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. In the 2020 democratic primary he is challenged by Robbie Goldstein, MD, PhD, an infectious disease specialist at Massachusetts General Hospital. 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.[4] 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 8th congressional district
Massachusetts's 8th congressional district since January 3, 2013
Representative	Stephen Lynch D–Boston
Population (2015)	764,789[1]
Median income	$90,323[2]
Ethnicity	77.12% white 9.56% black 7.88% Asian 5.88% Hispanic 5.39% other 0.06% Native American
Cook PVI	D+10[3]

This district has the distinction of being the only one ever represented by someone who had previously served as president of the United States, as John Quincy Adams held this office from 1843 until his death in 1848.

Election results from presidential races

Year	Result
2004	John Kerry 79 - 19%
2008	Barack Obama 58 - 40.5%
2012	Barack Obama 57.8 - 40.8%
2016	Hillary Clinton 60.4 - 34.4%

Cities and towns in the district

In Bristol County: Precincts 1 and 2 in Raynham.

In Norfolk County: Avon, Braintree, Canton, Cohasset, Dedham, Holbrook, Milton:Precincts 2–4, and 6–9, Norwood, Quincy, Randolph, Stoughton, Walpole, Westwood and Weymouth.

In Plymouth County: Abington, Bridgewater, Brockton, East Bridgewater, Hingham, Hull, Scituate, West Bridgewater, and Whitman.

In Suffolk County: Boston, Ward 3: Precincts 1–6; Ward 5: Precincts 3–5, 11; Ward 6, Ward 7: Precincts 1–9, Ward 11: Precincts 9 and 10, Ward 13: Precincts 3, 7 and 10, Ward 16: Precincts 2, 5, 7, 9, 10 and 12, Ward 19: Precincts 1–6, 8 and 9, and Ward 20: Precincts 1, 2, and 4–20.

