Massachusetts's 7th congressional district is a congressional district located in eastern Massachusetts, including roughly three-fourths of the city of Boston and a few of its northern and southern suburbs. The seat is currently held by Democrat Ayanna Pressley.

Massachusetts's 7th congressional district
From 2013 to 2023 From 2023 to 2033 Interactive map of district boundaries (Boston highlighted in red)
Representative	Ayanna Pressley D–Boston
Population (2021)	779,197
Median household income	$76,207[1]
Ethnicity	41.5% White 26.0% Black 18.6% Hispanic 9.9% Asian 2.6% Two or more races 1.3% other
Cook PVI	D+35[2]

Due to redistricting after the 2010 census, the borders of the district were changed, with most of the old 7th district redistricted to the new 5th district,[3] and most of the old 8th district comprising the new 7th district. With a partisan lean of D+35 according to the Cook Political Report, the 7th is the most Democratic district in Massachusetts, and one of the most Democratic districts in the United States.

According to The Boston Globe and the latest census data, approximately 33 percent of the population of the district were born outside of the United States, with approximately 34 percent of the population white, 26 percent African American, and 21 percent Latino.[4]

In 2019, Ayanna Presley became the first female and person of color to represent the district as well as the Commonwealth of Massachusetts in Congress.[5]

Election results from presidential races

Cities and towns in the district

• Boston:
  • Wards 1, 2
  • Ward 3: Precincts 7, 8
  • Ward 4
  • Ward 5: Precincts 1, 2, 2A, 6-10
  • Ward 7: Precinct 10
  • Wards 8-10
  • Ward 11: Precincts 1-8
  • Ward 12
  • Ward 13: Precincts 1, 2, 4-6, 8 and 9
  • Ward 14
  • Ward 15
  • Ward 16: Precincts 1, 3, 4, 6, 8, 11
  • Ward 17
  • Ward 18
  • Ward 19: Precincts 7, 10-13
  • Ward 20: Precinct 3
  • Wards 21 and 22

(the remainder of Boston is in the 8th district)

• Cambridge:
  • Wards 1, 2, 3, 5, 11
  • Ward 4: Precinct 1
  • Ward 10: Precinct 3

(the remainder of Cambridge is in the 5th district)

• Chelsea
• Everett
• Milton:
  • Precincts 1, 5 and 10

(the remainder of Milton is in the 8th district)

• Randolph
• Somerville

Cities and towns in the district prior to 2013

1790s-1830s

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1840s

1849: "The whole of Berkshire County; Ashfield, Buckland, Charlemont, Coleraine, Conway, Hawley, Heath, Leyden, Monroe, Rowe, and Shelburne, in Franklin County; Chesterfield, Cummington, Goshen, Middlefield, Norwich, Plainfield, Southampton, Westhampton, Williamsburg, and Worthington, in Hampshire County; and Blandford, Chester, Granville, Montgomery, Russell, and Tolland, in the County of Hampden."[6]

1850s-1880s

An act of the legislature passed April 22, 1852 divided the 7th district of Massachusetts as such: "The towns of Andover, Boxford, Bradford, Danvers, Haverhill, Lawrence, Lynnfield, Methuen, Middleton, Saugus, and Topsfield in the county of Essex; and the city of Charlestown, and the towns of Burlington, Lexington, Malden, Medford, Melrose, Reading, Somerville, South Reading, Stoneham, Waltham, and Woburn, in the county of Middlesex."[7]

1890s

1893: "Essex County: Towns of Lynn, Nahant, and Saugus. Middlesex County: Towns of Everett, Malden, Melrose, Stoneham, and Wakefield. Suffolk County: 4th and 5th wards of the city of Boston, and the towns of Chelsea and Revere."[8]

1910s

1916: In Essex County: Boxford, Lawrence, Lynn, Lynnfield, Middleton, Nahant, North Andover, Peabody, Saugus. In Middlesex County: North Reading.[9][10]

1940s

1941: In Essex County: Lawrence, Lynn (part), Middleton, Nahant, North Andover, Peabody. In Suffolk County: Chelsea, Revere, Winthrop.[11]

1950s-2002

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2003-2013

In Middlesex County:

• Arlington
• Belmont
• Everett
• Framingham
• Lexington
• Lincoln
• Malden
• Medford
• Melrose
• Natick
• Stoneham
• Waltham
• Watertown
• Wayland: Precinct 2
• Weston
• Winchester
• Woburn

In Suffolk County:

