Patrick Roath
Patrick Roath (Democratic Party) ran for election to the U.S. House to represent Massachusetts' 8th Congressional District. He lost in the Democratic primary on September 1, 2026.
Roath completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2026. Click here to read the survey answers.
Biography
Patrick Roath earned a high school diploma from New Canaan High School. He earned a bachelor's degree from Tufts University in 2009 and a law degree from Columbia University in 2014. His career experience includes working as an attorney.[1]
2026 battleground election
Ballotpedia identified the September 1 Democratic primary as a battleground race. The summary below is from our coverage of this election here Incumbent Stephen Lynch (D) defeated Patrick Roath (D) in the Democratic primary for Massachusetts' 8th Congressional District on September 1, 2026.
WBUR's Anthony Brooks wrote, "The race is one of many primary contests across the country pitting the power of incumbency against a call for generational change."[2]
Roath criticized Lynch's record, saying he was not in touch with the Democratic base. Roath wrote in a Substack post: "His voting record speaks for itself. Congressman Lynch is not seriously and meaningfully committed to reversing the damage wrought by Trump ... We can continue with the status quo, or we can elect a new generation of leaders."[3] Lynch said that his experience has given him an understanding of how Congress works: "You also need people who've been through the wars, who can get things done, that bring a perspective over time. You don't want all brand-new people — like my opponent — who have zero experience in government."[2]
Lynch was first elected to Congress via a special election in 2001. He campaigned on his background in Congress as well as his background as a former ironworker. His campaign website said, "I've spent my entire life fighting for working families, eighteen of those years spent in a pair of work boots as an Ironworker. And I'm proud to say that when I was elected to Congress, I never left my working class values behind."[4] Lynch campaigned on his record on the economy. His campaign website said that he "will continue to support policies that strengthen our economy, grow our middle class and help America's working families."[5] The Professional Firefighters of Massachusetts and the Iron Workers Local 7 endorsed Lynch.[6]
Roath was a lawyer and aide to former Gov. Deval Patrick (D). He campaigned on supporting a federal paid leave plan based on Massachusetts' state program, writing in a Substack post, "I'll fight to bring the Massachusetts model nationwide. Every American worker deserves what we've already achieved here—12 weeks of guaranteed paid family leave, regardless of whether you work for a corporation or small business, whether you're salaried or hourly."[7] Roath also campaigned on building more housing units, and his campaign website said, "The housing crisis stems from one basic problem: we don't have enough affordable homes in the right places ... I'll champion federal action to build millions of homes that teachers, nurses, and firefighters can actually afford."[8] Gov. Patrick and the Boston Teachers' Union endorsed Roath.[9]
This page focuses on Massachusetts' 8th Congressional District Democratic primary. For more in-depth information on the district's Republican primary and the general election, see the following pages:
- Massachusetts' 8th Congressional District election, 2026 (September 1 Republican primary)
- Massachusetts' 8th Congressional District election, 2026
Elections
2026
See also: Massachusetts' 8th Congressional District election, 2026
Massachusetts' 8th Congressional District election, 2026 (September 1 Republican primary)
Massachusetts' 8th Congressional District election, 2026 (September 1 Democratic primary)
General election
The candidate list in this election may not be complete.
General election for U.S. House Massachusetts District 8
Incumbent Stephen Lynch and Robert Burke are running in the general election for U.S. House Massachusetts District 8 on November 3, 2026.
Candidate | ||
 | Stephen Lynch (D) | |
 | Robert Burke (R) | |
| ||||
 = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
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Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
- Kelechi Linardon (Unenrolled)
- Michael Hammond (Unenrolled)
Democratic primary election
Democratic primary for U.S. House Massachusetts District 8
Incumbent Stephen Lynch defeated Patrick Roath in the Democratic primary for U.S. House Massachusetts District 8 on September 1, 2026.
Candidate | % | Votes | ||
| ✔ | | Stephen Lynch | 56.9 | 46,354 |
 | Patrick Roath | 43.1 | 35,143 | |
| Total votes: 81,497 | |||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Withdrawn or disqualified candidates
Republican primary election
Republican primary for U.S. House Massachusetts District 8
Robert Burke advanced from the Republican primary for U.S. House Massachusetts District 8 on September 1, 2026.
