The massachusetts delegation
congressional officials …
Massachusetts has a deeply experienced, electorally stable, all-Democrat congressional delegation.
Of the 11 2022-2023 class members, four are female, and seven are male. One is minority representation through the end of the year. Four are lawyers, several are business people, and one is the Minority Whip in the House. Seven members have Master’s degrees.
Harvard University has conferred five degrees - the highest received by any delegation member, while Boston College has conferred three degrees.
Three members of the Massachusetts congressional delegation are former military members, with two having served five tours of duty in war zones between them. One member has authored 12 books.
The average tenure for the delegation currently is 6.7 terms, assuming everyone completes their service through the end of 2024. The longest-serving member has been in Congress for 18 terms.
No members of the Massachusetts delegation are freshmen.
When you look at these profiles, we have given each a letter grade for their effort this Congress, based on various factors, which you will find in What Is Thomas Looking For? These letter grades are probably pretty familiar to you if you have ever been a school student (we hope the answer to that is we all have!)
If you see a meager score for a particular member, it will probably be due to one or two key factors: ethics challenges or anti-democratic behavior.
Republicans have been hit hard on their lack of pushback on former President Trump and their support of election denying in the 2020 presidential campaign. The unanswered soaring deficit on their watch, the dismantling of allied relationships around the globe, and opposition to funding anti-authoritarian initiatives. The denial of climate change weighs heavily on us as well. We make no secret that transparency and Government in the Sunshine are important to us, and we further argue that some have been awful stewards of this category. None of the Massachusetts delegation members voted to overturn the 2020 presidential election results on the same evening as Trump supporters stormed the United States Capitol.
Democrats have been hit hard for their lack of progress on key matters because they do control the United States Senate and have a razor-close margin in the U.S. House of Representatives. They have not been, in our opinion, innovative or necessarily insistent on finding rational, reasonable solutions to the problems plaguing the American public today. We want to see more and better.
Both have been dinged for being too partisan and not collaborative where evident. In our opinion, being too doctrinaire or an obstructionist to good government in the 21st century does not get one a good grade from Thomas.
We also indicate what we believe might be the outcome of these Members’ 2024 elections today. The overwhelming majority of House members were re-elected in 2022. One of the two United States Senators is up for re-election this season.
Our prospect ratings fall into three categories:
Safe Bet - which means what it means. These members of Congress are running strong and look to be overwhelming prospects for re-election at this time. However, we reserve the right to re-categorize their chances if necessary.
It’s A Race - means this race is too close to call, and we can not reasonably predict who will win this seat.
Nudging - means the seat is leaning one way or another for this candidate. We have just a small number of current members of Congress in this category. Stay tuned!
So, would you like to meet these fascinating Massachusettsans? If so, keep reading on!
what is thomas looking for?
There are no true vulnerable races for Thomas to watch in Massachusetts for 2024.
the senators
Credit: US Senator Elizabeth Warren
United States Senator elizabeth warren (d)
Massachusetts’s senior senator, Elizabeth Warren, is a two-term member of the U.S. Senate who is facing re-election in 2024. She serves on the Armed Services Committee; the Banking, Housing and Urban Affairs Committee; the Budget Committee; the Finance Committee; and the Special Committee on Aging. A consumer protection advocate and former law professor, Senator Warren graduated from the University of Houston and earned a law degree from Rutgers University. She has authored 12 books, is married, and is the mother of two.
Thomas Take: Safe Bet Democrat
Thomas Rank: B
Credit: US Senator Ed Markey
United states senator Ed markey (D)
Massachusett’s junior senator is serving his second full term in the U.S. Senate after winning a special election in 2013. A former U.S. House member from 1976 to 2013, Senator Markey is a passionate environmentalist who serves on the Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee; the Environment and Public Works Committee; and the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee. The Senator, who is married, served in the Army Reserves after graduating from Boston College and earned his law degree from the same institution.
Thomas Take: Not up for re-election in 2024
Thomas Rank: B
the representatives
Credit: US Rep. Richard Neal
district 1 - u.s. rep. Richard neal (D)
Congressman Richard “Ritchie” Neal represents a district located in the western part of the state including Springfield, where he was once mayor. Neal is in his eighteenth term in Congress and serves on the Ways and Means Committee and the Joint Taxation Committee. His undergraduate degree is from American International College and his Master’s degree is from the University of New Hartford. The Congressman is married and the father of four.
