MA 4th Congressional District: Voter Guide

BROOKLINE, MA — Nearly a dozen candidates, including eight Democrats and two Republicans, are vying to represent the Massachusetts 4th Congressional District. It's a district that runs from Newton and parts of Brookline, Wellesley and Hopkinton and down to the South Coast.

Why so many challengers? Rep. Joe Kennedy is giving up his seat to challenge Sen. Ed Markey in the senate.

EARLY RESULTS: Primary Results, 4th Congressional District, More

Republicans Julie Hall and David Rosa are on the ballot, but the real race appears to be heating up between the field of Democrats. The Boston Globe endorsed Newton City Councilor Jake Auchincloss, but a prominent columnist at the Globe criticized that move and threw her weight behind former Brookline Select Board member and president of the Alliance for Business Leadership's Jesse Mermell.

To get to know the candidates, Patch asked each of them to answer questions about their campaigns —Everything from what current politicians inspired them, to what they thought the most pressing issue across the district was, and how they proposed to address it.

On the question of most pressing issues, Dr. Natalia Linos, Jake Auchincloss, Alan Khazei, Ben Siegel agreed that the pandemic was front and center. Meanwhile, Ihssane Leckey and Becky Grossman said the most pressing was equitable access to resources. Jesse Mermell said it was health care.

We've linked to their full answers below. We're also including videos of candidate forums to help you decide.

Patch profiles of the Democrats:

• Jesse Mermell, of Brookline — Former Aide To Gov. Deval Patrick
• Chris Zannetos, of Wellesley— Entrepreneur, Dropped out, endorsed Mermell on Aug. 26
• Ihssane Leckey, of Brookline— Former Wall Street Regulator
• Dr. Natalia Linos, of Brookline— Epidemiologist
• Becky Grossman, of Newton— Newton City Councilor
• Dave Cavell, of Brookline - Dropped Out, endorsed Mermell on Aug. 13
• Jake Auchincloss, of Newton— Newton City Councilor
• Ben Sigel, of Brookline— Lawyer/Activist
• Alan Khazei, of Brookline— Founder of several service organizations including City Year

Republican candidates:

• Julie Hall, of Attleboro
• David Rosa, of Dighton — Former military

Forums:

More Patch articles:

• Khazei, Auchincloss Rake In Most Money For Congressional ...
• 4th Congressional District Poll Puts These 4 In The Lead...

The district includes parts of Bristol, Middlesex, Norfolk, Plymouth and Worcester counties and encompasses 34 cities and towns, with a population of 725,000. Rep. Barney Frank held the seat from 1981 until Kennedy took over in 2012.

Other resources:

Newton League of Women Voter Election Tool for 4th Congressional District

4th District Candidates ... - WBUR

Got a tip? Patch reporter Jenna Fisher can be reached at Jenna.Fisher@patch.com or by calling 617-942-0474. Follow her on Twitter and Instagram (@ReporterJenna). Are you rooting for one of the candidates? Here's how to post your opinion piece, or letter supporting your candiate.