List of members representing the district

Representative	Party	Years	Cong ress	Electoral history	District location
Jonathan Grout	Anti-Administration	March 4, 1789 – March 3, 1791	1st	Elected in 1788. Redistricted to the 7th district and lost re-election.	1789 – 1793 Worcester County
George Thatcher	Pro-Administration	March 4, 1791 – March 3, 1793	2nd	Redistricted from the 6th district and re-elected in 1790. Redistricted to the 4th district.
District eliminated		March 4, 1793 – March 3, 1795
Fisher Ames	Federalist	March 4, 1795 – March 3, 1797	4th	Redistricted from the 1st district and re-elected in 1794. Retired.	1795 – 1803 "1st Middle district"
Harrison Gray Otis	Federalist	March 4, 1797 – March 3, 1801	5th 6th	Elected in 1796. Re-elected in 1798. Retired.
William Eustis	Democratic-Republican	March 4, 1801 – March 3, 1803	7th	Elected in 1800. Redistricted to the 1st district.
Lemuel Williams	Federalist	March 4, 1803 – March 3, 1805	8th	Redistricted from the 5th district and re-elected in 1802. Lost re-election.	1803 – 1815 "Barnstable district"
Isaiah L. Green	Democratic-Republican	March 4, 1805 – March 3, 1809	9th 10th	Elected in 1804. Re-elected in 1806. Retired.
Gideon Gardner	Democratic-Republican	March 4, 1809 – March 3, 1811	11th	Elected in 1808. Retired.
Isaiah L. Green	Democratic-Republican	March 4, 1811 – March 3, 1813	12th	Elected in 1810. Lost re-election.
John Reed Jr.	Federalist	March 4, 1813 – March 3, 1815	13th	Elected in 1812. Redistricted to the 9th district.
William Baylies	Federalist	March 4, 1815 – March 3, 1817	14th	Redistricted from the 7th district and re-elected in 1814. Retired.	1815 – 1823 "Plymouth district"
Zabdiel Sampson	Democratic-Republican	March 4, 1817 – July 26, 1820	15th 16th	Elected in 1817 on the second ballot. Resigned to become collector of customs in Plymouth.
Vacant		July 26, 1820 – November 24, 1820
Aaron Hobart	Democratic-Republican	November 24, 1820 – March 3, 1823	16th 17th	Elected in 1820. Later elected on the second ballot to finish Sampson's term and seated December 18, 1820. Redistricted to the 11th district.
Samuel Lathrop	Adams-Clay Federalist	March 4, 1823 – March 3, 1825	18th 19th	Redistricted from the 5th district and re-elected in 1822. Re-elected in 1825 on the third ballot. [data unknown/missing]	1823 – 1833 "Hampden district"
	Anti-Jacksonian	March 4, 1825 – March 3, 1827
Isaac C. Bates	Anti-Jacksonian	March 4, 1827 – March 3, 1835	20th 21st 22nd 23rd	[data unknown/missing]
					1833 – 1843 [data unknown/missing]
William B. Calhoun	Anti-Jacksonian	March 4, 1835 – March 3, 1837	24th 25th 26th 27th	[data unknown/missing] Retired.
	Whig	March 4, 1837 – March 3, 1843
John Quincy Adams	Whig	March 4, 1843 – February 23, 1848	28th 29th 30th	Redistricted from the 12th district and re-elected in 1842. Died.	1843 – 1853 "All the towns in Norfolk County; Abington, North Bridgewater, Hingham, and Hull, in the County of Plymouth; and Brighton, Holliston, Natick, Newton, and Sherburne, in the County of Middlesex."[5]
Vacant		February 24, 1848 – April 2, 1848
Horace Mann	Whig	April 3, 1848 – March 3, 1853	30th 31st 32nd	[data unknown/missing]
Tappan Wentworth	Whig	March 4, 1853 – March 3, 1855	33rd	[data unknown/missing]	1853 – 1863 "The city of Lowell, and the towns of Acton, Ashby, Ashland, Bedford, Billerica, Boxborough, Carlisle, Chelmsford, Concord, Dracut, Dunstable, Framingham, Groton, Hopkinton, Lincoln, Littleton, Marlborough, Natick, Pepperell, Shirley, Stow, Sudbury, Tewksbury, Townsend, Tyngsborough, Wayland. Westford, and Weston, in the county of Middlesex; and the towns of Berlin, Bolton, Harvard, Lunenburg, Northborough, Southborough, and Westborough, in the county of Worcester."[6]
Chauncey L. Knapp	Know Nothing	March 4, 1855 – March 3, 1857	34th 35th	[data unknown/missing]
	Republican	March 4, 1857 – March 3, 1859
Charles R. Train[7]	Republican	March 4, 1859 – March 3, 1863	36th 37th	[data unknown/missing]
John D. Baldwin	Republican	March 4, 1863 – March 3, 1869	38th 39th 40th	[data unknown/missing]	1863 – 1873 [data unknown/missing]
George F. Hoar[8]	Republican	March 4, 1869 – March 3, 1873	41st 42nd	[data unknown/missing] Redistricted to the 9th district.
John M. S. Williams	Republican	March 4, 1873 – March 3, 1875	43rd	[data unknown/missing]	1873 – 1883 "Ashland, Wards 22, 23, 25, Boston, Brookline, Cambridge, Dedham, Dover, Framingham, Franklin, Holliston, Hopkinton, Medfield, Medway, Milford, Natick, Needham, Newton, Norwood, Sherborn, Southboro', Watertown, Wayland, and Weston."[9]
William W. Warren	Democratic	March 4, 1875 – March 3, 1877	44th	[data unknown/missing] Lost re-election.
William Claflin[10]	Republican	March 4, 1877 – March 3, 1881	45th 46th	[data unknown/missing] Retired.
John W. Candler	Republican	March 4, 1881 – March 3, 1883	47th	[data unknown/missing]
William A. Russell	Republican	March 4, 1883 – March 3, 1885	48th	Redistricted from the 7th district and re-elected in 1882. [data unknown/missing]	1883 – 1893