Candidate | ||
| ✔ | | Robert Burke |
| ||||
| = candidate completed the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection survey. | ||||
| If you are a candidate and would like to tell readers and voters more about why they should vote for you, complete the Ballotpedia Candidate Connection Survey. | ||||
Do you want a spreadsheet of this type of data? Contact our sales team. | ||||
Endorsements
Patrick Roath received the following endorsements. To view a full list of Roath's endorsements as published by their campaign, click here. To send us additional endorsements, click here.
- Boston Teachers Union
- Massachusetts American Federation of Teachers (AFT)
- Massachusetts Teachers Association
- Blue Wave Democrats (Sway voting group by Caroline Pompizzi)
- Drew’s Recs (Sway voting group by Andrew McArthur)
- It's Our Future (Sway voting group by Skyler Stefanski)
- Jess’s Progressive Picks (Sway voting group by Jess Craven)
- Mamdanification (Sway voting group by Hunter Dunn and Smallplates)
- Progressive Massachusetts
- Voters of Tomorrow Boston (Sway voting group by VOT Boston)
- We Persist (Sway voting group by Tabitha)
Campaign themes
2026
Ballotpedia survey responses
See also: Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection
Patrick Roath completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2026. The survey questions appear in bold and are followed by Roath's responses.
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My mother was born in Brockton, Massachusetts, and raised by a single mom, partly in Braintree. She met my dad at IBM shortly after he finished his service in the U.S. Army. My parents lived the American Dream of upward mobility. I'm running because that promise is slipping away.
I’ve served as a State Department Fulbright fellow, a federal appeals court law clerk, an aide and speechwriter to Governor Deval Patrick, and a Boston lawyer for over a decade. As Board Chair of Common Cause Massachusetts, I helped lead winning campaigns to expand voting. Now, as a new dad living in the Jamaica Plain neighborhood of Boston, I see every problem through the lens of the country we'll hand my daughter's generation.- We need to elect members of Congress who are prepared to fight for our values, push to secure the American Dream, and listen to the people – not special interests.
Job #1 is confronting the affordability crisis head on. I'll fight to build millions of new homes and help first-time buyers, cap childcare costs at 7% of family income (families earning under $100,000 pay nothing), and bring down healthcare costs by taking on corporate middlemen and pushing toward universal coverage.
Congressman Lynch is the last remaining House Democrat who voted against the Affordable Care Act – that’s the opposite of the kind of leadership we need. Making it affordable to raise a family in Massachusetts again is the central mission of this campaign. - We need to fix our broken politics. That starts with getting money out of it. As Board Chair of the voting rights group Common Cause Massachusetts, I helped pass automatic voter registration and mail-in voting. In Congress, I'll fight to overturn Citizens United, ban congressional stock trading, and pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act. I refuse all corporate PAC money. By contrast, my opponent has taken millions from corporate PACs over his career. And I believe in strict term limits: I've committed to serving no more than six terms, because a congressional seat is a trust, not an entitlement.
- Congress must be restored as a check on the dangerous Presidential overreach we are seeing now. That means clawing back war and emergency powers, protecting due process, dismantling ICE, a rogue and dangerous agency, and strengthening oversight so no future president can govern by decree. Congressman Lynch, by contrast, voted to thank ICE, and was the only member of the Massachusetts delegation to vote for the Republicans’ Laken Riley Act. This is a pivotal and frightening moment in our country's history, and it demands representatives who will draw clear lines in defense of the Constitution and the rule of law. That is exactly what I will do.
In Congress, I greatly admire Rep. Jim McGovern, who represents a neighboring district and has built a long, productive career as an effective, values-driven member with real leadership in the caucus. He shows up in his community and persuades constituents who don’t agree with him.
And I’d like to prove that the communities in this Congressional district are ready for my style of leadership.
Note: Ballotpedia reserves the right to edit Candidate Connection survey responses. Any edits made by Ballotpedia will be clearly marked with [brackets] for the public. If the candidate disagrees with an edit, he or she may request the full removal of the survey response from Ballotpedia.org. Ballotpedia does not edit or correct typographical errors unless the candidate's campaign requests it.
