ins	65	0.6
Total votes			11,635	100.0

Results

Massachusetts's 5th congressional district, 2012[11][12]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Ed Markey (incumbent)	257,490	75.5
	Republican	Tom Tierney	82,944	24.3
	n/a	Write-ins	675	0.2
Total votes			341,109	100.0
	Democratic hold

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.[28] Veteran and military commentator Seth Moulton 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.[29]

Primary results

Democratic primary results[10]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	John Tierney (incumbent)	28,395	98.2
	Democratic	Write-ins	517	1.8
Total votes			28,912	100.0

Republican primary

Candidates

• Richard R. Tisei, 2010 Massachusetts gubernatorial election Republican nominee for Massachusetts Lieutenant Governor

Withdrew

• Bill Hudak, Tea Party-endorsed lawyer and 2010 Republican candidate for Massachusetts' 6th congressional district[30] but withdrew on January 23, 2012 to pursue "a business opportunity".[31]

Primary results

Republican primary results[10]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Richard R. Tisei	18,331	99.0
	Republican	Write-ins	186	1.0
Total votes			19,493	100.0

Results

Massachusetts's 6th congressional district, 2012[11][12]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	John F. Tierney (incumbent)	180,942	48.3
	Republican	Richard Tisei	176,612	47.1
	Libertarian	Daniel Fishman	16,739	4.5
	n/a	Write-ins	514	0.1
Total votes			374,807	100.0
	Democratic hold

District 7

In the redistricting Act,[1] this district became a majority-minority district, increasing its reach over several minority precincts near Boston.[6] Democrat Mike Capuano, who was redistricted from the 8th district,[6] having represented it since 1999, ran for re-election.[32] Karla Romero, the founding President and CEO of the non-profit Mass Appeal International and a former Miss USA contestant ran as an Independent.[33]

Primary results

Democratic primary results[10]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Mike Capuano (incumbent)	32,445	98.6
	Democratic	Write-ins	446	1.4
Total votes			32,891	100.0

Results

Massachusetts's 7th congressional district, 2012[11][12]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Mike Capuano (incumbent)	210,794	83.4
	Independent	Karla Romero	41,199	16.3
	n/a	Write-ins	843	0.2
Total votes			252,836	100.0
	Democratic hold

District 8

Democrat Stephen Lynch, who was redistricted from the old 9th district,[6] will run in the 8th district.[34]

Democrat William R. Keating, who was redistricted from the old 10th district,[6] announced that he would move to Cape Cod (where he already has a summer home), and run there, putting him in the new 9th district (most of which includes his incumbent district[1]) instead of competing against Lynch.[28]

Primary results

Democratic primary results[10]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Stephen Lynch (incumbent)	29,352	98.8
	Democratic	Write-ins	369	1.2
Total votes			29,721	100.0

Republican primary

Candidates

• Joe Selvaggi, US Navy veteran of the first Gulf War and small business owner
• Matias Temperley, Iraq War veteran and student[35]

Primary results

Democratic primary results[10]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Joe Selvaggi	5,968	59.1
	Republican	Matias Temperley	4,081	40.4
	Republican	Write-ins	47	0.5
Total votes			10,096	100.0

Results

Massachusetts's 8th congressional district, 2012[11][12]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Stephen Lynch (incumbent)	263,999	76.1
	Republican	Joe Selvaggi	82,242	23.7
	n/a	Write-ins	570	0.2
Total votes			346,811	100.0
	Democratic hold

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 10th district, has a summer home there.[6] As discussed above, he moved to the 9th District.[28] Bristol County

Democratic primary

Candidates

• William R. Keating, incumbent
• Sam Sutter, District Attorney[36]

Declined

• Mark Montigny, State senator[37]
• William A. Flanagan, mayor of Fall River[38]
• Scott W. Lang, former mayor of New Bedford[39]
• Therese Murray, the President of the Massachusetts Senate[37]
• Robert O'Leary, former State Senator[40]

Primary results

Democratic primary results[10]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	William Richard Keating (incumbent)	31,366	59.1
	Democratic	Samuel Sutter	21,675	40.8
	Democratic	Write-ins	47	0.1
Total votes			53,088	100.0

Republican primary

Candidates

• Adam Chaprales, former Sandwich Selectman[41]
• Christopher Sheldon, businessman[42]

Declined

• Timothy Cruz, Plymouth County District Attorney[43]
• Vinny deMacedo, state representative[43]
• Thomas Hodgson, Bristol County Sheriff[44]
• Jeff Perry, former state representative 2010 Republican nominee for Massachusetts' 10th congressional district[43] will not run.

