Massachusetts First Essex and Middlesex District · the strongest Democratic and Republican presidential performances recorded here, measured three ways.
1892–2024 (partial returns from 1876) · 38 presidential cycles · 38 with a vote-share denominator · 34 with a national benchmark
Highest vote share
Largest share of the presidential candidate vote cast here.
Democratic
Lyndon B. Johnson1964
71.5%
54,407 votes · D+43.5 · modeled estimate
Runner-up · Joe Biden, 2020 · 62.2%
Republican
Warren G. Harding1920
74.0%
27,864 votes · R+53.0 · modeled estimate
Runner-up · William McKinley, 1896 · 70.7%
Most votes
Largest number of votes cast for the party’s presidential nominee here.
Democratic
Joe Biden2020
73,576votes
62.2% of the vote · D+26.9 · modeled estimate
Runner-up · Kamala Harris, 2024 · 69,519 votes
Republican
Dwight D. Eisenhower1956
49,916votes
63.6% of the vote · R+27.5 · modeled estimate
Runner-up · Ronald Reagan, 1984 · 48,451 votes
Best relative to the U.S.
This Place’s margin against the national margin in the same election — positive when it leaned toward the party more than the country did.
Democratic
Kamala Harris2024
+24.1pts D vs U.S.
Place D+22.6 · U.S. R+1.5 · modeled estimate
Runner-up · George McGovern, 1972 · +22.7 pts
Republican
William McKinley1896
+44.8pts R vs U.S.
Place R+50.9 · U.S. R+6.1 · modeled estimate
Runner-up · Alf Landon, 1936 · +27.6 pts
current representation
Current officeholders
RBruce TarrState Senate · First Essex and Middlesex
State legislative officeholder from OpenStates nightly current-legislator data.
U.S. House elections · 1 House
Senate and governor results are in the Office selector at the top of this page.
U.S. House
Each row is a county-allocated estimate of U.S. House votes for this district — county returns apportioned onto its boundary, not precinct-counted. “Vote lead” is the estimated local lead here, not necessarily the winner of the full contest.
Source · Akashic county-allocated estimate from certified county returns, House; not precinct-counted.
Year
Vote lead
Democratic
Republican
Total
2020
D
74.2%63,599
25.8%22,103
85,702
Stretching across aging industrial cities and older suburbs north of Boston, this district delivered a 22.6-point Democratic presidential margin in 2024, reflecting a durable blue lean rooted in dense, working-class urban precincts.
Across the recorded series it reached a Democratic high of 43.5 points in 1964 and a Republican high of 53.0 points in 1920. Between 2020 and 2024 the district moved 4.3 points toward the Republican candidate; the 2024 margin was 22.6 points.
A population of 180,038, a 89% non-Hispanic-white share, and a median household income of $134,508 describe the district. The district's voting pattern over the last decade is most similar to that of Second Essex and Middlesex District and First Plymouth and Norfolk District.
Akashic
Political twins — state-senate districts
The state-senate districts whose fingerprint — 2000–2024 trajectory, demographics, ancestry, religion — sits closest to this one, and why.
Twin score (0–100) = weighted cosine between tier-standardized fingerprints: presidential margins 2000–2024 with 12-yr trend and elasticity, ACS income, age, education, population and race, top reported ancestries, and religious adherence — chips name the closest-shared dimensions and the widest gap. Re-weight the groups in the twins explorer.
Compare two places, side by side
Twelve curated comparisons line up election history, demographics, and the divergence story for two places at a glance. Browse all comparisons → · Or open the source-auditable district brief for electoral baseline, electorate, current-cycle coverage, geography, official dates, and methodology. Open campaign intelligence report →
Cite this page
All citations released under CC BY 4.0. Attribution: Akashic Intelligence.
Massachusetts First Essex and Middlesex District. Akashic. https://akashic.app/sld-upper/25D21/. Accessed May 20, 2026. License: CC BY 4.0.
How did Massachusetts First Essex and Middlesex District vote in 2024?
In 2024, Massachusetts First Essex and Middlesex District voted Democratic by 22.6 points (D+22.6), carried by the Democratic candidate. Out of 115,634 votes cast, 69,519 went Democratic and 43,353 went Republican.
When did Massachusetts First Essex and Middlesex District last vote Republican?
The most recent presidential election in which Massachusetts First Essex and Middlesex District voted Republican was 1988.
How many people live in Massachusetts First Essex and Middlesex District?
Massachusetts First Essex and Middlesex District has a population of 180,038 according to the 2024 American Community Survey 5-year estimates from the US Census Bureau.
What is the median household income in Massachusetts First Essex and Middlesex District?
Median household income in Massachusetts First Essex and Middlesex District is $134,508 — above the national median of $80,734. The Massachusetts state median is $103,960.
What is the political history of Massachusetts First Essex and Middlesex District?
Akashic tracks 38 presidential elections in Massachusetts First Essex and Middlesex District from 1876 to 2024. Of those, 14 went Democratic and 23 went Republican.