Massachusetts's 8th congressional district

Massachusetts's 8th congressional district is located in eastern Massachusetts, including part of Boston. It is represented by Democrat Stephen Lynch. For one congressional term (1791–1793), it served as the home district of the District of Maine. The district boundaries were significantly changed, as of the elections of 2012, due to redistricting after the 2010 census, with the old 8th district largely being shifted to the new 7th district.^[3] The new 8th district comprises many of the communities of the old 9th district, as well as some easternmost Norfolk County communities and northernmost Plymouth County communities of the old 10th district.

Massachusetts's 8th congressional district
Interactive map of district boundaries since January 3, 2023
Representative	Stephen Lynch D–Boston
Population (2022)	773,868^[1]
Median household income	$103,758^[1]
Ethnicity	74.5% White 9.7% Black 7.6% Asian 4.9% Hispanic 2.0% Two or more races 1.2% other
Cook PVI	D+15^[2]

This district has the distinction of being the only one ever represented by someone who had previously served as president of the United States, as John Quincy Adams held this office after leaving the presidency from 1843 until his death in 1848.

Election results from presidential races

Year	Office	Result
2000	President	Gore 72 - 17%
2004	President	Kerry 79 - 19%
2008	President	Obama 58 - 40.5%
2012	President	Obama 57.8 - 40.8%
2016	President	Clinton 60.4 - 34.4%
2020	President	Biden 66 - 32%

Cities and towns in the district

Previous

Current

In Bristol County: Precincts 1 and 2 in Raynham.

In Norfolk County: Avon, Braintree, Canton, Cohasset, Dedham, Holbrook, Milton:Precincts 2–4, and 6–9, Norwood, Quincy, Stoughton, Walpole, Westwood and Weymouth.

In Plymouth County: Abington, Bridgewater, Brockton, East Bridgewater, Hingham, Hull, Scituate, West Bridgewater, and Whitman.

In Suffolk County: Boston, Ward 3: Precincts 1–6; Ward 5: Precincts 3–5, 11; Ward 6, Ward 7: Precincts 1–9, Ward 11: Precincts 9 and 10, Ward 13: Precincts 3, 7 and 10, Ward 16: Precincts 2, 5, 7, 9, 10 and 12, Ward 19: Precincts 1–6, 8 and 9, and Ward 20: Precincts 1, 2, and 4–20.