• Revere
• Winthrop

List of members representing the district

Member	Party	Years	Cong ress	Electoral history	District location
George Leonard	Pro-Administration	March 4, 1789 – March 3, 1791	1st	Elected in 1788. Redistricted to the 6th district.	1789–1793 Bristol County, Dukes County, and Nantucket County
Artemas Ward	Pro-Administration	March 4, 1791 – March 3, 1793	2nd	Elected in 1790. Redistricted to the 2nd district.
District inactive		March 4, 1793 – March 3, 1795	3rd
George Leonard	Federalist	March 4, 1795 – March 3, 1797	4th	Elected in 1795 on the fourth ballot. Retired.	1795–1803 "3rd Southern district"
Stephen Bullock	Federalist	March 4, 1797 – March 3, 1799	5th	Elected in 1797 on the third ballot. Lost re-election.
Phanuel Bishop	Democratic-Republican	March 4, 1799 – March 3, 1803	6th 7th	Elected in 1799 on the fourth ballot. Re-elected in 1800. Redistricted to the 9th district.
Nahum Mitchell	Federalist	March 4, 1803 – March 3, 1805	8th	Elected in 1802. Lost re-election.	1803–1815 "Plymouth district"
Joseph Barker	Democratic-Republican	March 4, 1805 – March 3, 1809	9th 10th	Elected in 1804. Re-elected in 1806. Retired.
William Baylies	Federalist	March 4, 1809 – June 28, 1809	11th	Elected in 1808. Lost election challenge.[lower-alpha 1]
Charles Turner Jr.	Democratic-Republican	June 28, 1809 – March 3, 1813	11th 12th	Won election challenge.[lower-alpha 1] Re-elected in 1810. Lost re-election.
William Baylies	Federalist	March 4, 1813 – March 3, 1815	13th	Elected in 1812. Redistricted to the 8th district.
John W. Hulbert	Federalist	March 4, 1815 – March 3, 1817	14th	Redistricted from the 12th district and re-elected in 1814. Retired.	1815–1823 "Berkshire district"
Henry Shaw	Democratic-Republican	March 4, 1817 – March 3, 1821	15th 16th	Elected in 1816. Re-elected in 1819 on the second ballot. Retired.
Henry W. Dwight	Federalist	March 4, 1821 – March 3, 1823	17th	Elected in 1820. Redistricted to the 9th district.
Samuel C. Allen	Federalist	March 4, 1823 – March 3, 1825	18th 19th 20th	Redistricted from the 6th district. Re-elected in 1825. Re-elected in 1826. [data unknown/missing]	1823–1833 "Franklin district"
	Anti-Jacksonian	March 4, 1825 – March 3, 1829
George Grennell Jr.	Anti-Jacksonian	March 4, 1829 – March 3, 1833	21st 22nd	Elected in 1828. Re-elected in 1830. Redistricted to the 6th district.
George N. Briggs	Anti-Jacksonian	March 4, 1833 – March 3, 1837	23rd 24th 25th 26th 27th	Redistricted from the 9th district and re-elected in 1833. Re-elected in 1834. Re-elected in 1836. Re-elected in 1838. Re-elected in 1840. Retired.	1833–1843 [data unknown/missing]
	Whig	March 4, 1837 – March 3, 1843
Julius Rockwell	Whig	March 4, 1843 – March 3, 1851	28th 29th 30th 31st	Elected late on the sixth ballot in 1844. Re-elected in 1846. Re-elected in 1848. [data unknown/missing]	1843–1853 [data unknown/missing]
John Z. Goodrich	Whig	March 4, 1851 – March 3, 1853	32nd	Elected in 1851. Redistricted to the 11th district.
Nathaniel P. Banks	Democratic	March 4, 1853 – March 3, 1855	33rd 34th 35th	Elected in 1852. Re-elected in 1854. Re-elected in 1856. Resigned to become Governor of Massachusetts.	1853–1863 [data unknown/missing]
	Know Nothing	March 4, 1855 – March 3, 1857
	Republican	March 4, 1857 – December 24, 1857
Vacant		December 24, 1857 – January 31, 1858	35th
Daniel W. Gooch[13]	Republican	January 31, 1858 – March 3, 1863	35th 36th 37th	Elected to finish Banks's term. Re-elected in 1858. Re-elected in 1860. Redistricted to the 6th district.
George S. Boutwell	Republican	March 4, 1863 – March 12, 1869	38th 39th 40th 41st	Elected in 1862. Re-elected in 1864. Re-elected in 1866. Re-elected in 1868. Resigned to become U.S. Secretary of Treasury.	1863–1873 [data unknown/missing]
Vacant		March 12, 1869 – November 2, 1869	41st
George M. Brooks	Republican	November 2, 1869 – May 13, 1872	41st 42nd	Elected to finish Boutwell's term. Re-elected in 1870. Resigned.
Vacant		May 13, 1872 – December 2, 1872	42nd
Constantine C. Esty	Republican	December 2, 1872 – March 3, 1873		Elected to finish Brooks's term. [data unknown/missing]
Ebenezer R. Hoar	Republican	March 4, 1873 – March 3, 1875	43rd	Elected in 1872. [data unknown/missing]	1873–1883 [data unknown/missing]
John K. Tarbox	Democratic	March 4, 1875 – March 3, 1877	44th	Elected in 1874. [data unknown/missing]
Benjamin F. Butler[14]	Republican	March 4, 1877 – March 3, 1879	45th	Elected in 1876. [data unknown/missing]
William A. Russell[15]	Republican	March 4, 1879 – March 3, 1883	46th 47th	Elected in 1878. Re-elected in 1880. Redistricted to the 8th district.