Campaign website
Roath's campaign website stated the following:
Priorities
Lower Costs and End Corruption
This is a pivotal time for our country. Right now, we need leaders who are ready to meet the moment, who understand what’s at stake, and who are ready to fix our democracy by building the future we deserve. This campaign is about proving that our government can still get things done for people – starting with tackling the out-of-control costs that are driving people away from our communities.
Affordable housing
Massachusetts is too expensive. The exceptionally high cost of living threatens our region’s future as we lose families and workers to more affordable states. This isn’t just a local problem—it’s a national crisis demanding bold federal action.
We need Washington to lead an ambitious campaign to build millions more affordable units across the country and provide direct assistance to first-time homebuyers.
Family Affordability & Childcare
Every day, across the Eighth District, I hear the same thing: raising a family in Massachusetts, particularly in and around Boston, has become impossibly expensive. Right now, the average annual cost of infant care in Massachusetts is over $26,709 – that is out of reach for most families, and among the most expensive in the country. That is more than tuition at UMass, and the increases in recent years are out of control.
Affordable Healthcare
Every American deserves access to quality, affordable healthcare. The United States is alone among developed countries in not guaranteeing universal health coverage. Too many families face crushing medical bills, limited choices, and unnecessary barriers to care.
There is so much we can be doing in the short, medium, and long term to fix our healthcare system and build up to universal coverage.
Jobs & Economic opportunity
America’s economy should work for working people, not just those at the top. I will champion an opportunity economy where everyone has a chance to compete and succeed. I’ll fight to cut taxes for more than 100 million working and middle-class Americans by expanding the Child Tax and Earned Income Tax Credits, while ensuring the wealthiest Americans and largest corporations pay their fair share. I’ll support investments in American manufacturing, infrastructure, and clean energy that create good-paying jobs with family-sustaining wages and benefits. By removing barriers to opportunity and investing in communities that have been left behind, we can build a future where hard work is rewarded, and the middle class thrives.
Reproductive Rights
I believe that family planning decisions are profoundly personal and should remain between individuals and their healthcare providers—not politicians or the government. The Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade has created a healthcare crisis across our nation, with dire consequences falling heaviest on low-income communities and people of color.
I would be a strong pro-choice vote in Congress and would fight tirelessly to restore and strengthen federal protections for reproductive freedom. I would champion legislation to codify the protections of Roe into federal law through the Women’s Health Protection Act and work to ensure that everyone has access to the full spectrum of reproductive health care regardless of where they live or their economic status.
Immigration
America deserves an immigration system that reflects our proud tradition of being a nation that welcomes those who come to contribute to our shared prosperity.
We cannot abandon our distinct role as a nation of immigrants and the vibrant melting pot of the world. That’s my personal story, as someone descended from Catholic and Jewish refugees fleeing persecution in Ireland and Central Europe. And as a lawyer who has worked on groundbreaking political asylum cases, I am deeply familiar with complexities and weaknesses of existing law.
Public education
As the proud product of public schools, I am committed to strengthening our public education system to ensure every child has access to high-quality learning opportunities regardless of zip code. Our schools face unprecedented challenges—from pandemic learning loss to growing mental health concerns—and we need bold federal leadership that empowers educators and supports students at every stage of development.
Rather than dismantling the Department of Education, we should transform it into a powerful resource for ensuring educational excellence in public schools across the country. This means providing meaningful support to teachers and administrators, including increasing teacher pay, reducing administrative burdens, and supporting schools that take steps to restrict phones from classrooms to enhance student focus.
Fighting for Full Equality & LGBTQ+ Rights
Every single person in our country is entitled to live with dignity, free from discrimination, and with the freedom to be their authentic self. As someone who has fought for civil rights as a lawyer and democracy advocate through my work with Common Cause Massachusetts and other groups, I would be a strong champion for LGBTQ+ equality if elected to the United States Congress. I have been on the front lines of this fight, including by suing Massachusetts to comply with the Constitution by providing appropriate healthcare to trans inmates.
Fixing politics & our democracy
This campaign is about fixing our politics and strengthening our democracy. That means advancing focused, serious, achievable measures designed to address corruption and make our institutions more responsive to the needs of the people.
No Corporate PAC Money. A pro-democracy anti-corruption agenda starts with how this campaign is being run. I refuse to accept any contributions from corporate political action committees (PACs), in an effort to strengthen the separation between candidates for office and corporate interests.
