Congressional incumbents in Massachusetts who faced primary opponents Tuesday mostly fared well, though two were still sweating out the results as the day headed to a close.
In and around Boston, U.S. Rep. Stephen Lynch was holding off challenger Patrick Roath in the Eighth District. Results from the Associated Press showed Lynch with 57% to Roath’s 43% as of 10:35 p.m., when about 43% of the vote had been tallied. Roath campaigned on the idea of generational change, while Lynch leaned on the idea that there’s still room for what he called a “moderate Democrat” brand of politics in Washington, D.C. Republican Robert Burke of Dedham will fill out the opposite side of the ballot in the general election.
State Rep. Tram Nguyen, of Andover, was on track to finish behind former Marty Walsh aide Dan Koh in the crowded Democratic primary for the 6th Congressional District. The AP called the race for Koh just before 10:30 p.m., when about 62% of ballots had been counted and Koh was leading Nguyen with 42.4% support to her 29.4%. Essex Republican Micah Jones, who is running with the endorsement of former Gov. Charlie Baker, awaits in the Nov. 3 general election.
In the western part of the state’s First District, longtime U.S. Rep. Richard Neal of Springfield looked to be eking out a primary win over South Hadley’s Jeromie Whalen. Neal dispatched challengers in 2018 and 2020 (when he ground out a 59% to 41% victory over then-Holyoke Mayor Alex Morse), but had not been challenged since. With 61% of the vote in as of 10:30 p.m., the AP had Neal leading Whalen 54% to 46%, a tighter margin than the 2020 result.
No Republican ran for the seat this year, leaving Neal poised to return for a 20th term if he survives the primary.
Late Tuesday night, Our Revolution Executive Director Joseph Geevarghese said the yet-uncalled Neal-Whalen race was “far closer than virtually anyone expected” and called it evidence that “Whalen showed what is possible, and this should be Neal’s last term in Congress.”
“The final numbers will come in, but the message is already clear: the ground is shifting — not just in Western Massachusetts, but across the country. Voters are increasingly ready for a new generation of leaders willing to take on corporate power and fight unapologetically for working people,” he said.
In the Fourth District that snakes from Boston’s immediate western suburbs along the I-95 corridor towards Fall River and the South Coast, U.S. Rep. Jake Auchincloss outlasted challenger Jason Poulos of Sherborn. Brookline Republican Thomas Stalcup awaits Auchincloss in the general. The AP said about 37% of the vote had been counted as of 9:50 p.m., with Auchincloss taking 72% of it.
U.S. House Minority Whip Katherine Clark of Revere, the highest ranking woman in the U.S. House, was the victor of a three-way Democratic primary in the Fifth District that also included Tarik Samman of Cambridge and Jonathan Paz of Waltham. No Republican sought the seat this year, setting Clark up to return to her leadership post in D.C. The AP called Clark’s primary around 9:30 p.m. when about 10% of the vote was in, with Clark carrying about 75% of it.
U.S. Rep. Bill Keating of Bourne, a former county prosecutor and state senator, is set up to face Republican candidate R. Tyler MacAllister of Mattapoisett in the general election after outpolling primary challenger Craig Swallow of New Bedford on Tuesday. Keating has represented the Ninth District for eight terms. When the AP called the race for Keating at 9:50 p.m., about 7% of votes had been counted and 77% were for Keating.
U.S. Rep. Lori Trahan of Westford is lined up to compete with Republican Gary Grossi of Acton in the general after neither had a primary contest. U.S. Reps. James McGovern of Worcester and Ayanna Pressley of Boston faced no opponent in Tuesday’s primary and also have no Republican opponent in November.
Colin Young is the deputy editor for State House News Service and State Affairs Pro Massachusetts. Reach him at [email protected].
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