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Massachusetts' 8th Congressional District election (September 4, 2018 Republican primary)
- General election: Nov. 6
- Voter registration deadline: Oct. 17
- Early voting: Oct. 22 - Nov. 2
- Absentee voting deadline: Nov. 6
- Online registration: Yes
- Same-day registration: No
- Voter ID: No ID required generally
- Poll times: 7:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
2020 →
← 2016
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| Massachusetts' 8th Congressional District |
|---|
 |
| Democratic primary Republican primary General election |
| Election details |
| Filing deadline: June 5, 2018 |
| Primary: September 4, 2018 General: November 6, 2018 Pre-election incumbent: Stephen Lynch (Democrat) |
| How to vote |
| Poll times: 7 a.m. to 8 p.m. Voting in Massachusetts |
| Race ratings |
Cook Political Report: Solid Democratic Inside Elections: Solid Democratic Sabato's Crystal Ball: Safe Democratic |
| Ballotpedia analysis |
| U.S. Senate battlegrounds U.S. House battlegrounds Federal and state primary competitiveness Ballotpedia's Election Analysis Hub, 2018 |
| See also |
U.S. Senate • 1st • 2nd • 3rd • 4th • 5th • 6th • 7th • 8th • 9th Massachusetts elections, 2018 U.S. Congress elections, 2018 U.S. Senate elections, 2018 U.S. House elections, 2018 |
A Republican Party primary election took place on September 4, 2018, in Massachusetts' 8th District to determine which Republican would run in the district's November 6, 2018, general election.
This page focuses on the Republican primary. For an overview of the election in general, click here.
Candidates and election results
District analysis
- See also: The Cook Political Report's Partisan Voter Index
- See also: FiveThirtyEight's elasticity scores
The 2017 Cook Partisan Voter Index for this district was D+10, meaning that in the previous two presidential elections, this district's results were 10 percentage points more Democratic than the national average. This made Massachusetts' 8th Congressional District the 120th most Democratic nationally.[1]
FiveThirtyEight's September 2018 elasticity score for states and congressional districts measured "how sensitive it is to changes in the national political environment." This district's elasticity score was 1.13. This means that for every 1 point the national political mood moved toward a party, the district was expected to move 1.13 points toward that party.[2]
State overview
Partisan control
This section details the partisan control of federal and state positions in Massachusetts heading into the 2018 elections.
Congressional delegation
- Following the 2016 elections, Democrats held both U.S. Senate seats in Massachusetts.
- Democrats held all 9 U.S. House seats in Massachusetts.
State executives
- As of September 2018, Democrats held 11 of 19 state executive positions, Republicans held three, and the remaining five positions were officially nonpartisan.
- The governor of Massachusetts was Republican Charlie Baker. The state held an election for governor and lieutenant governor on November 6, 2018.
State legislature
- Democrats controlled both chambers of the Massachusetts General Court. They had a 117-34 majority in the state House and a 31-7 majority in the state Senate.
Trifecta status
- Massachusetts was under divided government, meaning that the two parties shared control of the state government. Charlie Baker (R) served as governor, while Democrats controlled the state legislature.
2018 elections
- See also: Massachusetts elections, 2018
Massachusetts held elections for the following positions in 2018:
- One U.S. Senate seat
- Nine U.S. House seats
- Governor and lieutenant governor
- Seven lower state executive positions
- 40 state Senate seats
- 160 state House seats
- Municipal elections in Suffolk County
Demographics
| Demographic data for Massachusetts | ||
|---|---|---|
| Massachusetts | U.S. | |
| Total population: | 6,784,240 | 316,515,021 |
| Land area (sq mi): | 7,800 | 3,531,905 |
| Race and ethnicity** | ||
| White: | 79.6% | 73.6% |
| Black/African American: | 7.1% | 12.6% |
| Asian: | 6% | 5.1% |
| Native American: | 0.2% | 0.8% |
| Pacific Islander: | 0% | 0.2% |
| Two or more: | 2.9% | 3% |
| Hispanic/Latino: | 10.6% | 17.1% |
| Education | ||
| High school graduation rate: | 89.8% | 86.7% |
| College graduation rate: | 40.5% | 29.8% |
| Income | ||
| Median household income: | $68,563 | $53,889 |
| Persons below poverty level: | 13.1% | 11.3% |
| Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015) Click here for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Massachusetts. **Note: Percentages for race and ethnicity may add up to more than 100 percent because respondents may report more than one race and the Hispanic/Latino ethnicity may be selected in conjunction with any race. Read more about race and ethnicity in the census here. | ||
As of July 2016, Massachusetts' three largest cities were Boston (pop. est. 685,000), Worcester (pop. est. 186,000), and Springfield (pop. est. 155,000).[3]
State election history
This section provides an overview of federal and state elections in Massachusetts from 2000 to 2016. All data comes from the Massachusetts Secretary of State.
