BOSTON — The Merrimack Valley’s representative in Congress is seeking another two years in Washington, D.C. after filing paperwork to run for a fourth term.
Rep. Lori Trahan, D-Westford, has turned in more than the required 2,000 nominating signatures with the Secretary of State’s Office to run for reelection in the 3th Congressional District, which spans 15 communities stretching along the New Hampshire border, from Winchendon Springs to Haverhill.
“I go to work every day to deliver real results that will improve life for hardworking families across Massachusetts,” Trahan, of Westford, said in a statement on her reelection bid.
“I’m proud of our successful efforts to bring home historic investments to rebuild our roads and bridges, break ground on manufacturing facilities that will create good jobs, improve access to mental health care for our children, and expand pathways for people of all ages to get ahead, ” she added.
If reelected, Trahan said she is would be focused on making Massachusetts “a place where young adults can afford to buy a house and raise a family of their own, to improve our health care system so no one has to live in fear of their hospital closing, and to beat back extreme anti-abortion politicians who are dead set on rolling back the reproductive rights of women.”
Trahan was first elected to Congress in 2018 to replace outgoing Rep. Niki Tsongas, after squeaking out a narrow primary win against nine other Democrats and beating Republican Rick Green and Independent Mike Moran in the general election.
She cruised to another term in 2020 after not fielding challengers but faced opposition from Republican Dean Tran in the 2022 election. Trahan won the race with nearly 64% of the vote, according to state election data.
It’s not clear if Trahan will face a challenger in November, but nobody had pulled nomination papers to run for the congressional seat from the Secretary of State’s office as of Friday.
If someone does jump into the race, Trahan already has a substantial campaign war chest at her disposal with more than $1 million cash on hand as of March 31, according to Federal Election Commission filings.
Her campaign says she has also been focused on drumming money for Democrats in other states, and has contributed more than $560,000 to the party’s efforts to retake Congress.
Her reelection bid comes as a record number of congressional lawmakers have stepped down amid partisan bickering and redistricting changes in their home states. In the 118th Congress, at least 48 House members have departed or announced plans to leave Congress, about 11% of the lower chamber.
Democrats are hoping to regain control of the House from Republicans in the November elections, when voters will also be electing a president for the next four years. Incumbent President Joe Biden is facing a grudge match bid from former Republican President Donald Trump, with polls showing the race tied.
But deep-blue Massachusetts isn’t one of the two dozen competitive battleground states, where the control of the White House and Congress will be decided.
All 11 members of the state’s congressional delegation are Democrats, and the party has a 3 to 1 voter registration advantage over Republicans.
Christian M. Wade covers the Massachusetts Statehouse for North of Boston Media Group’s newspapers and websites. Email him at cwade@cnhinews.com