McGovern wins Second Congressional District raceDate: 11/15/2022 WESTERN MASS. – U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern won Nov. 8’s midterm election for the seat of Massachusetts’ Second Congressional District.
The Democratic congressman defeated his Republican opponent Jeffrey Sossa-Paquette with 65 percent of the vote, according to results at press time, with polls reporting 92 percent of the votes had been counted.
McGovern has represented the Second Congressional District since first being elected in 1997, when it was still designated as Massachusetts’ Third District, before redistricting in 2012 labeled it the second. The district includes large swathes of central and Western Massachusetts. It stretches from Worcester on the east, to Amherst, Hadley and Northampton on the west, and extends from the New Hampshire border on the north, all the way to the Rhode Island and Connecticut borders on the south.
In a statement released on Nov. 9, McGovern gave thanks to his supporters and vowed to continue serving his district.
“I’m incredibly humbled by the trust that voters of the Second District have placed in me to go back to D.C. and work hard on behalf of all our families. To every member of my campaign team, every grassroots supporter and volunteer, every small-dollar donor and community organizer – this is not my victory, it is yours … I’m more energized and inspired than ever. And I’m ready to make damn sure that we rise to meet this moment with the kind of courage, compassion and conviction that the American people demand and deserve,” said McGovern.
He made a point to congratulate the other winners, considering it a win for the party and the nation as a whole.
“Massachusetts once again showed America how it’s done. I congratulate Governor-Elect Maura Healey, Lieutenant Governor-Elect Kim Driscoll, and Attorney General-Elect Andrea Campbell for their history-making wins. We picked truth instead of lies. Love instead of hate. Hope instead of fear. And decency instead of division,” he said.
Finally, McGovern stated that he believed the Democratic Party’s widespread victory in the 2022 midterms marks a triumph for the greater good over widespread dishonesty and greed among their Republican counterparts.
“While the votes are still being counted, what is clear is that Donald Trump’s Republican Party and their extremist MAGA agenda lost. Democrats defied history in the face of an unprecedented onslaught of Republican lies. We put people over politics to fight for lower costs, safer communities, better jobs and a stronger democracy. We took no seat for granted, and we put Republicans on notice that we will fight like hell against their lies, cynicism, and anger … While Republicans were focused on their own power, Democrats were focused on the power of the people.”
Sossa-Paquette issued the following statement after conceding the race.
“I would like to thank our constituents of the Second Congressional District of Massachusetts for all their support, and the volunteers that made this campaign possible. The Sossa-Paquette family, along with myself, would like to congratulate Congressman Jim McGovern on his reelection to Congress and wish the McGovern family great success in the next two years of representing the Second District of Massachusetts. I’m going to take some overdue time with Julian, Ashley and Rylan, bringing calm back to our lives. It’s critical to understand the Massachusetts Republican Party is beyond repair for years to come, I look forward to helping reshape a Republican party in Massachusetts that we can all be proud of,” he wrote.
McGovern will serve as the representative for Massachusetts’ Second District until 2024, when the seat will be voted on again.
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