Charles H. Allen	Republican	March 4, 1885 – March 3, 1889	49th 50th	[data unknown/missing] Retired.
Frederic T. Greenhalge	Republican	March 4, 1889 – March 3, 1891	51st	[data unknown/missing] Lost re-election.
Moses T. Stevens	Democratic	March 4, 1891 – March 3, 1893	52nd	[data unknown/missing] Redistricted to the 5th district.
Samuel W. McCall[11][12]	Republican	March 4, 1893 – March 3, 1913	53rd 54th 55th 56th 57th 58th 59th 60th 61st 62nd	[data unknown/missing]	1893 – 1903 Arlington, Boston (Wards 9, 10, 11), Cambridge, Medford, Somerville, Winchester.[13]
					1903 – 1913 Arlington, Belmont, Cambridge, Medford, Somerville, Winchester, Woburn.[14]
Frederick Simpson Deitrick	Democratic	March 4, 1913 – March 3, 1915	63rd	[data unknown/missing]	1913 – 1933 Middlesex County: Arlington, Belmont, Cambridge, Lexington, Medford, Melrose, Stoneham, Wakefield, Watertown, Winchester.[15][16]
Frederick W. Dallinger	Republican	March 4, 1915 – March 3, 1925	64th 65th 66th 67th 68th	[data unknown/missing]
Harry I. Thayer	Republican	March 4, 1925 – March 10, 1926	69th	Elected in 1924. Died.
Vacant		March 10, 1926 – November 2, 1926
Frederick W. Dallinger	Republican	November 2, 1926 – October 1, 1932	69th 70th 71st 72nd	Elected to finish Thayer's term and elected to the next term. Re-elected in 1928. Re-elected in 1930. Resigned to become judge of United States Customs Court.
Vacant		October 1, 1932 – March 3, 1933
Arthur D. Healey[17]	Democratic	March 4, 1933 – August 3, 1942	73rd 74th 75th 76th 77th	Elected in 1932. Re-elected in 1934. Re-elected in 1936. Re-elected in 1938. Re-elected in 1940. Resigned to become judge of US District Court for Massachusetts.	1933 – 1943 Cambridge (Wards 2, 3), Everett, Malden, Medford, Somerville.[14]
Vacant		August 3, 1942 – January 3, 1943
Angier Goodwin	Republican	January 3, 1943 – January 3, 1955	78th 79th 80th 81st 82nd 83rd	Elected in 1942. Re-elected in 1944. Re-elected in 1946. Re-elected in 1948. Re-elected in 1950. Re-elected in 1952. Lost re-election.	1943 – 1953 Everett, Lynnfield, Malden, Medford, Melrose, N. Reading, Reading, Saugus, Somerville (Wards 4, 5, 6, 7), Stoneham, Wakefield.[14][18]
					1953 – 1963 [data unknown/missing]
Torbert H. Macdonald	Democratic	January 3, 1955 – January 3, 1963	84th 85th 86th 87th	Elected in 1954. Re-elected in 1956. Re-elected in 1958. Re-elected in 1960. Redistricted to 7th district.
Tip O'Neill[19]	Democratic	January 3, 1963 – January 3, 1987	88th 89th 90th 91st 92nd 93rd 94th 95th 96th 97th 98th 99th	Redistricted from the 11th district and re-elected in 1962. Re-elected in 1964. Re-elected in 1966. Re-elected in 1968. Re-elected in 1970. Re-elected in 1972. Re-elected in 1974. Re-elected in 1976. Re-elected in 1978. Re-elected in 1980. Re-elected in 1982. Re-elected in 1984. Retired.	1963 – 1973 Boston (Wards 1, 2, 3, 21, 22), Brookline, Cambridge, Somerville.[14][20]
					1973 – 1983 Arlington, Belmont, Boston (Wards 1, 2, 5, 21, 22), Cambridge, Somerville, Watertown.[14][21]
					1983 – 1993 Arlington, Belmont, Boston (Wards 1, 2, 4, 5, 21, 22), Cambridge, Somerville, Waltham, Watertown.[14][22]
Joe Kennedy II[23]	Democratic	January 3, 1987 – January 3, 1999	100th 101st 102nd 103rd 104th 105th	Elected in 1986. Re-elected in 1988. Re-elected in 1990. Re-elected in 1992. Re-elected in 1994. Re-elected in 1996. Retired.
					1993 – 2003 Belmont, Boston (Wards 1, 2, 4, 5, 9, 10, 11, 12, 14, 15, 17, 18, 21, 22), Cambridge, Chelsea, Somerville, Watertown.[14]
Mike Capuano	Democratic	January 3, 1999 – January 3, 2013	106th 107th 108th 109th 110th 111th 112th	Elected in 1998. Re-elected in 2000. Re-elected in 2002. Re-elected in 2004. Re-elected in 2006. Re-elected in 2008. Re-elected in 2010. Redistricted to the 7th district.
					2003 – 2013 In Middlesex County: Cambridge, and Somerville. In Suffolk County: Boston, Wards 1, 2, Ward 3, Precincts 1–4, 7, 8, Ward 4, Ward 5, Precincts 1, 2, 6–10, Ward 7, Precinct 10, Wards 8–12, Ward 13, Precincts 1, 2, 4–6, Ward 14, Ward 15, Precincts 1–5, 7–9, Ward 16, Precincts 1, 3, Ward 17, Precincts 1–3, 5–12; Ward 18, Precincts 1–8, 13–15, 21, Ward 19, Precincts 1, 3–6, 8, 9, Wards 21 and 22, (the remainder of Boston is in the 9th district), and Chelsea.
Stephen Lynch	Democratic	January 3, 2013 – Present	113th 114th 115th 116th	Redistricted from the 9th district and re-elected in 2012. Re-elected in 2014. Re-elected in 2016. Re-elected in 2018.	2013 – Present In Bristol County: Precincts 1 and 2 in Raynham. In Norfolk County: Avon, Braintree, Canton, Cohasset, Dedham, Holbrook, Milton:Precincts 2–4, and 6–9, Norwood, Quincy, Randolph, Stoughton, Walpole, Westwood and Weymouth. In Plymouth County: Abington, Bridgewater, Brockton, East Bridgewater, Hingham, Hull, Scituate, West Bridgewater, and Whitman. In Suffolk County: Boston, Ward 3: Precincts 1–6; Ward 5: Precincts 3–5, 11; Ward 6, Ward 7: Precincts 1–9, Ward 11: Precincts 9 and 10, Ward 13: Precincts 3, 7 and 10, Ward 16: Precincts 2, 5, 7, 9, 10 and 12, Ward 19: Precincts 1–6, 8 and 9, and Ward 20: Precincts 1, 2, and 4–20.

