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Massachusetts' 6th congressional district elections, 2012
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| November 6, 2012 |
| September 6, 2012 |
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Incumbent John Tierney (D) won re-election on November 6th, 2012.[1] Tierney's re-election came after a long campaign mired by issues surrounding his wife's legal problems.
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Primary: Massachusetts has a most closed primary system, in which the selection of a party's candidates in an election is limited to registered party members. In Massachusetts, however, independent voters may select which party's primary to vote in.
Voter registration: Voters were required to register to vote in the primary by August 17. For the general election, the voter registration deadline was October 17.[2]
- See also: Massachusetts elections, 2012
Incumbent: Going into the 2012 election, the incumbent was John Tierney (D), who was first elected to the U.S. House in 1996. He won re-election on November 6, 2012.
According to the Washington Post, Massachusetts' 6th was a battleground district in 2012, with redistricting making it less solidly Democratic. Furthermore, Democratic incumbent John Tierney faces PR issues and Republican Richard Tisei was a strong candidate with the potential to be the first openly gay, non-incumbent Republican congressman.[3]
This was the first election using new district maps based on 2010 Census data. Massachusetts' 6th congressional district was located in the northeastern portion of the state and included Middlesex and Essex counties.[4]
Candidates
Note: Election results were added on election night as races were called. Vote totals will be added when official election results are certified. For more information about Ballotpedia's election coverage plan, click here. If you find any errors in this list, please email: Geoff Pallay.
General election candidates
September 6 Democratic Primary
- John Tierney:
Incumbent[5]
- John Tierney:
Republican Primary
- Richard Tisei: Former Massachusetts state senator[6]
- Richard Tisei:
Libertarian candidate
According to the website Daily Kos, this race was one of nine top-ballot 2012 races that contained Libertarian candidates who received more total votes than was the difference between the Democratic winner and the GOP runner-up. In this case, Daniel Fishman took in over 13,000 more votes than the number that separated Tierney and Tisei.[7]
Election Results
| U.S. House, Massachusetts, District 6 General Election, 2012 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic |  John Tierney Incumbent |
46.4% | 180,942 | |
| Republican | Richard Tisei | 45.3% | 176,612 | |
| Libertarian | Daniel Fishman | 4.3% | 16,739 | |
| N/A | All Others | 0.1% | 514 | |
| N/A | Blank Votes | 3.9% | 15,045 | |
| Total Votes | 389,852 | |||
| Source: Massachusetts Secretary of State "Return of Votes" | ||||
Impact of redistricting
- See also: Redistricting in Massachusetts
Because Massachusetts lost a seat after the 2010 Census, the state's congressional districts went through significant changes. The 6th district now includes Billerica, Tewksbury and part of Andover, which heavily favored Scott Brown in 2010. However, the district's estimated percentage of Democratic votes decreased by less than 1 percent.[5]
District partisanship
FairVote's Monopoly Politics 2012 study
- See also: FairVote's Monopoly Politics 2012
In 2012, FairVote did a study on partisanship in the congressional districts, giving each a percentage ranking (D/R) based on the new 2012 maps and comparing that to the old 2010 maps. Massachusetts' 6th District became less Democratic because of redistricting.[8]
- 2012: 54D / 46R
- 2010: 55D / 45R
Cook Political Report's PVI
In 2012, Cook Political Report released its updated figures on the Partisan Voter Index, which measures each congressional district's partisanship relative to the rest of the country. Massachusetts' 6th congressional district has a PVI of D+7, which is the 131st most Democratic district in the country. In 2008, this district was won by Barack Obama (D), 58-42 percent over John McCain (R). In 2004, John Kerry (D) won the district 58-42 percent over George W. Bush (R).[9]
Race background
Massachusetts' 6th was considered to be Leaning Democratic according to the New York Times race ratings. The primary reason that this district was on the radar was because of Democratic incumbent John Tierney's wife's legal problems. In 2010 she plead guilty to aiding and abetting her brother in filing false income tax returns that concealed his illegal offshore gambling business. He was challenged by an openly gay Republican, Richard Tisei. [10]
Republican challenger Richard Tisei has been included in the National Republican Congressional Committee's Young Guns program. The program highlights challengers who represent the GOP's best chances to pick up congressional seats in the general election.[11]
On August 7, the Boston Herald ran an article that suggested that Daniel Fishman's challenge would benefit the Salem Democratic congressman at the expense of U.S. Rep. John Tierney. Pundits quoted in the article said that Fishman's sliver of support could be bad for Richard Tisei. [12]
On September 27, all three candidates participated in a debate centered on "policy issues related to the 'American Dream." [13]