Thomas Take: Safe Bet Democrat
Thomas Rank: B
district 2 - U.S. Rep. Jim mcgovern (d)
Congresswoman Jim McGovern is serving his fourteenth term representing a district that stretches through Central Massachusetts into Worcester. A graduate of American University, the Congressman also has a Master’s degree from that same institution. McGovern serves on the Rules Committee and the Agriculture Committee, is married, and is the father of two.
Thomas Take: Safe Bet Democrat
Thomas Rank: B
Credit: US Rep. Jim McGovern
Credit: US Rep. Lori Trahan
District 3 - U.S. Rep. lori trahan (d)
Representing the Boston area, Congresswoman Lori Trahan is serving her third term in the U.S. House of Representatives. Trahan serves on the House Energy and Commerce Committee. Married and the mother of five, she holds an undergraduate degree from Georgetown University.
Thomas Take: Safe Bet Democrat
Thomas Rank: B
District 4 - U.S. Rep. jake Auchincloss (d)
Representing an area that stretches through southern Massachusetts, Representative Jake Auchincloss, who comes from the famous New England Auchincloss family related to Jackie Kennedy Onassis, is serving his second term in the U.S. House. A former Marine Corps officer who did a tour of duty in the Helmand Province, Auchincloss graduated from Harvard University and earned his Master’s degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. Congressman Auchincloss is married, the father of three, and serves on the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee as well as the Financial Services Committee.
Thomas Take: Safe Bet Democrat
Thomas Rank: B
Credit: US Rep. Jake Auchincloss
Credit: US Rep. Katherine Clark
district 5 - U.S. rep. katherine clark (d)
The Minority Whip of the U.S. House since early 2023, Congresswoman Katherine Clarke represents the north Boston neighborhoods including the community of Framingham. Following a special election in 2013, Congresswoman Clark has been re-elected each time since and is in her sixth term. A member of the Appropriations Committee, Clark is married, the mother of three, and holds an undergraduate degree from St. Lawrence University, a Master’s degree from Harvard University, and a law degree from Cornell University.
Thomas Take: Safe Bet Democrat
Thomas Rank: B
district 6 - U.S. rep. seth moulton (d)
A short-lived presidential candidate at one time, Congressman Seth Moulton represents the sixth district which runs through northeastern Massachusetts. A five-term member of the House, Moulton serves on the Strategic Competition Between the United States and the Chinese Community Party Committee as well as the Armed Services, and Transportation and Infrastructure committees. Earlier in his career, Seth Moulton was a Marine Corps officer who did four tours of duty in Iraq. A graduate of Harvard University with a Harvard master’s degree, the Congressman is married and the father of two.
Thomas Take: Safe Bet Democrat
Thomas Rank: B
Credit: US Rep. Seth Moulton
Credit: US Rep. Ayanna Pressley
district 7 - U.s. Rep. ayanna pressley (d)
U.S. Representative Ayanna Pressley is a three-term member of Congress whose district takes up three-quarters of Boston. A member of the Boston City Council before her election to Congress in 2018, Pressley serves on the Financial Services Committee as well as the Oversight and Reform Committee. A Boston University alum, she is married and stepmother of one.
Thomas Take: Safe Bet Democrat
Thomas Rank: C
district 8 - U.S. Rep. stephen lynch (d)
Now in his twelfth term in the U.S. House of Representatives, Congressman Stephen Lynch represents part of Boston and eastern Massachusetts. He serves on the Financial Services Committee, the Oversight and Reform Committee, and the Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. A graduate of Wentworth Institute of Technology with a master’s degree from Harvard and a law degree from Boston College, Congressman Lynch is married and the father of one.
Thomas Take: Safe Bet Democrat
Thomas Rank: B
Credit: US Rep. Stephen Lynch
Credit: US Rep. Bill Keating
district 9 - U.S. rep. bill keating (d)
Congressman Bill Keating represents a district that comprises the easternmost parts of Massachusetts including Cape Cod. Now serving his seventh term in Congress, Representative Keating serves on the Armed Forces and Foreign Affairs committees. Married with two children, he earned his law degree from Suffolk University and holds an undergraduate and graduate degree from Boston College.
Thomas Take: Safe Bet Democrat
Thomas Rank: B