Results

Massachusetts's 9th congressional district, 2012[11][12]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	William R. Keating (incumbent)	212,754	58.7
	Republican	Christopher Sheldon	116,531	32.2
	Independent	Daniel Botelho	32,655	9.0
	n/a	Write-ins	465	0.1
Total votes			359,060	100.0
	Democratic hold

See also

• United States Senate election in Massachusetts, 2012

References

1. "Acts of 2011: Chapter 177: An Act Establishing Congressional Districts, Approved November 21, 2011". General Court of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Retrieved November 28, 2011., to be codified at Mass. Gen. L. c. 57, § 1
2. "In the States". The New York Times. Retrieved 2018-03-02.
3. Galvin, William Francis. "2012 Massachusetts State Primary and State Election Schedule" (PDF). Retrieved August 16, 2011.
4. Johnson, Glen (November 11, 2011). "Massachusetts to hold rare Thursday primary election next year". The Boston Globe. Retrieved November 28, 2011.
5. Massachusetts House Election Results 2012 - Map, District Results, Live Updates - POLITICO.com
6. Cassidy, Chris (November 7, 2011). "Redistricting throws U.S. Reps. Keating, Lynch into faceoff". Boston Herald. Retrieved November 7, 2011.
7. Appleton, John (December 1, 2010). "Neal and Olver will seek re-election to Congress in 2012". The Republican. Retrieved September 26, 2011.
8. "Nuciforo renews plans for Congress". The Berkshire Eagle. October 27, 2011. Retrieved October 28, 2011.
9. "2 Mass. men announce plans for congressional runs". Boston Herald. Associated Press. January 17, 2012. Retrieved January 17, 2012.
10. "A list of winners in Massachusetts primary races". AP. Boston.com. September 7, 2012. Retrieved September 14, 2012.
11. http://electionstats.state.ma.us/elections/search/year_from:2012/year_to:2012/office_id:5/stage:General
12. The totals do not include Blank/Scatterings Ballots although they were reported.
13. "Massachusetts congressman John Olver says he will retire at end of term". The Washington Post. October 26, 2011. Retrieved October 27, 2011.
14. Storrow, Ben (December 2, 2011). "U.S. Rep. James McGovern begins wooing his potential constituents". Daily Hampshire Gazette. Retrieved February 23, 2012.
15. Messenger, Brian (April 22, 2012). "Tsongas enjoys early fundraising lead over Golnik". The Eagle-Tribune. Retrieved May 7, 2012.
16. Messenger, Brian (December 24, 2011). "Golnik looks for 2012 rematch with Tsongas". The Eagle-Tribune. Retrieved February 13, 2012.
17. Sylvia, Andrew (February 23, 2012). "Westford Man Seeks Seat in Congress". Westford, MA Patch. Retrieved May 7, 2012.
18. Taylor, Jessica (November 28, 2011). "Barney Frank Announces Retirement From Congress". National Journal. Archived from the original on November 30, 2011. Retrieved November 28, 2011.
19. Graham, Melanie (February 14, 2012). "Former Frank Challenger Joins 2012 Race". Needham, MA Patch. Retrieved May 7, 2012.
20. Johnson, Glen; Andersen, Travis; Powers, Martine (February 16, 2012). "Joseph Kennedy III announces congressional campaign". The Boston Globe. Retrieved February 17, 2012.
21. "Democrat Robinson out of US Senate race". Associated Press. Archived from the original on July 9, 2012. Retrieved December 16, 2011.
22. "GOP's Sean Bielat making 2nd bid for 4th congressional district seat". The Patriot Ledger. Associated Press. January 17, 2012. Retrieved January 17, 2012.
23. Downs, Andreae (September 9, 2011). "Brookline School Committee member readies run against Barney Frank". The Boston Globe. Retrieved September 26, 2011.