Foreign Policy
America can only be great on the world stage by being good.
My experience teaching English at a rural Islamic boarding school in Malaysia as a Fulbright scholar through the U.S. State Department taught me that America’s greatest strength isn’t our military might—it’s our ability to build genuine partnerships based on mutual respect and shared values. Real security comes from diplomacy, development, and demonstrating that democracy delivers.
Climate & The Environment
The threat posed by climate change requires the United States to take bold action to protect our planet and our future generations. That means both investing in long-term clean energy solutions and making practical decisions that improve the health, safety, and natural beauty of our communities on the ground. Climate change is impacting our region today, and the effects will only be more pronounced in the coming years.
Clean Energy Solutions. I’ll champion investments in the full spectrum of clean energy technologies—from offshore wind and solar to advanced nuclear, fusion, and geothermal—while building environmental resilience through targeted civil engineering projects throughout our district. Massachusetts has the research institutions, skilled workforce, and innovative spirit to lead the nation in developing and deploying these technologies.
Gun Control
The epidemic of gun violence in America demands immediate and serious action. In Congress, I would be a strong advocate for imposing serious and comprehensive controls on gun ownership to minimize the odds that firearms fall into the wrong hands.
We should regulate firearm possession at least as much as we currently regulate motor vehicle possession. Just as we require drivers to be licensed, tested, and insured before operating a vehicle, we should implement a comprehensive licensing system for firearms. Guns are powerful tools that require proper training and responsibility.
Checks And Balances
The Trump Administration is trampling on the checks and balances imposed by the U.S. Constitution and attempting to unilaterally seize powers it is not constitutionally entitled to. These overreaches have been abetted by a Republican-controlled Congress that is letting the Executive run roughshod over Congress’s critical Constitutional role as a check against tyranny.
That acquiescence must end. If Democrats regain power on Capitol Hill after the midterm elections, we should prioritize restoring the critical checks and balances fundamental to our democracy. That means repealing or substantially amending statutes that the Trump Administration has exploited in attempts to seize and misuse authority.
Artificial Intelligence
Artificial intelligence may be the most consequential technology of our lifetimes. It has the potential to drive enormous economic growth, accelerate scientific discovery, and improve lives in countless ways. But it also poses real and growing risks to jobs, families, national security, and our democracy.
We need leaders in Congress who can ask tough questions of the people building this technology, close dangerous loopholes, and make sure that AI strengthens our democracy and our middle class rather than undermining both.
Social Security & Medicare
Social Security is not a handout. It’s earned. You paid into it with every paycheck, and I will fight to protect it.
Absent action from Washington, Social Security benefits are set to drop by more than 20% in the early 2030s. We cannot let that happen.
— Patrick Roath's campaign website (July 24, 2026)
Campaign finance summary
Note: The finance data shown here comes from the disclosures required of candidates and parties. Depending on the election or state, this may represent only a portion of all the funds spent on their behalf. Satellite spending groups may or may not have expended funds related to the candidate or politician on whose page you are reading this disclaimer. Campaign finance data from elections may be incomplete. For elections to federal offices, complete data can be found at the FEC website. Click here for more on federal campaign finance law and here for more on state campaign finance law.
See also
2026 Elections
External links
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Candidate U.S. House Massachusetts District 8 |
Personal |
Footnotes
- ↑ Information submitted to Ballotpedia through the Candidate Connection survey on July 23, 2026
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 WBUR, "Lynch has represented his Mass. district for 25 years. A newcomer says it's his turn," July 17, 2026
- ↑ Substack, "When It Matters," June 18, 2025
- ↑ Stephen Lynch 2026 campaign website, "Our Priorities," accessed July 20, 2026
- ↑ Stephen Lynch 2026 campaign website, "Jobs & Economy," accessed July 20, 2026
- ↑ Axios, "Exclusive: Boston teachers back Lynch challenger in Dem primary fight," May 20, 2026
- ↑ Substack, "My Plan for Family Affordability," December 17, 2025
- ↑ Patrick Roath 2026 campaign website, "Affordable Housing," accessed July 20, 2026
- ↑ Patrick Roath 2026 campaign website, "Endorsements," accessed July 20, 2026