List of members representing the district

Representative	Party	Years	Cong ress	Electoral history	District location
District created March 4, 1789
Jonathan Grout (Lunenburg)	Anti-Administration	March 4, 1789 – March 3, 1791	1st	Elected in 1788. Redistricted to the 7th district and lost re-election.	1789–1793 Worcester County
Vacant		March 4, 1791 – April 4, 1791	2nd
George Thatcher (Biddeford)	Pro-Administration	April 4, 1791 – March 3, 1793		Redistricted from the 6th district and re-elected late in 1791. Redistricted to the 4th district.
District inactive		March 4, 1793 – March 3, 1795	3rd
Fisher Ames (Dedham)	Federalist	March 4, 1795 – March 3, 1797	4th	Redistricted from the 1st district and re-elected in 1794. Retired.	1795–1803 "1st Middle district"
Harrison Gray Otis (Boston)	Federalist	March 4, 1797 – March 3, 1801	5th 6th	Elected in 1796. Re-elected in 1798. Retired.
William Eustis (Boston)	Democratic-Republican	March 4, 1801 – March 3, 1803	7th	Elected in 1800. Redistricted to the 1st district.
Lemuel Williams (New Bedford)	Federalist	March 4, 1803 – March 3, 1805	8th	Redistricted from the 5th district and re-elected in 1802. Lost re-election.	1803–1815 "Barnstable district"
Isaiah L. Green (Barnstable)	Democratic-Republican	March 4, 1805 – March 3, 1809	9th 10th	Elected in 1804. Re-elected in 1806. Retired.
Gideon Gardner (Nantucket)	Democratic-Republican	March 4, 1809 – March 3, 1811	11th	Elected in 1808. Retired.
Isaiah L. Green (Barnstable)	Democratic-Republican	March 4, 1811 – March 3, 1813	12th	Elected in 1810. Lost re-election.
John Reed Jr. (Yarmouth)	Federalist	March 4, 1813 – March 3, 1815	13th	Elected in 1812. Redistricted to the 9th district.
William Baylies (Bridgewater)	Federalist	March 4, 1815 – March 3, 1817	14th	Redistricted from the 7th district and re-elected in 1814. Retired.	1815–1823 "Plymouth district"
Zabdiel Sampson (Plymouth)	Democratic-Republican	March 4, 1817 – July 26, 1820	15th 16th	Elected in 1817 on the second ballot. Resigned to become collector of customs in Plymouth.
Vacant		July 26, 1820 – November 24, 1820	16th
Aaron Hobart (Hanover)	Democratic-Republican	November 24, 1820 – March 3, 1823	16th 17th	Elected in 1820. Later elected on the second ballot to finish Sampson's term and seated December 18, 1820. Redistricted to the 11th district.
Samuel Lathrop (West Springfield)	Adams-Clay Federalist	March 4, 1823 – March 3, 1825	18th 19th	Redistricted from the 5th district and re-elected in 1822. Re-elected in 1825 on the third ballot. [data missing]	1823–1833 "Hampden district"
	Anti-Jacksonian	March 4, 1825 – March 3, 1827
Isaac C. Bates (Northampton)	Anti-Jacksonian	March 4, 1827 – March 3, 1835	20th 21st 22nd 23rd	Elected in 1827 on the third ballot. Re-elected in 1828. Re-elected in 1830. Re-elected in 1833. Retired.
					1833–1843 [data missing]
William B. Calhoun (Springfield)	Anti-Jacksonian	March 4, 1835 – March 3, 1837	24th 25th 26th 27th	Elected in 1834. Re-elected in 1836. Re-elected in 1838. Re-elected in 1840. Retired.
	Whig	March 4, 1837 – March 3, 1843
John Quincy Adams (Quincy)	Whig	March 4, 1843 – February 23, 1848	28th 29th 30th	Redistricted from the 12th district and re-elected in 1842. Re-elected in 1844. Re-elected in 1846. Died.	1843–1853 "All the towns in Norfolk County; Abington, North Bridgewater, Hingham, and Hull, in the County of Plymouth; and Brighton, Holliston, Natick, Newton, and Sherburne, in the County of Middlesex."^[4]
Vacant		February 24, 1848 – April 2, 1848	30th
Horace Mann (West Newton)	Whig	April 3, 1848 – March 3, 1853	30th 31st 32nd	Elected to finish Adams's term. Re-elected later in 1848. Re-elected in 1850. [data missing]
Tappan Wentworth (Lowell)	Whig	March 4, 1853 – March 3, 1855	33rd	Elected in 1852. [data missing]	1853–1863 "The city of Lowell, and the towns of Acton, Ashby, Ashland, Bedford, Billerica, Boxborough, Carlisle, Chelmsford, Concord, Dracut, Dunstable, Framingham, Groton, Hopkinton, Lincoln, Littleton, Marlborough, Natick, Pepperell, Shirley, Stow, Sudbury, Tewksbury, Townsend, Tyngsborough, Wayland. Westford, and Weston, in the county of Middlesex; and the towns of Berlin, Bolton, Harvard, Lunenburg, Northborough, Southborough, and Westborough, in the county of Worcester."^[5]
Chauncey L. Knapp (Lowell)	Know Nothing	March 4, 1855 – March 3, 1857	34th 35th	Elected in 1854. Re-elected in 1856. [data missing]
	Republican	March 4, 1857 – March 3, 1859
Charles R. Train^[6] (Framingham)	Republican	March 4, 1859 – March 3, 1863	36th 37th	Elected in 1858. Re-elected in 1860. [data missing]
John D. Baldwin (Worcester)	Republican	March 4, 1863 – March 3, 1869	38th 39th 40th	Elected in 1862. Re-elected in 1864. Re-elected in 1866. [data missing]	1863–1873 [data missing]
George F. Hoar^[7] (Worcester)	Republican	March 4, 1869 – March 3, 1873	41st 42nd	Elected in 1868. Re-elected in 1870. Redistricted to the 9th district.
John M. S. Williams (Cambridge)	Republican	March 4, 1873 – March 3, 1875	43rd	Elected in 1872. [data missing]	1873–1883 "Ashland, Wards 22, 23, 25, Boston, Brookline, Cambridge, Dedham, Dover, Framingham, Franklin, Holliston, Hopkinton, Medfield, Medway, Milford, Natick, Needham, Newton, Norwood, Sherborn, Southboro', Watertown, Wayland, and Weston."^[8]
William W. Warren (Boston)	Democratic	March 4, 1875 – March 3, 1877	44th	Elected in 1874. Lost re-election.
William Claflin^[9] (Newton)	Republican	March 4, 1877 – March 3, 1881	45th 46th	Elected in 1876. Re-elected in 1878. Retired.
John W. Candler (Brookline)	Republican	March 4, 1881 – March 3, 1883	47th	Elected in 1880. [data missing]
William A. Russell (Lawrence)	Republican	March 4, 1883 – March 3, 1885	48th	Redistricted from the 7th district and re-elected in 1882. [data missing]	1883–1893