Eben F. Stone	Republican	March 4, 1883 – March 3, 1887	48th 49th	Redistricted from the 6th district and re-elected in 1882. Re-elected in 1884. [data unknown/missing]	1883–1893 [data unknown/missing]
William Cogswell	Republican	March 4, 1887 – March 3, 1893	50th 51st 52nd	Elected in 1886. Re-elected in 1888. Re-elected in 1890. Redistricted to the 6th district.
Vacant		March 4, 1893 – April 25, 1893	53rd	Member Henry Cabot Lodge had been redistricted from the 6th district and re-elected in 1892, but resigned to become a U.S. senator.	1893–1903 [data unknown/missing]
William Everett	Democratic	April 25, 1893 – March 3, 1895		Elected to finish Cabot Lodge's term. [data unknown/missing]
William Emerson Barrett[16]	Republican	March 4, 1895 – March 3, 1899	54th 55th	Elected in 1894. Re-elected in 1896. [data unknown/missing]
Ernest W. Roberts[17]	Republican	March 4, 1899 – March 3, 1913	56th 57th 58th 59th 60th 61st 62nd	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. Redistricted to the 9th district.
					1903–1913 [data unknown/missing]
Michael Francis Phelan	Democratic	March 4, 1913 – March 3, 1921	63rd 64th 65th 66th	Elected in 1912. Re-elected in 1914. Re-elected in 1916. Re-elected in 1918. Lost re-election.	1913–1923 [data unknown/missing]
Robert S. Maloney	Republican	March 4, 1921 – March 3, 1923	67th	Elected in 1920. Lost re-election.
William P. Connery Jr.	Democratic	March 4, 1923 – June 15, 1937	68th 69th 70th 71st 72nd 73rd 74th 75th	Elected in 1922. Re-elected in 1924. Re-elected in 1926. Re-elected in 1928. Re-elected in 1930. Re-elected in 1932. Re-elected in 1934. Died.	1923–1933 [data unknown/missing]
1933–1943 [data unknown/missing]
	Vacant		June 16, 1937 – September 27, 1937	75th
	Lawrence J. Connery[18]	Democratic	September 28, 1937 – October 19, 1941	75th 76th 77th	Elected to finish his brother's term. Re-elected in 1938. Re-elected in 1940. Died.
	Vacant		October 20, 1941 – December 29, 1941	77th
	Thomas J. Lane	Democratic	December 30, 1941 – January 3, 1963	77th 78th 79th 80th 81st 82nd 83rd 84th 85th 86th 87th	Elected to finish Connery's term. Re-elected in 1942. Re-elected in 1944. Re-elected in 1946. Re-elected in 1948. Re-elected in 1950. Re-elected in 1952. Re-elected in 1954. Re-elected in 1956. Re-elected in 1958. Re-elected in 1960. Redistricted to the 5th district and lost re-election.
1943–1953 [data unknown/missing]
1953–1963 [data unknown/missing]
Torbert H. Macdonald[19]	Democratic	January 3, 1963 – May 21, 1976	88th 89th 90th 91st 92nd 93rd 94th	Redistricted from the 8th district. Re-elected in 1964. Re-elected in 1966. Re-elected in 1968. Re-elected in 1970. Re-elected in 1972. Re-elected in 1974. Died.	1963–1973 [data unknown/missing]
1973–1983 [data unknown/missing]
	Vacant		May 22, 1976 – November 1, 1976	94th
	Ed Markey[20]	Democratic	November 2, 1976 – January 3, 2013	94th 95th 96th 97th 98th 99th 100th 101st 102nd 103rd 104th 105th 106th 107th 108th 109th 110th 111th 112th	Elected to finish Macdonald's term. Simultaneously elected to a full term in 1976. Re-elected in 1978. Re-elected in 1980. Re-elected in 1982. Re-elected in 1984. Re-elected in 1986. Re-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 5th district.
1983–1993 [data unknown/missing]
1993–2003 [data unknown/missing]
2003–2013 [data unknown/missing]
Michael Capuano	Democratic	January 3, 2013 – January 3, 2019	113th 114th 115th	Redistricted from the 8th district. Re-elected in 2014. Re-elected in 2016. Lost renomination.	2013–Present [data unknown/missing]
Ayanna Pressley	Democratic	January 3, 2019 – Present	116th 117th	Elected in 2018. Re-elected in 2020. Re-elected in 2022.

Recent election results

2012

2014

2016

2018

2020

Notes

References

Citations

General sources

• Martis, Kenneth C. (1989). The Historical Atlas of Political Parties in the United States Congress. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company.
• Martis, Kenneth C. (1982). The Historical Atlas of United States Congressional Districts. New York: Macmillan Publishing Company.
• Congressional Biographical Directory of the United States 1774–present

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Massachusetts's 7th congressional district.

• Map of Massachusetts's 7th Congressional District, via Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth
• Rose Institute of State and Local Government, "Massachusetts: 2010 Redistricting Changes: Seventh District", Redistricting by State, Claremont, CA: Claremont McKenna College, archived from the original on September 15, 2020
• "Our Campaigns - United States - Massachusetts - MA - District 07". www.ourcampaigns.com. Retrieved December 31, 2020.

Election results

• CNN.com 2004 election results
• CNN.com 2006 election results