Become part of the movement for unbiased, accessible election information. Donate today.
Massachusetts' 2nd Congressional District elections, 2012
2014 →
|
 |
November 6, 2012 |
September 6, 2012 |
Jim McGovern  |
Richard E. Neal (Elected to District 1) |
 |
 |
The 2nd Congressional District of Massachusetts held an election for the U.S. House of Representatives on November 6, 2012.
Jim McGovern (D) won re-election to the U.S. House of Representatives, representing Massachusetts' 2nd, on November 6th, 2012.[1] He had previously served as the representative for the 3rd District.
| Candidate Filing Deadline | Primary Election | General Election |
|---|---|---|
Primary: Massachusetts has a partially 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, 2012. For the general election, the voter registration deadline was October 17, 2012.[2]
- See also: Massachusetts elections, 2012
Incumbent: Because Massachusetts lost a seat after the 2010 Census, the state's congressional districts went through significant changes. Prior to the election, the 2nd Congressional District was represented by Richard Neal (D). However, Neal was drawn into the 1st District. Jim McGovern (D) --the 3rd District incumbent -- ran in the 2nd District. He won election on November 6, 2012.
This was the first election using district maps based on data from the 2010 Census. Massachusetts' 2nd Congressional District was located in the central portion of the state and included Franklin, Worcester, Hampden, and Hampshire counties.[3]
Candidates
Note: Election results were added on election night as races were called. Vote totals were added after official election results had been certified. Click here for more information about Ballotpedia's election coverage plan. Please contact us about errors in this list.
General election candidates
September 6 Democratic Primary
- Jim McGovern:
Incumbent from the 3rd Congressional district - William Feegbeh
- Jim McGovern:
Republican Primary
- No candidates filed to run as Republicans.
Election results
General Election
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic |  Jim McGovern Incumbent |
75.6% | 259,257 | |
| N/A | All Others | 1.2% | 4,078 | |
| N/A | Blank Votes | 23.2% | 79,401 | |
| Total Votes | 342,736 | |||
| Source: Massachusetts Secretary of State "Return of Votes" | ||||
Democratic Primary
The primary was held on September 6, 2012.[4]
| Candidate | Vote % | Votes |
|---|---|---|
|
Jim McGovern Incumbent |
91.5% | 24,231 |
| William Feegbeh | 8.5% | 2,258 |
| Total Votes | 26,489 | |
Impact of redistricting
- See also: Redistricting in Massachusetts
Owing to the redistricting process, the new 2nd District bore little resemblance to the old 2nd District.
The Daily Kos said:
| “ | With Rep. Olver opting to retire, McGovern inherits a district that is mostly new to him, as his current district snakes southward towards Fall River. He would face two large sets of new constituents: one set in towns both northwest and south of Worcester who may be somewhat familiar with him (most of these towns are covered by Worcester-based media) but would likely prefer a more conservative representative, and the other in the Pioneer Valley who may not know him as well (they’re mostly served by local or Springfield-based media) but are an ideal fit for a progressive like McGovern.[5][6] | ” |
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' 2nd District became more Democratic because of redistricting.[7]
- 2012: 58D / 42R
- 2010: 56D / 44R
Cook Political Report's PVI
In 2012, Cook Political Report released its updated figures on the Partisan Voter Index, which measured each congressional district's partisanship relative to the rest of the country. Massachusetts' 2nd Congressional District had a PVI of D+10, which was the 102nd most Democratic district in the country. In 2008, this district was won by Barack Obama (D), 62-38 percent over John McCain (R). In 2004, John Kerry (D) won the district 61-39 percent over George W. Bush (R).[8]
Race background
The 2nd Congressional District seat had been occupied by Democratic incumbent Richard Neal since 1989. Prior to his tenure, Democrat Ed Boland served from 1953 through 1989. In 2010, Republican Thomas A. Wesley became the first primary challenger to Neal since the 1996 elections. Wesley earned 42.6% of the vote in 2010.[9]
District history
| Candidate ballot access |
|---|
 |
| Find detailed information on ballot access requirements in all 50 states and Washington, D.C. |
2010
In 2010, Richard Neal won re-election to the United States House of Representatives. He defeated Tom Wesley in the general election.[10]
| U.S. House of Representatives, Massachusetts Congressional District 2 Election, 2010 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Party | Candidate | Vote % | Votes | |
| Democratic | Richard Neal Incumbent |
57.3% | 122,547 | |
| Republican | Tom Wesley | 42.7% | 91,181 | |
| Total Votes | 213,728 | |||
Campaign donors
Jim McGovern
| Jim McGovern (2012) Campaign Finance Reports | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Report | Date Filed | Beginning Balance | Total Contributions for Reporting Period | Expenditures | Cash on Hand | ||||
| April Quarterly[11] | March 31, 2012 | $372,826.21 | $209,699.64 | $(81,127.69) | $501,398.16 | ||||
| July Quarterly[12] | June 30, 2012 | $501,398.16 | $90,574.17 | $(119,774.22) | $472,198.11 | ||||
| Running totals | |||||||||
| $300,273.81 | $(200,901.91) | ||||||||
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
Footnotes
- ↑ Politico, "2012 Election Map, Massachusetts"
- ↑ Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, "Voter Registration Information," accessed July 25, 2012
- ↑ Massachuestts Redistricting Map, "Map" accessed August 31, 2012
- ↑ Associated Press, "Massachusetts Primary Results," accessed September 6, 2012
- ↑ Daily Kos, "Massachusetts Redistricting Analysis" August 27, 2012
- ↑ Note: This text is quoted verbatim from the original source. Any inconsistencies are attributable to the original source.
- ↑ , "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
- ↑ Wikipedia, "Massachusetts' 2nd Congressional District" August 16, 2012
- ↑ MSNBC "2010 Election Results"
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Jim McGovern April Quarterly," accessed July 2, 2012
- ↑ Federal Election Commission, "Jim McGovern July Quarterly," accessed July 2, 2012