Charles H. Allen (Lowell)	Republican	March 4, 1885 – March 3, 1889	49th 50th	Elected in 1884. Re-elected in 1886. Retired.
Frederic T. Greenhalge (Lowell)	Republican	March 4, 1889 – March 3, 1891	51st	Elected in 1888. Lost re-election.
Moses T. Stevens (North Andover)	Democratic	March 4, 1891 – March 3, 1893	52nd	Elected in 1890. Redistricted to the 5th district.
Samuel W. McCall^[10]^[11] (Winchester)	Republican	March 4, 1893 – March 3, 1913	53rd 54th 55th 56th 57th 58th 59th 60th 61st 62nd	Elected in 1892. Re-elected in 1894. Re-elected in 1896. Re-elected in 1898. Re-elected in 1900. Re-elected in 1902. Re-elected in 1904. Re-elected in 1906. Re-elected in 1908. Re-elected in 1910. [data missing]	1893–1903 Arlington, Boston (Wards 9, 10, 11), Cambridge, Medford, Somerville, Winchester.^[12]
					1903–1913 Arlington, Belmont, Cambridge, Medford, Somerville, Winchester, Woburn.^[13]
Frederick Simpson Deitrick (Cambridge)	Democratic	March 4, 1913 – March 3, 1915	63rd	Elected in 1912. [data missing]	1913–1933 Middlesex County: Arlington, Belmont, Cambridge, Lexington, Medford, Melrose, Stoneham, Wakefield, Watertown, Winchester.^[14]^[15]
Frederick W. Dallinger (Cambridge)	Republican	March 4, 1915 – March 3, 1925	64th 65th 66th 67th 68th	Elected in 1914. Re-elected in 1916. Re-elected in 1918. Re-elected in 1920. Re-elected in 1922. [data missing]
Harry I. Thayer (Wakefield)	Republican	March 4, 1925 – March 10, 1926	69th	Elected in 1924. Died.
Vacant		March 10, 1926 – November 2, 1926
Frederick W. Dallinger (Cambridge)	Republican	November 2, 1926 – October 1, 1932	69th 70th 71st 72nd	Elected to finish Thayer's term and elected to the next term. Re-elected in 1928. Re-elected in 1930. Resigned to become judge of United States Customs Court.
Vacant		October 1, 1932 – March 3, 1933	72nd
Arthur D. Healey^[16] (Somerville)	Democratic	March 4, 1933 – August 3, 1942	73rd 74th 75th 76th 77th	Elected in 1932. Re-elected in 1934. Re-elected in 1936. Re-elected in 1938. Re-elected in 1940. Resigned to become judge of US District Court for Massachusetts.	1933–1943 Cambridge (Wards 2, 3), Everett, Malden, Medford, Somerville.^[13]
Vacant		August 3, 1942 – January 3, 1943	77th
Angier Goodwin (Melrose)	Republican	January 3, 1943 – January 3, 1955	78th 79th 80th 81st 82nd 83rd	Elected in 1942. Re-elected in 1944. Re-elected in 1946. Re-elected in 1948. Re-elected in 1950. Re-elected in 1952. Lost re-election.	1943–1953 Everett, Lynnfield, Malden, Medford, Melrose, N. Reading, Reading, Saugus, Somerville (Wards 4, 5, 6, 7), Stoneham, Wakefield.^[13]^[17]
					1953–1963 [data missing]
Torbert H. Macdonald (Malden)	Democratic	January 3, 1955 – January 3, 1963	84th 85th 86th 87th	Elected in 1954. Re-elected in 1956. Re-elected in 1958. Re-elected in 1960. Redistricted to 7th district.
Tip O'Neill^[18] (Cambridge)	Democratic	January 3, 1963 – January 3, 1987	88th 89th 90th 91st 92nd 93rd 94th 95th 96th 97th 98th 99th	Redistricted from the 11th district and re-elected in 1962. Re-elected in 1964. Re-elected in 1966. Re-elected in 1968. Re-elected in 1970. Re-elected in 1972. Re-elected in 1974. Re-elected in 1976. Re-elected in 1978. Re-elected in 1980. Re-elected in 1982. Re-elected in 1984. Retired.	1963–1973 Boston (Wards 1, 2, 3, 21, 22), Brookline, Cambridge, Somerville.^[13]^[19]
					1973–1983 Arlington, Belmont, Boston (Wards 1, 2, 5, 21, 22), Cambridge, Somerville, Watertown.^[13]^[20]
					1983–1993 Arlington, Belmont, Boston (Wards 1, 2, 4, 5, 21, 22), Cambridge, Somerville, Waltham, Watertown.^[13]^[21]
Joe Kennedy II^[22] (Boston)	Democratic	January 3, 1987 – January 3, 1999	100th 101st 102nd 103rd 104th 105th	Elected in 1986. Re-elected in 1988. Re-elected in 1990. Re-elected in 1992. Re-elected in 1994. Re-elected in 1996. Retired.
					1993–2003 Belmont, Boston (Wards 1, 2, 4, 5, 9, 10, 11, 12, 14, 15, 17, 18, 21, 22), Cambridge, Chelsea, Somerville, Watertown.^[13]
Mike Capuano (Somerville)	Democratic	January 3, 1999 – January 3, 2013	106th 107th 108th 109th 110th 111th 112th	Elected in 1998. Re-elected in 2000. Re-elected in 2002. Re-elected in 2004. Re-elected in 2006. Re-elected in 2008. Re-elected in 2010. Redistricted to the 7th district.
					2003–2013   In Middlesex County: Cambridge, and Somerville. In Suffolk County: Boston, Wards 1, 2, Ward 3, Precincts 1–4, 7, 8, Ward 4, Ward 5, Precincts 1, 2, 6–10, Ward 7, Precinct 10, Wards 8–12, Ward 13, Precincts 1, 2, 4–6, Ward 14, Ward 15, Precincts 1–5, 7–9, Ward 16, Precincts 1, 3, Ward 17, Precincts 1–3, 5–12; Ward 18, Precincts 1–8, 13–15, 21, Ward 19, Precincts 1, 3–6, 8, 9, Wards 21 and 22, (the remainder of Boston is in the 9th district), and Chelsea.
Stephen Lynch (Boston)	Democratic	January 3, 2013 – present	113th 114th 115th 116th 117th 118th	Redistricted from the 9th district and re-elected in 2012. Re-elected in 2014. Re-elected in 2016. Re-elected in 2018. Re-elected in 2020. Re-elected in 2022.	2013–2023   In Bristol County: Precincts 1 and 2 in Raynham. In Norfolk County: Avon, Braintree, Canton, Cohasset, Dedham, Holbrook, Milton:Precincts 2–4, and 6–9, Norwood, Quincy, Randolph, Stoughton, Walpole, Westwood, and Weymouth. In Plymouth County: Abington, Bridgewater, Brockton, East Bridgewater, Hingham, Hull, Scituate, West Bridgewater, and Whitman. In Suffolk County: Boston, Ward 3: Precincts 1–6; Ward 5: Precincts 3–5, 11; Ward 6, Ward 7: Precincts 1–9, Ward 11: Precincts 9 and 10, Ward 13: Precincts 3, 7, and 10, Ward 16: Precincts 2, 5, 7, 9, 10, and 12, Ward 19: Precincts 1–6, 8, and 9, and Ward 20: Precincts 1, 2, and 4–20.
					2023–present

