Stephen F. Lynch

Democrat Representative of Massachusetts's 8th district

  • Representative

    Massachusetts, district 8

    January 3, 2023 - January 3, 2025

202-225-8273

@RepStephenLynch

lynch.house.gov

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12

Congresses Served

12

House Terms

March 31, 1955 (69 years old)

Birthday

  • Born and raised in South Boston, with a background as an ironworker and lawyer.
  • Served in both chambers of the Massachusetts General Court before his tenure in the U.S. House of Representatives.
  • Became the union’s youngest president at age 30 while attending Wentworth Institute of Technology.
  • Graduated with a J.D. from Boston College Law School and worked primarily representing housing project residents and labor unions.
  • Elected to the Massachusetts House of Representatives in 1994, where he was known for his progressive views.
  • Won a special election to the U.S. House of Representatives in 2001 and has been reelected since.
  • Ran for the Democratic nomination in the 2013 special election for the U.S. Senate but lost to Ed Markey.
  • Has served on the Financial Services and Oversight and Government Reform Committees.
  • Describes himself as a moderate Democrat by Massachusetts standards but liberal by national standards, with a strong pro-labor stance.
  • Voted with President Joe Biden’s stated position 100% of the time in the 117th Congress according to a FiveThirtyEight analysis.
  • Advocates for health care reform but split with his party on Obama’s health care reform efforts, voting against the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act.
  • Initially considered a conservative to moderate Democrat, especially on social issues like abortion, but has shifted positions over time, supporting funding for Planned Parenthood and same-sex marriage.
  • Supported American intervention in the Middle East and made multiple trips to Iraq and Afghanistan.
  • Supports the creation of a national memorial to John Adams in Washington, D.C.
  • Personal life includes a long-term marriage to Margaret Shaughnessy, with whom he has a daughter, and he lives in South Boston.