September 8, 2010
This semester I will be focusing my attention on the 10th congressional district of Massachusetts. This district includes the territories of the south shore, Cape Cod, and the islands. I chose Massachusetts's 10th congressinal district because it is my district at home and interests me the most since it is relevant to my life.
The 10th District has existed for hundreds of years, since 1795 to be exact. It has a poplation of over 630,000 people and is the most populated of all of Massachusetts's ten districts. It consists of over 934 square miles and is the second largest district in terms of area. The majority of the people residing in this district are White, making u 92% of the population, but there are also small percentages of Black, Asian, Hispanic, and Native American people. The population is 54% urban and 46% rural with a median income of $51,928.
The Cook Partisan Voting Index also referred to as the Cook PVI, measures how strongly a congressional district leans toward a political party compared to the nation as a whole. Massachusetts's 10th District scored a D+5 by the Cook PVI and it is the most conservative district in the state of Massachusetts, which is known for being an extremely Democratic state.
Bill Delahunt, a Democrat from Quincy, MA, has been representing this district since 1997. On March 5, 2010 he announced he would not be running for reelection. This caused a scramble among both Democrats and Republicans to succeed him. In April, Democratic State Senator Robert O'Leary announced he would be running for this seat. William Keating, a democrat and the District Attorney of Norfolk County, who is a former State Senator and former State Representative, is also in the running for the seat. There are a number of Republican and Independent candidates running for election for this district as well. I am excited to see the results of the primary next week so we can get this race started!
Because I have such a love for politics and because this race directly effects my life at home, I am interesed in learning more about these individual candidates and watching this race closely over the next few months. I am very excited that the incumbent is retiring because it creates an opportunity for change and for a new face to represent the 10th District of Massachusetts. Here we go!
I didn't know anything about this race beforehand, but it sounds really exciting! I really like all the statistics about the district that you included. Now that the primary is over, I would definitely like to learn more about the Democratic and Republican candidates, and see if any of the independent candidates will be a factor in the race.
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