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, 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.

Primary elections were held on September 6, 2012. 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.

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

Nominee

 * Richard Neal, incumbent U.S. Representative

Eliminated in primary

 * Andrea F. Nuciforo Jr., Middle Berkshire Register of Deeds and former state senator
 * Bill Shein, writer

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

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

Nominee

 * Jim McGovern, incumbent U.S. Representative

Eliminated in primary

 * William Feegbeh

Declined

 * John Olver, incumbent U.S. Representative
 * Dennis Rosa, state representative

Declined

 * Gregg Lisciotti, real estate developer
 * Dean Mazzarella, Mayor of Leominster

District 3
Democrat Niki Tsongas, who was redistricted from the 5th district, ran for re-election. She was unopposed in the primary.

Nominee

 * Niki Tsongas, incumbent U.S. Representative

Nominee

 * Jon Golnik, business consultant and nominee for the 5th district in 2010

Eliminated in primary

 * Tom Weaver, businessman and candidate for the 5th district in 2010

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

Nominee

 * Joseph Kennedy III, Middlesex County assistant district attorney

Eliminated in primary

 * Rachel Brown, LaRouche activist and candidate for this seat in 2010
 * Herb Robinson, software engineer

Withdrawn

 * Paul Heroux, businessman

Declined

 * Ruth Balser, state representative
 * Michael Burstein, author and member of the Brookline Town Meeting
 * Cynthia Creem, state senator
 * William A. Flanagan, Mayor of Fall River
 * Barney Frank, incumbent U.S. Representative
 * Deborah Goldberg, former chair of the Brookline Board of Selectmen
 * Alan Khazei, co-founder of the City Year non-profit
 * Jesse Mermell, Brookline Selectwoman
 * Marc Pacheco, state senator
 * Michael P. Ross, Boston City Councilor
 * James Segel, former state representative
 * David Simas, former policy adviser to Governor Deval Patrick
 * Sam Sutter, Bristol County district attorney
 * James E. Timilty, state senator
 * Setti Warren, mayor of Newton
 * Mike Rodrigues, state senator
 * James Vallee, state representative

Nominee

 * Sean Bielat, technology executive and nominee for this seat in 2010

Eliminated in primary

 * Elizabeth Childs, psychiatrist and member of the Brookline School Committee
 * David Steinhof, dentist

Declined

 * Jay Barrows, state representative
 * Brian Herr, former Hopkinton Selectman
 * Richard J. Ross, state senator
 * Tom Wesley, businessman and nominee for the 2nd district in 2010

District 5
Democrat Ed Markey was redistricted from the 7th district, having represented it since 1976.

Nominee

 * Ed Markey, incumbent U.S. Representative

Nominee

 * Tom Tierney, consulting actuary

Eliminated in primary

 * Frank John Addivinola, Jr., attorney
 * Jeff Semon, financial consultant

Withdrawn

 * Gerry Dembrowski, physician and nominee for the 7th district in 2010

District 6
Democrat John F. Tierney has represented the 6th district since 1997. Daniel Fishman, a Libertarian candidate, who has never run for office before also ran. 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.

Nominee

 * John F. Tierney, incumbent U.S. Representative

Nominee

 * Richard R. Tisei, former Minority Leader of the Massachusetts Senate and nominee for lieutenant governor in 2010

Withdrawn

 * Bill Hudak, Tea Party-endorsed lawyer and candidate for this seat in 2010 but withdrew on January 23, 2012, to pursue "a business opportunity".

Debates

 * Complete video of debate, October 10, 2012

District 7
In the redistricting Act, this district became a majority-minority district, increasing its reach over several minority precincts near Boston. Democrat Mike Capuano, who was redistricted from the 8th district, having represented it since 1999, ran for re-election.

Nominee

 * Mike Capuano, incumbent U.S. Representative

Independents

 * Karla Romero, founding President and CEO of the non-profit Mass Appeal International and a former Miss USA contestant

District 8
Democrat Stephen Lynch, who was redistricted from the old 9th district, will run in the 8th district.

Democrat William R. Keating, who was redistricted from the old MA's 10th congressional district, 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 ) instead of competing against Lynch.

Nominee

 * Stephen Lynch, incumbent U.S. Representative

Declined

 * William R. Keating, incumbent U.S. Representative

Nominee

 * Joe Selvaggi, US Navy veteran of the first Gulf War and small business owner

Eliminated in primary

 * Matias Temperley, Iraq War veteran and student

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 MA's 10th congressional district, has a summer home there. As discussed above, he moved to the 9th District. Bristol County

Nominee

 * William R. Keating, incumbent

Eliminated in primary

 * Sam Sutter, Bristol County District Attorney

Declined

 * Mark Montigny, state senator
 * William A. Flanagan, Mayor of Fall River
 * Scott W. Lang, former mayor of New Bedford
 * Therese Murray, President of the Massachusetts Senate
 * Robert O'Leary, former state senator

Nominee

 * Christopher Sheldon, businessman

Eliminated in primary

 * Adam Chaprales, former Sandwich Selectman

Declined

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