Rep. Stephen Lynch (D-Mass.) is projected to survive a challenge from Patrick Roath in the Democratic primary for the 8th Congressional District in Massachusetts.
Lynch, 71, has served in Congress since 2001, while Roath, a 39-year-old attorney and former aide to Gov. Deval Patrick (D), highlighted the need for generational change in his first bid for elected office.
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The older candidate’s victory is one instance of Democratic primary voters not choosing a younger candidate after former President Joe Biden’s age-related struggles in 2024 highlighted what some call a “gerontocracy” in the Democratic political establishment.
On the campaign trail, Lynch touted his experience as a political asset. “You also need people who’ve been through the wars, who can get things done, that bring a perspective over time,” he told WBUR in July. “You don’t want all brand-new people — like my opponent — who have zero experience in government.”
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During a debate with Lynch last month, Roath said “the path forward is going to look different than the past” and “we can’t keep sending the same people down” to Washington.
The Lynch-Roath showdown wasn’t entirely about age and experience, however. Lynch was one of several dozen House Democrats who last year voted for the Laken Riley Act, a bill that gave the Department of Homeland Security more power to detain immigrants accused of crimes. The vote has been hugely controversial in Democratic primaries thanks to the Donald Trump administration’s politically toxic crackdown on immigration. Roath called Lynch’s vote “disqualifying” during the candidates’ debate.
Lynch also voted against the Affordable Care Act during the Barack Obama administration. As the progressive group Indivisible noted, he’s the last remaining Democrat in Congress to have done so. The law represented Democrats’ last major push for universal health care, and they have since expanded its subsidies and refused to fund the federal government last fall when Republicans said no to a continuation of the most recent expansion.
Lynch is a senior member of the House Oversight Committee and served as its top Democrat in a temporary capacity following the death of Rep. Gerry Connolly (D-Va.) last year. He will face only token Republican opposition to represent the solidly blue 8th District in the November general election.
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