Massachusetts's 5th congressional district is a congressional district in eastern Massachusetts. The district is represented by Katherine Clark of the Democratic Party. Massachusetts's congressional redistricting after the 2010 census changed the borders of the district starting with the elections of 2012, with the new 3rd district largely taking the place of the old 5th.[3] The 5th district covers many of the communities represented in the old 7th district.
On July 15, 2013, Ed Markey resigned from the seat to become the junior Senator from Massachusetts. On December 10, 2013, Democrat Katherine Clark won a special election to fill the seat for the remainder of the 113th Congress.[4] She was sworn into office on December 12, 2013, and since January 2023 serves as the House Minority Whip.
The district has been in Democratic hands without interruption since 1975. Before Paul Tsongas' victory that year, it had only elected three Democrats in its entire existence and had been in Republican hands since 1895. It was one of the more moderate districts in heavily Democratic Massachusetts before redistricting in 2013. In state races, it supported Republican candidates for GovernorWilliam Weld, Paul Celluci, and Mitt Romney. In the 2007 special election to replace Marty Meehan, Republican candidate Jim Ogonowski ran an unexpectedly strong race before ultimately losing, 51–45%.
Composition
Massachusetts's congressional redistricting after the 2020 census (commencing with the 2022 election and the 118th Congress, whose House members were sworn in on January 3, 2023) assigns the 5th congressional district to much of Middlesex County, part of Norfolk County, and part of Suffolk County.
History and geography
Current
There are 23 municipalities in the 5th district, as of the 2021 redistricting.[5] This list is sorted by county.
The 1868–69 United States House of Representatives elections were held on various dates in various states between June 1, 1868, and August 2, 1869. Each state set its own date for its elections to the House of Representatives before or after the first session of the 41st United States Congress convened on March 4, 1869. They coincided with the 1868 United States presidential election, which was won by Ulysses S. Grant. Elections were held for all 243 seats, representing 37 states. All of the former Confederate states were represented in Congress for the first time since they seceded from the Union.
Benjamin Perley Poore was a prominent American newspaper correspondent, editor, and author in the mid-19th century. One of the most popular and prolific journalists of his era, he was an active partisan for the Whig and Republican parties.
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 largest cities in the district are Springfield, Chicopee, Pittsfield, Westfield, and Holyoke.
Massachusetts's 2nd congressional district is located in central Massachusetts, encompassing much of Franklin, Hampshire, and Worcester counties, as well as small portions of Middlesex and Norfolk Counties. The largest municipalities in the district include Worcester, Leominster, Amherst, Shrewsbury, and Northampton.
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.
Massachusetts's 4th congressional district is located mostly in southern Massachusetts. It is represented by Democrat Jake Auchincloss. Auchincloss was first elected in 2020.
Massachusetts's 9th congressional district is located in eastern Massachusetts. It is represented by Democrat William R. Keating. With a Cook Partisan Voting Index rating of D+6, it is the least Democratic district in Massachusetts, a state with an all-Democratic congressional delegation.
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 Maine. The district boundaries were significantly changed, as of the elections of 2012, due to redistricting after the 2010 census, with the old 8th district largely being shifted to the new 7th district. The new 8th district comprises many of the communities of the old 9th district, as well as some easternmost Norfolk County communities and northernmost Plymouth County communities of the old 10th district.
Massachusetts's 11th congressional district is an obsolete district that was active during three periods: 1795–1843, 1853–1863, and 1873–1993. The district was located in several different areas of the state. It was most recently eliminated in 1993 after the 1990 U.S. census. Its last congressman was Brian J. Donnelly.
Massachusetts's 7th congressional district is a congressional district located in eastern Massachusetts, including roughly three-fourths of the city of Boston and a few of its northern and southern suburbs. The seat is currently held by Democrat Ayanna Pressley.
Massachusetts's 10th congressional district is an obsolete district that was active during 1795–2013. It was first located in the District of Maine during 1795–1803, then located in several different areas of Massachusetts. It was most recently eliminated in 2013 as district lines were redrawn to accommodate the loss of the seat due to reapportionment as a result of the 2010 census.
