Massachusetts's 5th congressional district

Massachusetts's 5th congressional district is a congressional district in eastern Massachusetts. The district is represented by Katherine Clark. Massachusetts congressional redistricting after the 2010 census changed the borders of the district starting with the elections of 2012, with the new 3rd district largely taking the place of the old 5th. The 5th district covers many of the communities represented in the old 7th district.

On July 15, 2013, Ed Markey resigned from the seat to become the junior Senator from Massachusetts. On December 10, 2013, Democrat Katherine Clark won a special election to fill the seat for the remainder of the 113th Congress. She was sworn into office on December 12, 2013, and serves as the House Minority Whip.

The district has been in Democratic hands without interruption since 1975. Before Paul Tsongas' victory that year, it had only elected three Democrats in its entire existence and had been in Republican hands since 1895. It was one of the more moderate districts in heavily Democratic Massachusetts before redistricting in 2013. In state races, it supported Republican candidates for Governor William Weld, Paul Celluci, and Mitt Romney. In the 2007 special election to replace Marty Meehan, Republican candidate Jim Ogonowski ran an unexpectedly strong race, ultimately losing 51-45%.

History and geography

From 2013 through 2023 the municipalities of the 5th District were:

Suffolk County

• Revere
• Winthrop

Middlesex County

• Arlington
• Ashland
• Belmont
• parts of Cambridge
• Framingham
• Holliston
• Lexington
• Lincoln
• Malden
• Medford
• Melrose
• Natick
• Sherborn
• Stoneham
• parts of Sudbury
• Waltham
• Watertown
• Wayland
• Weston
• Winchester
• Woburn

Worcester County

• Southborough

These are primarily found in Middlesex as well as Suffolk and Worcester Counties.

Composition

Massachusetts congressional redistricting after the 2020 census (commencing with the 2022 election and the 118th Congress, whose House Members were sworn in on January 3, 2023) assigns the 5th congressional district to much of Middlesex County (including cities of Framingham, Malden, Medford, Melrose, Natick, Waltham, Watertown and Woburn, towns of Arlington, Lexington, Lincoln, Maynard, Stoneham, Sudbury, Wayland, Weston, and Winchester, part of the city of Cambridge and part of the town of Belmont, part of Norfolk County (including part of the town of Wellesley) and part of Suffolk County (including the city of Revere and the town of Winthrop).

Recent statewide election results

Recent election results

List of members representing the district

References

Further reading

• Martis, Kenneth C. (1989). The Historical Atlas of Political Parties in the United States Congress. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company.
• Martis, Kenneth C. (1982). The Historical Atlas of United States Congressional Districts. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company.
• Congressional Biographical Directory of the United States 1774–present

External links

• Rose Institute of State and Local Government, "Massachusetts: 2010 Redistricting Changes: Fifth District", Redistricting by State, Claremont, CA: Claremont McKenna College, archived from the original on September 15, 2020
• "Our Campaigns - United States - Massachusetts - MA - District 05". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved December 31, 2020.

Maps

• Map of Massachusetts's 5th Congressional District, via Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth

Election results

• CNN.com 2004 election results
• CNN.com 2006 election results
• Associated Press 2007 election results
• Massachusetts Elections Division 2008 Return of Votes

1. 2020 United States House of Representatives elections in Massachusetts
2. 2007 Massachusetts's 5th congressional district special election
3. Massachusetts's 7th congressional district
4. 2013 Massachusetts's 5th congressional district special election
5. Massachusetts's 9th congressional district
6. Massachusetts's 2nd congressional district
7. Massachusetts's 3rd congressional district
8. Massachusetts's congressional districts
9. Massachusetts's 11th congressional district
10. 1860–61 United States House of Representatives elections
11. Massachusetts's 8th congressional district
12. 1834–35 United States House of Representatives elections
13. Massachusetts's 4th congressional district
14. Lori Trahan
15. Massachusetts's 12th congressional district
16. List of elections in Massachusetts
17. Niki Tsongas
18. 2007 United States House of Representatives elections
19. 1840–41 United States House of Representatives elections
20. Massachusetts's 10th congressional district