Recent election results

2006 General election^[23]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Mike Capuano	125,167	90.65%
	Socialist Workers	Laura Garza	12,390	8.99%
Majority			113,066	81.66%
Turnout			137,557	21.81%
	Democratic hold

2008 General election

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Mike Capuano (inc.)	185,530	98.55
	Write-ins		2,722	1.45
Total votes			188,252	100.00
	Democratic hold

2012 General election^[24][25]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Stephen Lynch (incumbent)	263,999	76.1
	Republican	Joe Selvaggi	82,242	23.7
	n/a	Write-ins	570	0.2
Total votes			346,811	100.0
	Democratic hold

2014 General election^[26]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Stephen Lynch (incumbent)	200,644	98.7
	n/a	Write-ins	2,707	1.3
Total votes			203,351	100.0
	Democratic hold

2016 General election^[27]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Stephen Lynch (incumbent)	271,019	72.4
	Republican	William Burke	102,744	27.5
	n/a	Write-ins	502	0.1
Total votes			374,265	100.0
	Democratic hold

2018 General election

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Stephen Lynch (incumbent)	259,159	98.4
	Write-in		4,148	1.6
Total votes			263,307	100.0
	Democratic hold

2020 General election^[28]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Stephen F. Lynch (incumbent)	310,940	80.7
	Independent	Jonathan D. Lott	72,060	18.7
	Write-in		2,401	0.6
Total votes			385,401	100.0
	Democratic hold

