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The 1st Middlesex and Norfolk District is one of 40 electoral districts that each send one senator to the Massachusetts Senate. The district is represented by state Sen. Cynthia Stone Creem of Newton, a Democrat.

The district consists of Newton and Brookline, two inner-ring suburbs of Boston, and part of the adjoining town of Wellesley. The district has carried its current name, and roughly the same boundaries, since the 1993 redistricting. Under previous apportionments beginning in 1926, the district was known as the Middlesex and Norfolk District or the Norfolk and Middlesex District, and served a varying set of cities and towns in the western suburbs of Boston.

History
Before the 1857 apportionment, senators were elected by county, with Middlesex County electing three to five senators at-large, and Norfolk County electing two or three. Even after the introduction of single-member state senatorial districts in 1857, the districts tended to stay within county lines.

Newton was represented in several Middlesex County districts over the years, while adjoining Wellesley was consistently in the Norfolk District or 2nd Norfolk District. Brookline was initially part of the same district as Wellesley, even after Boston's annexation of Dorchester and West Roxbury made it an exclave, separated from the rest of Norfolk County. In the early 20th century, Brookline was often paired with portions of Boston in the Norfolk and Suffolk District.

1927-1940: Norfolk and Middlesex
The apportionment of 1926 established the first shared Norfolk and Middlesex District, containing several suburban and then-rural communities west of Boston, largely in the area now known as MetroWest: Dedham, Dover, Medfield, Medway, Millis, Needham, Norfolk, Norwood, Wellesley, Walpole and Westwood, in Norfolk County; and Ashland, Holliston, Hopkinton, Natick, and Sherborn, in Middlesex County.

The two larger municipalities in the current district, Brookline and Newton, were in the Norfolk and Suffolk District and the 1st Middlesex District, respectively.

1941-1960: Middlesex and Norfolk
New lines drawn in 1939 removed several Norfolk towns from the district and added communities on its western and northern edges, in Middlesex and Worcester counties.

The district now consisted of Ashland, Framingham, Holliston, Hopkinton, Marlborough, Natick, Sherborn, Wayland and Weston, in Middlesex County; Bellingham, Franklin, Medfield, Medway, Millis, Norfolk and Wrentham, in Norfolk County; and the town of Blackstone, in the southeastern corner of Worcester County. Dedham, Dover, Needham, Walpole, Wellesley and Westwood were returned to the 2nd Norfolk District.

Redistricting in 1948 expanded the district slightly, adding Dover and Plainville in Norfolk County, and Millville in Worcester County.

1961-1970: Norfolk and Middlesex
The Middlesex and Norfolk District was broken up in the 1960 reapportionment, with most of its Middlesex towns going to the new Middlesex and Worcester District, many of the Norfolk County towns rejoining the 2nd Norfolk District, and both Worcester County towns joining the 4th Worcester District.

Weston remained in a new Norfolk and Middlesex District, along with Dedham, Needham and Wellesley, and five of the eight wards of Newton.

1971-1974: Middlesex and Norfolk
A name change in 1970 heralded a return closer to the 1950s-era footprint for the district, which now contained the western suburbs of Dover, Franklin, Medfield, Millis, Natick, Needham, Norfolk, Wellesley and Wrentham. Dedham moved to the 4th Suffolk District, Newton became part of the 8th Middlesex District, and Weston joined the 5th Middlesex District.

This alignment only remained in effect for two cycles, the elections of 1970 and 1972.

Locke was re-elected with no opponents in 1972.

1975-1988: 1st Middlesex and Norfolk
The district map approved in 1973 introduced three Middlesex and Norfolk districts, two of which inherited towns from the 1970 district. Dover, Medfield, Millis, Needham and Wellesley became part of the 2nd Middlesex and Norfolk District.

The new 1st Middlesex and Norfolk District retained Franklin and Natick, and added added Ashland, Framingham, Holliston and Medway. It also inherited incumbent state Senator Edward L. Burke of Framingham.

Burke was re-elected with no opponents in 1974.

In 1976, Burke won a four-way Democratic primary election with 52.6% of the vote, as well as a contested November election.

Though the state redistricted again in 1977, no changes were made to the 1st Middlesex and Norfolk District.

Burke was re-elected in 1980 after winning the Democratic primary election 8,321 to 5,449 over John Robert Gordon, and facing no Republican challenger in the general election.

He again defeated a primary challenge in 1982, beating Robert M. Celeste, 20,121 votes to 7,884, and also won a two-way race in November.

Burke had no Republican opponent in 1984, but defeated a primary election challenger, Lou Nickinello, 12,269 votes to 10,271.

In 1986 Burke had no primary challenger, but did face a contested November vote.

1989-1994: Middlesex and Norfolk
The district took roughly its current shape in the reapportionment of 1987. The Interstate 495 corridor district was renamed the Middlesex, Norfolk and Worcester District, so what had been the 2nd Middlesex and Norfolk District, consisting solely of Brookline and Newton, became simply the Middlesex and Norfolk District.

State Senator Lois G. Pines had been elected in the Brookline-Newton district in 1986, and was re-elected with no opposition in 1988. She did face challengers in 1990 and 1992.

1995-present: 1st Middlesex and Norfolk
In 1993, new legislative maps added four of the seven precincts of Wellesley to the district. The reapportionment statute calls this district "1st Middlesex and Norfolk," but there was no 2nd Middlesex and Norfolk District during this time.

Lois Pines was re-elected as senator with no opposition in 1994 and 1996. In 1998, she gave up her senate seat to run an ultimately unsuccessful campaign for Massachusetts Attorney General. Two Democrats contested the primary election for the open seat, with Cynthia Stone Creem taking 15,173 votes to Thomas B. Concannon Jr.'s 7,145. Creem was elected that November with no Republican opponent.

Redistricting in 2001 made no changes to the composition of the 1st Middlesex and Norfolk District.

Creem was re-elected with no opposition in 2000 and 2002, but did face a Republican challenger in 2004.

Creem was re-elected with no opponents in 2006 and 2008. In 2010, she defeated a Democratic primary challenger, Charles S. Rudnick, 12,622 to 4,905. She had no opponent on the November 2010 ballot.

Wellesley added an eighth precinct in time for the legislative maps of 2011, and it was assigned to the 1st Middlesex and Norfolk District, which now contains all of Brookline, all of Newton, and five of the eight precincts of Wellesley.

Creem was re-elected with no opponents in 2012, 2014, 2016 and 2018.