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Candidates cross district lines
By Eric Athas/The MetroWest Daily News
Thu Aug 16, 2007, 11:10 AM EDT
Lancaster -Three candidates vying for the seat in the 5th Congressional District do not live in the district.
The candidates — Framingham Republican Tom Tierney, state Rep. James Miceli, D-Wilmington, and Constitution Party candidate Kevin Thompson of Brockton — are looking to fill the seat left vacant by U.S. Rep. Martin Meehan, who recently took a job as chancellor of the University of Massachusetts at Lowell.
There are 10 candidates running for the seat, which represents 29 cities and towns.
The fact that Tierney, Miceli and Thompson do not live in the district is unusual, said John Portz, a professor in the political science department at Northeastern University.
Portz said unlike a parliamentary system — where it is common for candidates to run for positions outside their residency — it is rare in the United States for outsiders to run in another district. Candidates are required to live in the state in which they are running, but not necessarily the district.
“I think in our country, it would be unusual,” said Portz. “It's interesting, though, that the constitution says that person only needs to be in the state to run.”
Tierney said his living in Framingham has not come up “in any forum” discussing his candidacy. He said his experience and desire to be a congressman are what the voters are interested in.
Other than some technicalities (Tierney can’t vote for himself), Tierney said his residence does not change a thing.
“The logistics of doing it is exactly the same as any regular candidate,” said Tierney. “It’s quite often when you have an open seat, you have people from outside the district.”
This is Tierney’s fifth go for a seat in Congress. When Tierney, 61, last ran, he said, Framingham was located in the 5th Congressional District. Redistricting later moved it to the 7th District, represented by Democrat Edward Markey.
Miceli resides in Wilmington, but represents Tewksbury, which is in the 5th District. Miceli said his location in Wilmington only means he has had to sacrifice during his time as a representative.
“The fact that my home base is Wilmington, what that means is I’m sacrificing,” said Miceli, who referred to the 5th District as “a great district.”
Miceli said, for example, if he is working on a project, he will wake up at 3 a.m. and make the drive from Wilmington into Boston or Tewksbury.
“I've spoken with people and I'm getting a great reception,” said Miceli. “We've been on a good campaign and we're going out with a bang.”
Niki Tsongas, who is also running for the seat, previously lived out of the district — in Charlestown, part of Boston — but later moved into a condominium in Lowell. Tsongas said the change in location was mostly for personal reasons.
The primary is scheduled for Sept. 4, and the final election is tabbed for Oct. 16. This is the first time since 2001 that there has been an open seat in Massachusetts congressional delegation.
David Paleologos, director of Suffolk University’s Political Research Center, told the State House News Service: “Open congressional seats come around once in a lifetime.”
He added that state representatives and senators don’t often pass up that chance.
