The race to fill the vacant House of Representatives seat from district 5 is underway, and while much of the Greater Boston area’s focus has been on the election to succeed Mayor Tom Menino, the Red Sox playoff push, and basking in the Patriots’ Brady-esque comeback win over the New Orleans Saints, the Congressional bout is of statewide and national importance.
Sure, pretty much nobody wants to be a member of Congress these days. After all, they’re disliked more than root canals, the rock band Nickelback, colonoscopies, and cockroaches, amongst a disgusting slew of other vile atrocities, but someone needs to fill the vacant seat left by Ed Markey, who moved over to the other side of Capitol Hill to fill Secretary of State John Kerry’s former Senate seat.
Showing just how unwilling citizens of the 5th district are to cast their vote for any candidate, Massachusetts Secretary of State William Galvin predicted this morning a turnout consisting of 120,000 Democrats and 20,000 Republicans in the traditionally blue region that, Galvin added, saw about 62,000 Democrats cast a ballot in Markey’s special Senate election. That’s barely north of half of what he expects today.
It’s unclear, however, how many of the district’s 727,515 residents (based on the 2010 census) are registered voters.
To put in perspective how left-leaning the region is, Bloomberg reminds us that “President Barack Obama won the 5th district in 2012 with 65 percent of the vote, and Democrat Elizabeth Warren took 59 percent in winning a U.S. Senate seat.”
Galvin’s office has yet to publish any numbers in regards to a voter turnout thus far during the day, but heading into today it was safe to say that Massachusetts Senator Katherine Clark boasted a substantial lead over her Democratic counterparts and surely Republicans as well.
A state Senator from Melrose, Clark’s poll numbers prior to the primary election today were universally in her favor; boasting anywhere from a secured a 15- to 27-point lead since this summer.
Add the fact that she’s received endorsements from reputable groups and individuals like EMILY’S List, Attorney General and Massachusetts Governor hopeful Martha Coakley, as well as Middlesex County State Representatives Marjorie Decker and Paul Brodeur, whose support was surely coveted by Middlesex County Sherrif and Clark opponent Peter Koutoujian.
The Democratic candidates are:
- Will Brownsberger, State Senator
- Katherine Clark, State Senator
- Peter Koutoujian, Sheriff of Middlesex County and former State Representative
- Martin Long, former member of the Lexington School Committee
- Paul Maisano
- Carl Sciortino, State Representative
- Karen Spilka, State Senator
Conversely, the Republican candidates are:
- Frank Addivinola, lawyer and candidate for the 5th congressional district in 2012
- Mike Stopa, physicist and candidate for Massachusetts’ 3rd congressional district in 2010
- Tom Tierney, actuary and nominee for the 5th congressional district in 2012
Polls opened this morning at 7 am ET and will remain so until 8pm ET tonight. Happy voting!
