Competition in Congress
5 of 8 House incumbents face challengers
Several members of Massachusetts’ all-Democratic congressional delegation are getting a run for their money this year — from within their own party.
Five of the eight House incumbents seeking reelection face challenges in the September primary, pending final certification of nominating signatures.
Two years ago, not a single Democratic incumbent was opposed in the primary. The last time as many as five Democratic incumbents faced primary challenges was after a congressional redistricting in 1992, according to state election records.
Here’s a district-by-district glance:
1ST DISTRICT: Tahirah Amatul-Wadud, a Springfield attorney, is challenging veteran U.S. Rep. Richard Neal in the Democratic primary.
Amatul-Wadud cites health care, climate change and improved access to high-speed internet as among her priorities.
Neal was elected to Congress in 1988, making the one-time Springfield mayor the longest-serving member of the state’s U.S. House delegation.
2ND DISTRICT: Rep. Jim McGovern of Worcester is one of three Democratic incumbents in the Massachusetts delegation without primary opposition this year.
Three Republicans, Tracy Lovvorn, Jeremy Kurtz and Kevin Powers are vying for the GOP nomination.
3RD DISTRICT: The decision by Rep. Niki Tsongas of Lowell to retire after more than a decade in the House has set off a political free-for-all in the district with up to a dozen Democrats set to compete in the September primary. The winner will likely face Republican Rick Green, a businessman from Pepperell, in November.
4TH DISTRICT: Gary Rucinski, a computer software project manager from Newton, is filing papers to run against Rep. Joe Kennedy in the primary.
Rucinski, a member of Citizens’ Climate Lobby, is satisfied with Kennedy’s performance on health care and other issues, but faults the incumbent on climate change.
5TH DISTRICT: Rep. Katherine Clark of Melrose won a special election to the House in 2013 to fill the seat vacated when Ed Markey was elected to the U.S. Senate. She has no Democratic primary opposition.
Republican John Hugo is seeking the GOP nomination.
6TH DISTRICT: Rep. Seth Moulton of Salem is also unopposed in the primary. The former U.S. Marine and Iraq War veteran was elected to the House in 2014, defeating incumbent Rep. John Tierney in the Democratic primary.
Republicans Joe Schneider and Carlos Hernandez have filed papers to run in their party’s primary.
7TH DISTRICT: Boston City Councilor Ayanna Pressley is challenging Democratic incumbent Michael Capuano, who is completing his 10th term in Congress.
Pressley said in announcing her candidacy that residents of her district needed more than an ally, they needed an advocate and a champion.
Capuano, a former Somerville mayor, is considered among the most liberal members of the Massachusetts delegation.
8TH DISTRICT: Generally considered the delegation’s most moderate member, Rep. Stephen Lynch has served in Congress since 2001.
The South Boston Democrat is being challenged in the primary by Brianna Wu, a software engineer and video game developer. Wu says she’s running against the status quo and seeks a “bolder Democratic party.”
9TH DISTRICT: Cape Cod resident Bill Cimbrelo has filed to challenge incumbent Rep. William Keating of Bourne in the Democratic primary.
Cimbrelo describes himself as a “progressive Democrat.”
Keating, a former district attorney, was first elected to the House in 2011.
Republican Peter Tedeschi, who formerly headed his family-owned convenience store chain, is headed for the November ballot.