Historical elections
Presidential elections, 2000-2016
This chart shows the results of the presidential election in Massachusetts every year from 2000 to 2016.
| Election results (President of the United States), Massachusetts 2000-2016 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | First-place candidate | First-place candidate votes (%) | Second-place candidate | Second-place candidate votes (%) | Margin of victory (%) |
| 2016 |  Hillary Clinton |
60.0% |  Donald Trump |
32.8% | 27.2% |
| 2012 | Barack Obama |
60.7% | Mitt Romney |
37.5% | 23.2% |
| 2008 | Barack Obama |
61.8% | John McCain |
36.0% | 25.8% |
| 2004 | John Kerry |
61.9% | George W. Bush |
36.8% | 25.1% |
| 2000 | Al Gore |
59.8% | George W. Bush |
32.5% | 27.3% |
U.S. Senate elections, 2000-2016
This chart shows the results of U.S. Senate races in Massachusetts from 2000 to 2016. Every state has two Senate seats, and each seat goes up for election every six years. The terms of the seats are staggered so that roughly one-third of the seats are up every two years.
| Election results (U.S. Senator), Massachusetts 2000-2016 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | First-place candidate | First-place candidate votes (%) | Second-place candidate | Second-place candidate votes (%) | Margin of victory (%) |
| 2014 | Ed Markey |
61.9% | Brian Herr |
38.0% | 23.9% |
| 2013[4] | Ed Markey |
57.3% | Gabriel Gomez |
44.6% | 12.7% |
| 2012 | Elizabeth Warren |
53.7% | Scott Brown |
46.2% | 7.5% |
| 2010[4] | Scott Brown |
51.9% | Martha Coakley |
47.1% | 4.8% |
| 2008 | John Kerry |
65.9% | Jeffrey Beatty |
30.9% | 35.0% |
| 2006 | Ted Kennedy |
69.3% | Kenneth Chase |
30.5% | 38.8% |
| 2002 | John Kerry |
Unopposed | -- | -- | Unopposed |
| 2000 | Ted Kennedy |
72.7% | Jack E. Robinson III |
12.9% | 59.8% |
Gubernatorial elections, 2000-2016
This chart shows the results of the four gubernatorial elections held between 2000 and 2016. Gubernatorial elections are held every four years in Massachusetts.
| Election results (Governor), Massachusetts 2000-2016 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | First-place candidate | First-place candidate votes (%) | Second-place candidate | Second-place candidate votes (%) | Margin of victory (%) |
| 2014 | Charlie Baker |
48.4% | Martha Coakley |
46.5% | 1.9% |
| 2010 | Deval Patrick |
48.4% | Charlie Baker |
42.0% | 6.4% |
| 2006 | Deval Patrick |
55.6% | Kerry Healey |
35.3% | 20.3% |
| 2002 | Mitt Romney |
49.8% | Shannon P. O'Brien |
44.9% | 4.9% |
Congressional delegation, 2000-2016
This chart shows the number of Democrats and Republicans who were elected to represent Massachusetts in the U.S. House from 2000 to 2016. Elections for U.S. House seats are held every two years.
| Congressional delegation, Massachusetts 2000-2016 | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Republicans | Republicans (%) | Democrats | Democrats (%) | Balance of power |
| 2016 | 0 |
0% | 9 |
100% | D+9 |
| 2014 | 0 |
0% | 9 |
100% | D+9 |
| 2012 | 0 |
0% | 9 |
100% | D+9 |
| 2010 | 0 |
0% | 10 |
100% | D+10 |
| 2008 | 0 |
0% | 10 |
100% | D+10 |
| 2006 | 0 |
0% | 10 |
100% | D+10 |
| 2004 | 0 |
0% | 10 |
100% | D+10 |
| 2002 | 0 |
0% | 10 |
100% | D+10 |
| 2000 | 0 |
0% | 10 |
100% | D+10 |
Trifectas, 1992-2017
A state government trifecta occurs when one party controls both chambers of the state legislature and the governor's office.
Massachusetts Party Control: 1992-2024
Ten years of Democratic trifectas • No Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.
| Year | 92 | 93 | 94 | 95 | 96 | 97 | 98 | 99 | 00 | 01 | 02 | 03 | 04 | 05 | 06 | 07 | 08 | 09 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Governor | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | R | D | D |
| Senate | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D |
| House | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D | D |
See also
- United States House of Representatives elections in Massachusetts, 2018
- United States House elections in Massachusetts (2018 Republican primaries)
- Massachusetts' 8th Congressional District election (September 4, 2018 Democratic primary)
- United States House of Representatives elections, 2018
Footnotes
- ↑ Cook Political Report, "Introducing the 2017 Cook Political Report Partisan Voter Index," April 7, 2017
- ↑ FiveThirtyEight, "Election Update: The Most (And Least) Elastic States And Districts," September 6, 2018
- ↑ Massachusetts Demographics, "Massachusetts Cities by Population," accessed September 5, 2018
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Special election