According to the Washington Post, John Tierney had also been the target of attack ads from YG Action Fund, a conservative PAC supergroup. This highlights a trend in which super PACs have attempted to swing vulnerable house seats through strategic advertising. These ads were not solicited by the Tisei campaign, but his spokeswomen has voiced her support for them.[14]
Issues
Media
The following are two campaigns ads from Republican candidate Richard Tisei and Democratic candidate John Tierney.[15]
Richard Tisei
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John Tierney
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District history
2010
On November 2, 2010, John Tierney won re-election to the U.S. House of Representatives, defeating Bill Hudak (R).[18]
| U.S. House of Representatives General Election, Massachusetts, Congressional District 6, 2010 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | John F. Tierney Incumbent |
56.8% | 142,732 | |
| Republican | Bill Hudak | 43% | 107,930 | |
| Various | All Others | 0.2% | 419 | |
| Total Votes | 251,081 | |||
Campaign donors
The race has attracted $3.7 million in outside spending since Labor Day. $804,825 has been spent helping Democrat John Tierney while $2,852,526 was spent to aid Republican Richard Tisei.[19]
John Tierney
| John Tierney (2012) Campaign Finance Reports | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Report | Date Filed | Beginning Balance | Total Contributions for Reporting Period | Expenditures | Cash on Hand | ||||
| April Quarterly[20] | March 31, 2012 | $545,616.64 | $326,163.85 | $(76,596.11) | $795,184.38 | ||||
| July Quarterly[21] | June 30, 2012 | $795,184.38 | $421,944.13 | $(524,115.80) | $693,012.71 | ||||
| Pre-Primary[22] | August 26, 2012 | $693,012.71 | $126,353.38 | $(90,362) | $729,003.43 | ||||
| October Quarterly[23] | October 25, 2012 | $729,003.43 | $381,583.48 | $(686,070.20) | $424,516.71 | ||||
| Pre-General[24] | October 25, 2012 | $424,516.71 | $140,249.99 | $(434,152.48) | $130,614.22 | ||||
| Running totals | |||||||||
| $1,396,294.83 | $(1,811,296.59) | ||||||||
According to a report from Roll Call, Tierney raised over $500,000 in the third quarter.[25]
Richard Tisei
| Richard Tisei (2012) Campaign Finance Reports | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Report | Date Filed | Beginning Balance | Total Contributions for Reporting Period | Expenditures | Cash on Hand | ||||
| April Quarterly[26] | March 31, 2012 | $260,094.09 | $354,467.85 | $(156,335.70) | $458,226.24 | ||||
| July Quarterly[27] | June 30, 2012 | $458,226.24 | $571,317.63 | $(227,611.10) | $801,932.77 | ||||
| Pre-Primary[28] | August 25, 2012 | $801,932.77 | $172,630.22 | $(343,620.19) | $630,942.80 | ||||
| October Quarterly[29] | October 15, 2012 | $630,942.80 | $487,895.70 | $(811,022.23) | $307,816.27 | ||||
| Pre-General[30] | October 25, 2012 | $307,816.27 | $138,772.29 | $(105,903.93) | $340,684.63 | ||||
| Running totals | |||||||||
| $1,725,083.69 | $(1,644,493.15) | ||||||||
According to a report from Roll Call, Tisei raised over $650,000 in the third quarter.[25]
External links
See also
- United States House of Representatives elections in Massachusetts, 2012
- United States House of Representatives elections, 2012
- United States Senate elections in Massachusetts, 2012
References
- ↑ Politico "2012 Election Map, Massachusetts"
- ↑ Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts "Voter Registration Information," Accessed July 25, 2012
- ↑ Washington Post blog "The 10 House districts that might surprise you," May 11, 2012
- ↑ Massachuestts Redistricting Map "Map" Accessed August 31, 2012
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 Reading Patch "Tierney Spokesperson: Negative Effects of Redistricting Overstated," Accessed January 3, 2012
- ↑ Wakefield Patch "Richard Tisei Announces Run for Congress, Pledges to 'Turn Things Around,'" Accessed January 3, 2012
- ↑ Daily Kos, "Libertarians provided the margin for Democrats and at least nine elections," November 15, 2012
- ↑ "2011 Redistricting and 2012 Elections in Massachusetts," September 2012
- ↑ Cook Political Report "Partisan Voting Index Districts of the 113th Congress: 2004 & 2008" Accessed October 2012
- ↑ New York Times "House Race Ratings," Accessed August 10, 2012
- ↑ NRCC "Young Guns 2012"
- ↑ Boston Herald "Experts: Libertarian's run likely a boon for Tierney" August 7, 2012
- ↑ www.wickedlocal.com "Candidates in 6th District race to debate ‘American Dream’
- ↑ The Washington Post "Conservative super PACs targeting blue-state Democrats," Sept. 17, 2012
- ↑ Tisei's Campaign Website (Accessed: October 4, 2012)
- ↑ YouTube channel
- ↑ YouTube channel
- ↑ U.S. Congress House Clerk "Statistics of the Congressional Election of November 2, 2010"
- ↑ The New York Times, "Outside Spending in Key House Races," October 25, 2012
- ↑ Federal Election Commission "April Quarterly," Accessed July 2, 2012
- ↑ Federal Election Commission "July Quarterly," Accessed July 2, 2012
- ↑ Federal Election Commission "Pre-Primary," Accessed November 6, 2012
- ↑ <Federal Election Commission "October Quarterly," Accessed November 6, 2012
- ↑ Federal Election Commission "Pre-General," Accessed November 6, 2012
- ↑ 25.0 25.1 Roll Call, "Massachusetts: Richard Tisei Outraises John Tierney Again," October 12, 2012
- ↑ Federal Election Commission "April Quarterly," Accessed July 2, 2012
- ↑ Federal Election Commission "July Quarterly," Accessed July 2, 2012
- ↑ Federal Election Commission "Pre-Primary," Accessed November 6, 2012
- ↑ Federal Election Commission "October Quarterly," Accessed November 6, 2012
- ↑ "Federal Election Commission" Pre-General, Accessed November 6, 2012
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