| State: | Massachusetts |
| District Number: | 2 |
| Image Caption: | Interactive map of district boundaries since January 3, 2023 |
| Representative: | Jim McGovern |
| Party: | Democratic |
| Residence: | Worcester |
| Population: | 785,076 |
| Population Year: | 2022 |
| Median Income: | $88,327[1] |
| Percent White: | 70.8 |
| Percent Hispanic: | 11.1 |
| Percent Black: | 5.3 |
| Percent Asian: | 7.3 |
| Percent More Than One Race: | 4.3 |
| Percent Other Race: | 1.1 |
| Cpvi: | D+13[2] |
Massachusetts's 2nd congressional district is located in central Massachusetts, encompassing much of Franklin, Hampshire, and Worcester counties, as well as small portions of Middlesex and Norfolk Counties. The largest municipalities in the district include Worcester (which is the second-largest city in New England after Boston), Leominster, Amherst, Shrewsbury, and Northampton.
Democrat Jim McGovern has represented the district since 2013; he previously represented the 3rd district since 1997.
As of the 2021 redistricting, the 2nd district includes 68 municipalities:[3]
Known as the 2nd Western District.[4]
Known as the "Essex North" district.
Known as the "Essex South" district. From 1813-1815,[5] the district was shaped in such a way that poet and Federalist Richard Alsop described it as a "Gerry-mander" (a portmanteau of Gerry—the governor at the time—and salamander). Illustrator Elkanah Tisdale subsequently used the term as the basis for a political cartoon, which popularized it and led to "gerrymandering" being used to describe the practice of manipulating electoral district boundaries to gain a political advantage.[6]
The Act of September 16, 1842, established the district on the North Shore and New Hampshire border, with the following municipalities:[7]
"Parts of the counties of Bristol, Norfolk, and Plymouth."[8]
During this decade, the district contained the following municipalities:[9]
During this decade, the district contained the following municipalities:[10]
During this decade, the district contained the following municipalities:
After the 2010 census, the shape of the district changed for the elections of 2012. The updated district covered central Massachusetts, including much of Worcester County, and was largely the successor to the old 3rd District. Most of the old 2nd district, including Springfield, was moved into the updated 1st district.
During this decade, the district contained the following municipalities:[11]
| Year | Office | Result | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | President | Gore 56–33% | |
| 2004 | President | Kerry 59–40% | |
| 2008 | President | Obama 60.4–37.5% | |
| 2012 | President | Obama 58.7–39.2% | |
| 2016 | President | Clinton 56.2–36.8% | |
| 2020 | President | Biden 61.6–35.7% |
| Member | Party | Years | Cong ress | Electoral history | District location | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| District created March 4, 1789 | |||||||||
| align=left | Benjamin Goodhue | style=background: | Pro-Administration | nowrap | March 4, 1789 – March 3, 1793 | Elected January 29, 1789, on the second ballot. Re-elected October 4, 1790. Redistricted to the . | 1789–1793 Essex County | ||
| align=left | Dwight Foster | style=background: | Pro-Administration | nowrap rowspan=4 | General ticket
| Elected April 1, 1793, on the third ballot as part of the four-seat general ticket, representing the district at-large. Redistricted to the . | 1793–1795 Berkshire County, Worcester County, and Hampshire County | ||
| align=left | Theodore Sedgwick | style=background: | Pro-Administration | Redistricted from the and re-elected November 2, 1792, as part of the four-seat general ticket, representing the district from Berkshire County. Redistricted to the . | |||||
| align=left | Artemas Ward | style=background: | Pro-Administration | Redistricted from the and re-elected November 2, 1792, as part of the four-seat general ticket, representing the district from Worcester County. | |||||