Massachusetts's 6th congressional district is located in northeastern Massachusetts. It contains most of Essex County, including the North Shore and Cape Ann, as well as part of Middlesex County. It is represented by Seth Moulton, who has represented the district since January 2015. The shape of the district went through minor changes effective from the elections of 2012 after Massachusetts congressional redistricting to reflect the 2010 census. The towns of Tewksbury and Billerica were added, along with a small portion of the town of Andover.
James Burnie Beck was a Scottish-American United States Representative and Senator from Kentucky.
Massachusetts's 14th congressional district is an obsolete district that was first active 1795–1820 in the District of Maine, and again active 1903–1963 in eastern Massachusetts. It was most recently eliminated in 1963 after the 1960 U.S. census. Its last congressman was Joseph William Martin Jr., who was redistricted into the 10th district.
Massachusetts is currently divided into nine congressional districts, each represented by a member of the United States House of Representatives. After the 2010 census, the number of seats in Massachusetts was decreased from 10 to nine, due to the State's low growth in population since the year 2000. This mandatory redistricting after the 2010 census eliminated Massachusetts's 10th congressional district, as well as causing a major shift in how the state's congressional districts are currently drawn.
John Moffet was an Irish-American politician who served as a Democratic member of the U.S. House of Representatives for Pennsylvania's 3rd congressional district. The election was contested by Leonard Myers on the grounds that several wards in Philadelphia submitted false results. The House of Representatives conducted an investigation and voted that Myers was the winner. Mofett only served from March 4, 1869 to April 9, 1869.
Massachusetts's 12th congressional district is an obsolete district that was first active 1795–1803 in the District of Maine and 1803–1843 in Eastern Massachusetts. It was later active 1883–1893 in Western Massachusetts and 1893–1983 in Eastern Massachusetts. It was most recently eliminated as a result of the redistricting cycle after the 1980 census. Its last congressman was Gerry Studds, who was redistricted into the 10th district.
John Austin Keliher was a U.S. Democratic politician.
Abel Lawrence Foster was a 19th Century American lawyer who served one term as a United States Representative from New York from 1841 to 1843.
The Official Congressional Directory is the official directory of the United States Congress, prepared by the Joint Committee on Printing (JCP) and published by the United States Government Printing Office (GPO) since 1887. Directories since the 41st Congress (1869–1871) are available online from the Government Publishing Office. Per federal statute the Directory is published and distributed during the first session of each new Congress. It is a designated essential title distributed to Federal depository libraries and the current edition is available for purchase from GPO.
↑ "Massachusetts". Congressional Directory for the Second Session of the Thirty-Seventh Congress. Washington DC: House of Representatives. 1861. Archived from the original on March 16, 2016.
↑ Ben. Perley Poore (1869). "Massachusetts". Congressional Directory for the First Session of the Forty-First Congress (2nded.). Washington DC: Government Printing Office. hdl:2027/nyp.33433081796686.
↑ Ben. Perley Poore (1878). "Massachusetts". Congressional Directory: 45th Congress (3rded.). Washington DC: Government Printing Office. ISBN978-0-16-041176-2. Archived from the original on March 17, 2016.
↑ Ben. Perley Poore (1882). "Massachusetts". Congressional Directory: 47th Congress (3rded.). Washington DC: Government Printing Office.
↑ L.A. Coolidge (1897). "Massachusetts". Official Congressional Directory: Fifty-Fifth Congress. Washington DC: Government Printing Office.
↑ A.J. Halford (1909). "Massachusetts". Congressional Directory: 60th Congress (2nded.). Washington DC: Government Printing Office.
↑ "Massachusetts". Official Congressional Directory: 75th Congress (2nded.). Washington DC: Government Printing Office. 1938.
↑ "Massachusetts". Official Congressional Directory: 90th Congress. Washington DC: Government Printing Office. 1968.
↑ "Massachusetts". 1991-1992 Official Congressional Directory: 102nd Congress. Washington DC: Government Printing Office. 1991.
Further reading
Martis, Kenneth C. (1989). The Historical Atlas of Political Parties in the United States Congress. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company.
Martis, Kenneth C. (1982). The Historical Atlas of United States Congressional Districts. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company.
The at-large and 10th–20th districts are obsolete. The 14th–20th districts moved to Maine in 1820, and the 14th–16th districts were later restored in Massachusetts.
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