Recent election results

2006 general election

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Democratic	Mike Capuano	125,167	91
	Socialist Workers	Laura Garza	12,390	9
Majority			112,777	82
Turnout			137,557
	Democratic hold		Swing

References

1. "2015 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates".
2. https://www.census.gov/mycd/?st=25&cd=08
3. "Partisan Voting Index – Districts of the 115th Congress" (PDF). The Cook Political Report. April 7, 2017. Retrieved April 7, 2017.
4. http://www.sec.state.ma.us/spr/sprcat/catpdf2010/cong2010/CongressionalDistrict_2011State.pdf Access date: March 20, 2012.
5. John Hayward (1849). "Congressional Districts". Gazetteer of Massachusetts. Boston: J.P. Jewett & Co.
6. "Congressional Districts". Massachusetts Register 1862. Boston: Adams, Sampson, & Co.
7. "Massachusetts". Congressional Directory for the Second Session of the Thirty-Seventh Congress. Washington DC: House of Representatives. 1861.
8. Ben. Perley Poore (1869). "Massachusetts". Congressional Directory for the First Session of the Forty-First Congress (2nd ed.). Washington DC: Government Printing Office.
9. "Congressional Districts of Massachusetts". Massachusetts Register and Business Directory, 1878. Boston: Sampson, Davenport, and Co.
10. Ben. Perley Poore (1878). "Massachusetts". Congressional Directory: 45th Congress (3rd ed.). Washington DC: Government Printing Office.
11. L.A. Coolidge (1897). "Massachusetts". Official Congressional Directory: Fifty-Fifth Congress. Washington DC: Government Printing Office.
12. A.J. Halford (1909). "Massachusetts". Congressional Directory: 60th Congress (2nd ed.). Washington DC: Government Printing Office.
13. Francis M. Cox (1893). "Massachusetts". Official Congressional Directory: Fifty-Third Congress (2nd ed.). Washington DC: Government Printing Office.
14. "Geographical History of the 7th District". U.S. Congressman Michael E. Capuano. Washington DC: U.S. House of Representatives. Retrieved November 23, 2013. (Includes geographical history of Massachusetts's 8th congressional district, pre-2013)
15. "Massachusetts". Official Congressional Directory: 64th Congress (2nd ed.). Washington DC: Government Printing Office. 1916.
16. Commonwealth of Massachusetts (1921), "Population of Congressional Districts", Population of Massachusetts as determined by the fourteenth census of the United States 1920, Boston: Wright & Potter
17. "Massachusetts". Official Congressional Directory: 75th Congress (2nd ed.). Washington DC: Government Printing Office. 1938.
18. Commonwealth of Massachusetts (1941), "Population of Congressional Districts", Population of Massachusetts as determined by the sixteenth census of the United States, 1940, Boston: Wright & Potter, OCLC 10056477, House No. 2849
19. "Massachusetts". Official Congressional Directory: 90th Congress. Washington DC: Government Printing Office. 1968.
20. "Massachusetts". Official Congressional Directory: 88th Congress. Washington DC: Government Printing Office. 1963.
21. "Massachusetts", 1977 Official Congressional Directory: 95th Congress, Washington DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1977
22. "Massachusetts". 1985–1986 Official Congressional Directory: 99th Congress. Washington DC: Government Printing Office. 1985.
23. "Massachusetts". 1991–1992 Official Congressional Directory: 102nd Congress. Washington DC: Government Printing Office. 1991.

• 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.
• Congressional Biographical Directory of the United States 1774–present

External links

Maps

• Map of Massachusetts's 8th Congressional District, via Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth

Election results

• CNN.com 2004 election results
• CNN.com 2006 election results

U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by Oklahoma's 3rd congressional district	Home district of the Speaker January 4, 1977 – January 3, 1987	Succeeded by Texas's 12th congressional district