| align=left rowspan=2 | William Lyman | style=background: | Anti-Administration | Elected April 1, 1793, on the third ballot as part of the four-seat general ticket, representing the district from Hampshire County. Re-elected November 3, 1794, as the sole representative from the district. Lost re-election. | |||||
| style=background: | Democratic-Republican | nowrap | March 4, 1795 – March 3, 1797 | 1795–1803 "2nd Western district" | |||||
| align=left | William Shepard | style=background: | Federalist | nowrap | March 4, 1797 – March 3, 1803 | Elected January 16, 1797, on the second ballot. Re-elected in 1798. Re-elected in 1800. Retired. | |||
| align=left | Jacob Crowninshield | style=background: | Democratic-Republican | nowrap | March 4, 1803 – April 15, 1808 | Elected in 1802. Re-elected in 1804. Re-elected in 1806. Died. | 1803–1823 "Essex South district" | ||
| Vacant | nowrap | April 15, 1808 – May 23, 1808 | |||||||
| align=left | Joseph Story | style=background: | Democratic-Republican | nowrap | May 23, 1808 – March 3, 1809 | Elected to finish Crowninshield's term. Retired. | |||
| align=left | Benjamin Pickman Jr. | style=background: | Federalist | nowrap | March 4, 1809 – March 3, 1811 | Elected in 1808. Retired. | |||
| align=left | William Reed | style=background: | Federalist | nowrap | March 4, 1811 – March 3, 1815 | Elected in 1810. Re-elected in 1812. Retired. | |||
| align=left | Timothy Pickering | style=background: | Federalist | nowrap | March 4, 1815 – March 3, 1817 | Redistricted from the and re-elected in 1814. Lost re-election. | |||
| align=left | Nathaniel Silsbee | style=background: | Democratic-Republican | nowrap | March 4, 1817 – March 3, 1821 | Elected in 1816. Re-elected in 1818. Retired. | |||
| align=left | Gideon Barstow | style=background: | Democratic-Republican | nowrap | March 4, 1821 – March 3, 1823 | Elected in 1821 on the third ballot. Retired. | |||
Benjamin W. Crowninshield | style=background: | Democratic-Republican | nowrap | March 4, 1823 – March 3, 1825 | Elected in 1823 on the second ballot. Re-elected in 1824. Re-elected in 1826. Re-elected in 1828. Lost re-election. | 1823–1833 "Essex South district" | |||
| style=background: | Anti-Jacksonian | nowrap | March 4, 1825 – March 3, 1831 | ||||||
Rufus Choate | Anti-Jacksonian | March 4, 1831 – June 30, 1834 | Elected in 1830. Re-elected in 1833. Resigned. | ||||||
| 1833–1843 | |||||||||
| Vacant | nowrap | June 30, 1834 – December 1, 1834 | |||||||
| align=left rowspan=2 | Stephen C. Phillips | style=background: | Anti-Jacksonian | nowrap | December 1, 1834 – March 3, 1837 | Elected to finish Choate's term. Also elected to the full term in 1834. Re-elected in 1836. Resigned to become Mayor of Salem. | |||
| style=background: | Whig | nowrap | March 4, 1837 – September 28, 1838 | ||||||
| Vacant | nowrap | September 28, 1838 – December 5, 1838 | |||||||
| align=left | Leverett Saltonstall | style=background: | Whig | nowrap | December 5, 1838 – March 3, 1843 | Elected to finish Phillips's term in 1838 and seated December 5, 1838. Also elected to the full term in 1838. Re-elected in 1840. Lost re-election. | |||
| align=left | Daniel P. King | style=background: | Whig | nowrap | March 4, 1843 – July 25, 1850 | Elected in 1843 on the fourth ballot. Re-elected in 1844. Re-elected in 1846. Re-elected in 1848. Died. | 1843–1853 | ||
| Vacant | nowrap | July 25, 1850 – March 3, 1851 | |||||||
| align=left | Robert Rantoul Jr. | style=background: | Democratic | nowrap | March 4, 1851 – August 7, 1852 | Elected in 1850. Died. | |||
| Vacant | nowrap | August 7, 1852 – December 13, 1852 | |||||||
| align=left | Francis B. Fay | style=background: | Whig | nowrap | December 13, 1852 – March 3, 1853 | Elected to finish Rantoul's term. Retired. | |||
| align=left | Samuel L. Crocker | style=background: | Whig | nowrap | March 4, 1853 – March 3, 1855 | Elected in 1852. Lost re-election. | 1853–1863 | ||
| align=left rowspan=2 | James Buffington[12] | style=background: | Know Nothing | nowrap | March 4, 1855 – March 3, 1857 | Elected in 1854. Re-elected in 1856. Re-elected in 1858. Re-elected in 1860. Retired. | |||