24. Richmod, Will (May 2, 2012). "Fall River dentist, Durfee grad David Steinhof to run for Congress". The Herald News. Retrieved May 7, 2012.
25. Miller, Joshua (June 21, 2011). "Republican Announces Longshot Bid in Massachusetts". Roll Call. Retrieved September 26, 2011.
26. "Tom Tierney wins 5th District GOP primary". Archived from the original on September 13, 2012. Retrieved September 13, 2012.
27. "Letter to the Editor: Dembrowski Vying for 2012 7th Congressional District Post". Stoneham Patch. August 10, 2011. Archived from the original on April 25, 2012. Retrieved September 26, 2011.
28. Phillips, Frank; Bierman, Noah (November 8, 2011). "Map changes incumbents' terrain". Retrieved November 8, 2011.
29. "Massachusetts: Independent Seth Moulton Will Not Run". Roll Call. July 23, 2012. Retrieved October 8, 2014.
30. Levenson, Michael (March 2, 2011). "Tea Party candidate says he'll try to unseat US Rep. Tierney again". The Boston Globe. Retrieved September 26, 2011.
31. "Hudak withdraws from Sixth District race". The Daily Item. January 23, 2012. Archived from the original on July 9, 2012. Retrieved January 23, 2012.
32. Miller, Joshua (September 2, 2011). "Mike Capuano Won't Challenge Scott Brown, Seeking Re-election". Roll Call. Retrieved September 26, 2011.
33. "Karla Romero for Congress". Archived from the original on February 18, 2012. Retrieved November 19, 2011.
34. "Lynch out for meet-and-greet". Boston Globe. January 22, 2012.
35. Encarnacao, Jack (February 4, 2012). "Iraq War vet from Quincy hopes to unseat U.S. Rep. Stephen Lynch". The Patriot Ledger. Retrieved February 7, 2012.
36. Richmond, Will (January 12, 2012). "Bristol County DA intends to seek 9th District seat in Congress". The Herald News. Retrieved February 7, 2012.
37. Cassidy, Chris (November 13, 2011). "Battle lines drawn". Boston Herald. Retrieved November 19, 2011.
38. Richmond, Will (January 9, 2012). "Mayor Will Flanagan says he won't run for Congress". The Herald News. Retrieved January 11, 2012.
39. Preer, Robert (January 29, 2012). "Redrawn district complicates Keating's bid for reelection". The Boston Globe. Archived from the original on February 23, 2012. Retrieved February 23, 2012.
40. Brennan, George (February 15, 2012). "O'Leary not running for Congressional seat". Cape Cod Times. Archived from the original on September 4, 2012. Retrieved February 15, 2012.
41. Brennan, George (April 21, 2012). "Chaprales eyes congressional seat". Cape Cod Times. Archived from the original on July 24, 2012. Retrieved April 24, 2012.
42. Richmond, Will (January 20, 2012). "A Plymouth Republican to join 9th Congressional district race". The Herald News. Retrieved January 20, 2012.
43. Brennan, George (November 9, 2011). "New Cape district fires up field, Republicans". Cape Cod Times. Archived from the original on January 18, 2013. Retrieved November 19, 2011.
44. Tuoti, Gerry (January 8, 2012). "PARTY LINES: Kennedy may run for Congress". Taunton Daily Gazette. Retrieved January 9, 2012.

External links

• Elections Division of the Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth
• Massachusetts U.S. House from OurCampaigns.com
• Campaign contributions for U.S. Congressional races in Massachusetts from OpenSecrets.org
• Outside spending at the Sunlight Foundation
• Local politics at The Boston Herald
• "Acts of 2011: Chapter 177: An Act Establishing Congressional Districts, Approved November 21, 2011". General Court of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts. Retrieved November 28, 2011.