References

1. "Congressional District 8 (118th Congress), Massachusetts". 2022 American Community Survey 1-Year Estimates. U.S. Census Bureau.
2. "2022 Cook PVI: District Map and List". Cook Political Report. Retrieved January 10, 2023.
3. "The Commonwealth of Massachusetts 2011 Congressional Districts (Chapter 177 of the Acts of 2011" (PDF). Retrieved March 20, 2012.
4. John Hayward (1849). "Congressional Districts". Gazetteer of Massachusetts. Boston: J.P. Jewett & Co. hdl:2027/mdp.39015078325076.
5. "Congressional Districts". Massachusetts Register 1862. Boston: Adams, Sampson, & Co. 1862.
6. "Massachusetts". Congressional Directory for the Second Session of the Thirty-Seventh Congress. Washington DC: House of Representatives. 1861.
7. Ben. Perley Poore (1869). "Massachusetts". Congressional Directory for the First Session of the Forty-First Congress (2nd ed.). Washington DC: Government Printing Office. hdl:2027/nyp.33433081796686.
8. "Congressional Districts of Massachusetts". Massachusetts Register and Business Directory, 1878. Boston: Sampson, Davenport, and Co.
9. Ben. Perley Poore (1878). "Massachusetts". Congressional Directory: 45th Congress (3rd ed.). Washington DC: Government Printing Office.
10. L.A. Coolidge (1897). "Massachusetts". Official Congressional Directory: Fifty-Fifth Congress. Washington DC: Government Printing Office.
11. A.J. Halford (1909). "Massachusetts". Congressional Directory: 60th Congress (2nd ed.). Washington DC: Government Printing Office.
12. Francis M. Cox (1893). "Massachusetts". Official Congressional Directory: Fifty-Third Congress (2nd ed.). Washington DC: Government Printing Office. hdl:2027/mdp.39015022758133.
13. "Geographical History of the 7th District". U.S. Congressman Michael E. Capuano. Washington DC: U.S. House of Representatives. Retrieved November 23, 2013. (Includes geographical history of Massachusetts's 8th congressional district, pre-2013)
14. "Massachusetts". Official Congressional Directory: 64th Congress (2nd ed.). Washington DC: Government Printing Office. 1916. hdl:2027/uc1.l0075858456.
15. Commonwealth of Massachusetts (1921), "Population of Congressional Districts", Population of Massachusetts as determined by the fourteenth census of the United States 1920, Boston: Wright & Potter, hdl:2027/nnc1.cu56182970
16. "Massachusetts". Official Congressional Directory: 75th Congress (2nd ed.). Washington DC: Government Printing Office. 1938.
17. Commonwealth of Massachusetts (1941), "Population of Congressional Districts", Population of Massachusetts as determined by the sixteenth census of the United States, 1940, Boston: Wright & Potter, OCLC 10056477, House No. 2849
18. "Massachusetts". Official Congressional Directory: 90th Congress. Washington DC: Government Printing Office. 1968.
19. "Massachusetts". Official Congressional Directory: 88th Congress. Washington DC: Government Printing Office. 1963. hdl:2027/mdp.39015071164118.
20. "Massachusetts", 1977 Official Congressional Directory: 95th Congress, Washington DC: U.S. Government Printing Office, 1977, hdl:2027/uc1.31158002391372
21. "Massachusetts". 1985–1986 Official Congressional Directory: 99th Congress. Washington DC: Government Printing Office. 1985. hdl:2027/uc1.31158013115752.
22. "Massachusetts". 1991–1992 Official Congressional Directory: 102nd Congress. Washington DC: Government Printing Office. 1991.
23. "Our Campaigns - MA - District 08 Race - Nov 07, 2006". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved August 27, 2020.
24. "2012 U.S. House Results".
25. The totals do not include Blank/Scattered Ballots although they were reported.
26. "2014 U.S. House Results".
27. "Massachusetts Secretary of State General Election Results 2016". Massachusetts Secretary of State. November 8, 2016. Retrieved December 15, 2016.
28. "2020 - US House - All General Election Results". Massachusetts Election Statistics. Retrieved November 24, 2020.

• 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.

External links

 

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Massachusetts's 8th congressional district.

• Rose Institute of State and Local Government, , Redistricting by State, Claremont, CA: Claremont McKenna College, archived from the original on September 15, 2020
• "Our Campaigns - United States - Massachusetts - MA - District 08". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved December 31, 2020.

Maps

• , via Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth

Election results

• CNN.com 2004 election results
• CNN.com 2006 election results

U.S. House of Representatives
Preceded by Oklahoma's 3rd congressional district	Home district of the speaker January 4, 1977 – January 3, 1987	Succeeded by Texas's 12th congressional district

42°11′41″N 70°56′38″W / 42.19472°N 70.94389°W / 42.19472; -70.94389