2007 Massachusetts's 5th congressional district special election
Nominee
Niki Tsongas
Jim Ogonowski
Party
Democratic
Republican
Popular vote
54,363
47,770
Percentage
51.3%
45.1%
U.S. Representative before election
Marty Meehan
Democratic
Elected U.S. Representative
Niki Tsongas
Democratic
Massachusetts held a special election to fill a vacancy in Massachusetts's 5th congressional district on October 16, 2007.[1] Democrat Niki Tsongas won election to Congress, defeating Republican Jim Ogonowski in an election that was closer than expected.[2]
Marty Meehan had been the district's Representative to Congress since 1993. He announced his resignation in May 2007 (effective July 1), allowing him to become the next Chancellor of the University of Massachusetts Lowell .[1] Meehan had last won re-election in 2006 , when he ran unopposed. The district was considered to be strongly Democratic, as it voted 58% for the Democratic candidate (John Kerry ) in the most recent presidential election. In addition, Massachusetts had not elected a Republican to Congress since Peter Blute and Peter Torkildsen were last elected to office in 1994 (both were defeated in 1996). No Republican had held the 5th congressional district's seat since Paul W. Cronin departed from office in 1975 after his defeat by Democrat Paul Tsongas in 1974.
A primary election was held on September 4, 2007 to determine each political party's nominee for the general election.[1] Niki Tsongas won the Democratic nomination and Jim Ogonowski won the Republican nomination. Tsongas won the general election, held on October 16, 2007, with 51% of the vote; Ogonowski received 45%.
Candidates [ ]
All candidates for the election are listed alphabetically first by party, then by name. Bold is primary winners and general election candidates.
Constitution [ ]
– State Constitution Party Secretary from Brockton
Democratic [ ]
Eileen Donoghue – City Councilor and former Lowell Mayor
Jamie Eldridge – State Representative from Acton
Barry Finegold – State Representative from Andover
Jim Miceli – State Representative from Wilmington
Niki Tsongas – Dean at Middlesex Community College from Lowell, and widow of Paul Tsongas
Independent [ ]
– Businessman from Boxborough
Patrick O. Murphy – Brick and stonemason from Lowell [3]
Republican [ ]
Jim Ogonowski – Former Air Force Lt. Colonel from Dracut , and brother of John
Thomas Tierney – Self-Employed Independent Consulting Actuary from Framingham
Withdrawn / not running [ ]
Democratic [ ]
James DiPaola – Middlesex County Sheriff[4]
– Democratic National Committee member from Concord [5]
Republican [ ]
Fred Smerlas – Former NFL defensive lineman [6]
Michael J. Sullivan – Mayor of Lawrence [7]
Polling [ ]
Democratic Primary [ ]
Republican Primary [ ]
Source
Date
Ogonowski (R)
Tierney (R)
Survey USA
Aug 27–29, 2007
72%
12%
General Election [ ]
Source
Date
Ogonowski (R)
Tsongas (D)
Thompson (C)
Hayes (I)
Murphy (I)
Survey USA
Oct 8–10, 2007
42%
51%
0%
2%
4%
RCCC Poll
Oct 1–5, 2007
39%
44%
N/A
N/A
N/A
Survey USA
Sep 7–9, 2007
41%
51%
2%
2%
1%
Results [ ]
Bold indicates winner of nomination. Source: https://web.archive.org/web/20120207164837/http://www.thebostonchannel.com/politics/14003157/detail.html
General Election [ ]
Democratic Primary [ ]
Candidates
Democratic Primary Election, Sep 4
Candidate
Party
Votes
Percent
Niki Tsongas
Democratic
19,811
35.69%
Eileen Donoghue
Democratic
17,373
31.29%
Jamie Eldridge
Democratic
8,041
14.48%
Barry Finegold
Democratic
6,996
12.60%
Jim Miceli
Democratic
3,296
5.94%
Republican Primary [ ]
Candidates
Republican Primary Election, Sep 4
Candidate
Party
Votes
Percent
Jim Ogonowski
Republican
12,014
89.04%
Tom Tierney
Republican
1,479
10.96%
See also [ ]
List of special elections to the United States House of Representatives
References [ ]
^ a b c Giroux, Greg (May 9, 2007). "Massachusetts Rep. Meehan Sets Date to Vacate Seat" . CQPolitics.com . Archived from the original on September 29, 2007. Retrieved May 9, 2007 .
^ 5th District Elects Tsongas Associated Press
^ Murphy, Matt (June 2, 2007). "Lowell Mason joins rep. race" . LowellSun.com . Retrieved June 6, 2007 .
^ lowellsun.com
^ eagletribune.com Archived July 30, 2012, at archive.today
^ "Ogonowski's House bid gets boost" . Boston Globe . April 27, 2007.
^ bostonherald.com
External links [ ]
Candidate Web Sites [ ]
Democratic [ ]
Republican [ ]
Constitution [ ]
Independent [ ]
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