| style=background: | Republican | nowrap | March 4, 1857 – March 3, 1863 | ||||||
| align=left | Oakes Ames | style=background: | Republican | nowrap | March 4, 1863 – March 3, 1873 | Elected in 1862. Re-elected in 1864. Re-elected in 1866. Re-elected in 1868. Re-elected in 1870. Retired. | 1863–1873 | ||
| align=left | Benjamin W. Harris[13] [14] | style=background: | Republican | nowrap | March 4, 1873 – March 3, 1883 | Elected in 1872. Re-elected in 1874. Re-elected in 1876. Re-elected in 1878. Re-elected in 1880. Retired. | 1873–1883 | ||
| align=left | John D. Long | style=background: | Republican | nowrap | March 4, 1883 – March 3, 1889 | Elected in 1882. Re-elected in 1884. Re-elected in 1886. Retired. | 1883–1893 | ||
| align=left | Elijah A. Morse | style=background: | Republican | nowrap | March 4, 1889 – March 3, 1893 | Elected in 1888. Re-elected in 1890. Redistricted to the . | |||
Frederick H. Gillett[15] [16] | Republican | March 4, 1893 – March 3, 1925 | Elected in 1892. Re-elected in 1894. Re-elected in 1896. Re-elected in 1898. Re-elected in 1900. Re-elected in 1902. Re-elected in 1904. Re-elected in 1906. Re-elected in 1908. Re-elected in 1910. Re-elected in 1912. Re-elected in 1914. Re-elected in 1916. Re-elected in 1918. Re-elected in 1920. Re-elected in 1922. Retired to run for U.S. senator. | 1893–1903 | |||||
| 1903–1913 | |||||||||
| 1913–1933 | |||||||||
| align=left | George B. Churchill | style=background: | Republican | nowrap | March 4, 1925 – July 1, 1925 | Elected in 1924. Died. | |||
| Vacant | nowrap | July 1, 1925 – September 29, 1925 | |||||||
| align=left | Henry L. Bowles | style=background: | Republican | nowrap | September 29, 1925 – March 3, 1929 | Elected to finish Churchill's term. Re-elected in 1926. Retired. | |||
| align=left | Will Kirk Kaynor | style=background: | Republican | nowrap | March 4, 1929 – December 20, 1929 | Elected in 1928. Died. | |||
| Vacant | nowrap | December 20, 1929 – February 11, 1930 | |||||||
William J. Granfield | Democratic | February 11, 1930 – January 3, 1937 | Elected to finish Kaynor's term. Also elected to full term in 1930. Re-elected in 1932. Re-elected in 1932. Re-elected in 1934. Retired. | ||||||
| 1933–1943 | |||||||||
Charles R. Clason[17] | Republican | January 3, 1937 – January 3, 1949 | Elected in 1936. Re-elected in 1938. Re-elected in 1940. Re-elected in 1942. Re-elected in 1944. Re-elected in 1946. Lost re-election. | ||||||
| 1943–1953 | |||||||||
| align=left | Foster Furcolo | style=background: | Democratic | nowrap | January 3, 1949 – September 30, 1952 | Elected in 1948. Re-elected in 1950. Retired and then resigned early when appointed State Treasurer. | |||
| Vacant | nowrap | September 30, 1952 – January 3, 1953 | |||||||
Edward Boland[18] | Democratic | January 3, 1953 – January 3, 1989 | Elected in 1952. Re-elected in 1954. Re-elected in 1956. Re-elected in 1958. Re-elected in 1960. Re-elected in 1962. Re-elected in 1964. Re-elected in 1966. Re-elected in 1968. Re-elected in 1970. Re-elected in 1972. Re-elected in 1974. Re-elected in 1976. Re-elected in 1978. Re-elected in 1980. Re-elected in 1982. Re-elected in 1984. Re-elected in 1986. Retired. | 1953–1963 | |||||
| 1963–1973 | |||||||||
| 1973–1983 | |||||||||
| 1983–1993 | |||||||||
Richard Neal[19] | Democratic | January 3, 1989 – January 3, 2013 | Elected in 1988. Re-elected in 1990. Re-elected in 1992. Re-elected in 1994. Re-elected in 1996. Re-elected in 1998. Re-elected in 2000. Re-elected in 2002. Re-elected in 2004. Re-elected in 2006. Re-elected in 2008. Re-elected in 2010. Redistricted to the . | ||||||
| 1993–2003 | |||||||||
| 2003–2013 | |||||||||
Jim McGovern | Democratic | January 3, 2013 – present | Redistricted from the and re-elected in 2012. Re-elected in 2014. Re-elected in 2016. Re-elected in 2018. Re-elected in 2020. Re-elected in 2022. | 2013–2023 | |||||
| 2023–present | |||||||||
