What is John Tierney's Legacy?

U.S. Rep. John Tierney will leave office next month, after representing the Sixth Congressional District for the past 18 years.

On Sunday, the Democrat from Salem hosted an event thanking more than 400 supporters at the Danversport Yacht Club.

The district, which includes Lynnfield plus most of the North Shore, Merrimack Valley and other areas north of Boston, will now be represented by Seth Moulton, also a Democrat from Salem.

Moulton, who was relatively unknown before the summer, surged to a win in the Democratic Party in September, when Tierney was ousted, and then defeated Republican Richard Tisei of Wakefield and independent Chris Stockwell of Marblehead in the November general election.

The new Congress, including Moulton, is scheduled to be sworn in on Jan. 6, 2015.

For many years, Tierney breezed to election wins in the district, including earning 70 percent or more of the vote in four out of five elections from 2000-2008. In 2012, he won by just 4,000 votes over Tisei before losing by 8 percentage points to Moulton this year.

Tierney was first elected in 1996 when he defeated Republican Peter Torkildsen of Danvers. After a narrow win in 1996, Tierney faced Torkildsen again in 1998 and won by more than 10 percentage points.

Tierney is now in his final month representing the district.

In a letter to the editor published Wednesday in the Salem News, Tierney called his time representing the district as “the greatest honor of my life“ and “the privilege of a lifetime.” He cited accomplishments including bringing $230 million to the cities and towns in the district and helping 4,000 constituents in the past five years. He also mentioned Moulton by name, saying that he hopes Moulton “aspires to provide thoughtful representation and quality constituent service.”

On Tuesday, the Boston Globe reported that Tierney was at the hearing with MIT Professor Jonathan Gruber about his comments about the Affordable Care Act, but Tierney “left the hearing before waiting his turn to speak.”

Last week, he missed a vote on the Strengthening Domestic Nuclear Security Act and National Laboratories Mean National Security Act, and voted in favor of the No Social Security for Nazis Act, World War I American Veterans Centennial Commemorative Coin Act, Howard Coble Coast Guard and Maritime Transportation Act, Tax Increase Prevention Act, Achieving a Better Life Experience Act and voted against the Preventing Executive Overreach on Immigration Act and Carl Levin and Howard P. ‘Buck’ McKeon National Defense Authorization Act, according to a roll call of the House of Representatives’ votes.

In a recent column, longtime North Shore reporter, editorial writer and columnist Nelson Benton suggested that Tierney “has received more criticism than the kind of accolades that would normally accompany one who has served his district for the better part of two decades.”

What do you think? What will be U.S. Rep. John Tierney’s legacy? Let us known in the comments.