Auchincloss Wins 4th Congressional District Race

Jake Auchincloss has won the House seat soon to be vacated by Congressman Joe Kennedy III.

The Newton Democrat easily bested Republican opponent, former U.S. Air Force colonel Julie Hall, in the race for the 4th Congressional District.

"I promise that I will be a representative for the entire district, that I will always listen, and that together, we will work to rebuild this nation," Auchincloss tweeted Tuesday night.

The 4th District includes Newton and Brookline in the north, then sweeps south through Bristol County along the border with Rhode Island.

The general election came on the heels of a hard-fought crowded Democratic primary race to fill the seat Kennedy relinquished in his unsuccessful run for U.S. Senate. Auchincloss, a military veteran and former Newton city councilor, won the primary race by just several hundred votes.

Auchincloss ran for Congress on a platform to boost education, housing and transportation. He also advocated for a “green economic recovery.” A one-time Republican who worked to elect Gov. Charlie Baker in 2014, he told voters he stands against President Trump’s demagogic approach to conservative politics.

“Donald Trump’s America is not the America I fought for as a Marine captain, and it’s not the America I’ve worked for as a city councilor,” Auchincloss told WBUR in July. “I’m running for Congress to help rebuild the country that sent my grandfather, a poor Jewish kid, to college during the darkest hours of WWII — its institutions, its self-confidence, its commitment to justice.”

Auchincloss now identifies as a “Obama-Baker” voter — and a progressive. However, he received criticism from his Democratic rivals in the primary, who questioned his commitment to progressivism and called him out for past comments he posted to social media.

Auchincloss grew up in Newton, scion of a well-appointed family. His mother is the CEO of the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute; his father is Dr. Anthony Fauci’s top deputy.

After graduating from Harvard College in 2010, Auchincloss joined the U.S. Marines, first serving as an infantry captain in Afghanistan, then as commander of an anti-narcotics platoon in Panama. Upon returning home, he mounted a successful campaign for city council in 2015.

“As a city councilor ... I see the strains on local budgets from COVID-19,” Auchincloss said in July. “Without federal relief, cities and towns will be forced into cuts to essential services like education and waste management. … We must prevent cuts to education, and we must ensure a green economic recovery.”

He lives with his wife Michelle and their son Teddy. His two-year term in Congress begins in January.

The audio attached to this post is a Morning Edition conversation between host Bob Oakes and Jake Auchincloss.