Jake Auchincloss wins the race to replace Rep. Joe Kennedy III in Massachusetts' 4th District
- Jake Auchincloss won the Democratic nomination in the open race for Massachusetts' 4th Congressional District
- Auchincloss has served on the Newton City Council since 2015 and is a veteran of the US Marine Corps.
- This safe Democratic seat includes parts of the suburbs around Boston and stretches down to the state's South Coast area.
The stakes:
Newton City Councilor US Marine veteran Jake Auchincloss won the Democratic nomination to replace Rep. Joe Kennedy III in Massachusetts 4th Congressional District, Decision Desk HQ projects.
Auchincloss prevailed in a field of seven Democratic candidates, all with impressive resumés but varying levels of political experiences. Kennedy left his seat to unsuccessfully challenge Democratic Sen. Ed Markey.
This diverse district encompasses 34 different towns, including parts of the wealthy suburbs outside of Boston and some of more blue-collar towns in the state's South Coast region. All the candidates hail from the Boston suburbs.
Auchincloss beat out fellow Newton City Councilor and former prosecutor Becky Grossman, former Brookline Select Board Member and Democratic communications professional Jesse Mermell, entrepreneur and City Year founder Alan Khazei, social epidemiologist Natalia Linos, former financial regulator and progressive activist Isshane Leckey, and lawyer and philanthropist Ben Sigel.
Khazei and Auchincloss led the field in fundraising with around $1.7 million each, followed by Grossman with $1.3 million, Leckey with $1.2 million, Mermell with $1 million, and Linos and Sigel with a little over $300,000 each, according to the Center for Responsive Politics.
Some candidates tapped into their own bank accounts to fund their bids. Leckey, Grossman, and Auchincloss have lent their own campaigns $1 million, $429,000, and $150,000, respectively, according to Federal Election Commission filings.
The contentious race attracted millions of dollars in independent spending from outside groups. The With Honor Fund and VoteVets, two groups that back veterans running for office, have spent money to support Auchincloss, in addition to spending by a PAC funded in part by his parents. Khazei and Mermell are also the beneficiaries of single-candidate PACs spending to support their campaigns.
While the Democratic-aligned group EMILY's List did not endorsed a candidate in the race, the organization's Women Vote! PAC spent money on digital ads opposing Auchincloss and Khazei, Federal Election Commission filings show.
The candidates all attracted some high profile endorsements from local officials, unions, and national figures. Auchincloss received the powerful endorsement of the Boston Globe Editorial Board and VoteVets, Grossman has been backed by former 2020 presidential candidate Julian Castro and a slew of local officials, and Mermell has secured the endorsements of Massachusetts heavyweights including Attorney General Maura Healey, Rep. Ayanna Pressley, and state Auditor Suzanne Bump.
Two former candidates for the seat, Dave Cavell and Chris Zannetos, both dropped out of the race in recent weeks and endorsed Mermell.
The converging effects of the pandemic, the high-profile US Senate race between Kennedy and Markey, and the presidential race have occupied the news cycle and made it somewhat difficult for individual candidates to break through the noise.
The race has no obvious frontrunner and not many clear ideological lines distinguishing the candidates going into Election Day, meaning the outcome was close, and the Auchincloss won with a very low share of the total vote.
A poll of the race conducted by Jewish Insider and RABA Research from August 27-28 found Auchincloss and Mermell leading the pack with 23% and 22% of likely voters surveyed supporting them, respectively, Grossman in third at 15%, Leckey at 11%, Khazei at 8%, Linos at 7%, and 10% undecided.
Auchincloss is highly favored to also win the general election against former Attleboro City Council member and US Air Force veteran Julie Hall, who secured the GOP nomination.
Massachusetts' 4th District, which has been represented by a Democrat since 1947, backed former President Barack Obama by 16 points in 2012 and voted for 2016 Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton by over 24 points, according to the Daily Kos.