U.S. House, Massachusetts 3rd Congressional District · Election November 3, 2026 · Updated
Who should I vote for in Massachusetts's 3rd Congressional District?
Lori Trahan has the strongest record in Massachusetts's 3rd Congressional District. Lori Trahan scores 67 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, ahead of Gary Grossi at 56, as of October 9, 2026. Lori Trahan's highest marks are relevant experience and roots in the constituency. Gary Grossi's highest marks are relevant experience and roots in the constituency. Dennis Conlon (4 of 15 criteria) has too little public record to score. Every score comes from public records on character, qualifications and performance, the same way for every party.
Unenrolled
Dennis Conlon
On the ballot as Dennis R. Conlon
Not enough public record for a score
Public evidence on 4 of 15 criteria
- Character
- NR
- Qualifications
- 50
- Performance
- NR
Republican
Gary Grossi
On the ballot as Gary J. Grossi
56 / 100
Public evidence on 8 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 50
- Qualifications
- 60
- Performance
- NR
Democratic · incumbent
Strongest record
Lori Trahan
On the ballot as Lori Loureiro Trahan
67 / 100
Public evidence on 13 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 50
- Qualifications
- 80
- Performance
- 69
The good, the bad and the unresolved
The record
The notable facts of each candidate's public life, each tied to a source and confirmed to be this person. Unresolved matters are labeled with where they stand and do not move a score.
Dennis Conlon
No notable items confirmed in news archives or public documents.
Gary Grossi
- Credit2026-03-11
Is a retired U.S. Army colonel and a Department of Veterans Affairs official from Acton, per the Eagle-Tribune.
Lori Trahan
- Mark against2021-07-27
Reported a Sept. 10, 2020 sale of up to $15,000 in Stella Connect stock about 10 months after the trade, past the STOCK Act's 45-day deadline.
Sources: House Clerk periodic transaction report, Filing ID 20019067, Insider via Yahoo News
- On the record2026-04-02
Held an in-person town hall in Westford that lasted almost two hours.
Source: WestfordCAT, April 10, 2026
- On the record2025-09-04
The group U.S. Term Limits ran a billboard criticizing her for backing away from a term-limits constitutional amendment she had pledged to support.
- On the record2023
The FEC found no reason to believe on the excessive-contribution and reporting allegations in MURs 7585 and 7588, dismissed the remaining claims and closed the file.
Source: FEC MUR 7588
- On the record2021-01-06
Voted Nay on both House objections to Arizona's and Pennsylvania's certified electors.
Sources: House Clerk Roll Call 10, Jan. 6, 2021, House Clerk Roll Call 11, Jan. 7, 2021
- On the record2019-12-17
The Office of Congressional Ethics found substantial reason to believe her 2018 campaign took excessive contributions via loans traced to her husband and referred the matter to the House Ethics Committee.
Source: Roll Call, Dec. 17, 2019
- Credit2026
Provisions of her Accelerating Kids' Access to Care Act, H.R. 1509, were enacted through other legislation in the 119th Congress.
Source: GovTrack, H.R. 1509 (119th)
- Credit2020-07-15
The House Ethics Committee unanimously adopted a report taking no further action, finding the $300,000 in loans did not violate House rules or law.
Sources: House Ethics Committee Report 116-451, Roll Call, July 16, 2020
Who they are
Character
Integrity
Tells the truth, keeps their word, and takes no private gain from public office.
Dennis Conlon. No public record found.
Gary Grossi. Filed a House candidate financial disclosure June 12, 2026; FEC reports on file through Aug. 12, 2026. No FEC administrative fine or official finding found.
Sources: House Clerk candidate financial disclosure, Filing ID 10080040, FEC administrative fines search, committee C00941054
Lori Trahan. 2025 annual disclosure filed Aug. 12, 2026 after an extension. House Ethics closed a 2019 OCE referral with no action; the FEC found no reason to believe. One 2021 stock-sale report was about 10 months late.
Sources: House Clerk financial disclosure, Filing ID 10075586, House Ethics Committee Report 116-451, FEC MUR 7588, House Clerk periodic transaction report, Filing ID 20019067
Courage
Takes a stand that costs them something, including telling their own side no.
Dennis Conlon. No public record found.
Gary Grossi. No public record found.
Lori Trahan. No public record found.
Accountability
Owns mistakes, answers hard questions, and works in the open.
Dennis Conlon. No public record found.
Gary Grossi. No public record found.
Lori Trahan. Held an in-person town hall at Westford's Stony Brook School on April 2, 2026, taking residents' questions for almost two hours. No 2026 general election debate with Gary Grossi found.
Source: WestfordCAT, April 10, 2026
Temperament and judgment
Steady under pressure, decides on evidence, and treats opponents and staff with respect.
Dennis Conlon. No public record found.
Gary Grossi. Served 29 years in the Army and Army Reserve and worked as a VA psychiatric and substance abuse nurse, with no formal conduct finding found.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Gary Grossi, Campaign site
Lori Trahan. Former chief of staff to Rep. Marty Meehan and a U.S. representative since 2019, with no formal conduct finding; the 2019 OCE referral closed with no action.
Sources: Office site, About, Roll Call, July 16, 2020
Fidelity to the oath
Uses power inside its limits: accepts certified results, obeys court rulings, follows the rules of the office.
Dennis Conlon. No public record found.
Gary Grossi. Commissioned in the U.S. Army in 1990 and retired as a colonel. No official finding of misuse of office found.
Source: Campaign site
Lori Trahan. Took the House oath in 2019. Voted Nay on both January 2021 objections to certified electors. No official finding of misuse of office found.
Sources: House Clerk Roll Call 10, Jan. 6, 2021, House Clerk Roll Call 11, Jan. 7, 2021
What they bring
Qualifications
Relevant experience
Has done work that prepares them for this specific office.
Dennis Conlon. Retired analytical chemist with a 43-year career, last as a principal scientist in medical device product development, named as an inventor on nine U.S. patents. Has not held public office.
Gary Grossi. Retired Army Reserve colonel who was deputy commander for nursing of the 399th Combat Support Hospital from 2007 to 2019 and led a mental health clinic in Iraq; VA nurse from 1995 to 2022.
Sources: Campaign site, Ballotpedia, Gary Grossi
Lori Trahan. U.S. representative since Jan. 3, 2019, completing her fourth term; earlier chief of staff to Rep. Marty Meehan.
Sources: GovTrack, Lori Trahan, Office site, About
Command of the job
Knows the issues and knows what the office can and cannot do.
Dennis Conlon. States positions in his Ballotpedia survey in general terms.
Gary Grossi. Publishes positions on energy costs, housing, health care, public safety and term limits in general terms.
Source: Campaign site
Lori Trahan. Sits on the Energy and Commerce Committee and its Commerce, Manufacturing and Trade, Health, and Oversight subcommittees. Holds no chair or ranking post.
Source: GovTrack, Lori Trahan
Communication
Explains plainly, persuades, and listens.
Dennis Conlon. Completed Ballotpedia's 2026 Candidate Connection survey.
Source: Ballotpedia, Dennis Conlon
Gary Grossi. Publishes issue positions on his campaign site. Has not completed Ballotpedia's 2026 survey.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Gary Grossi, Campaign site
Lori Trahan. Publishes an e-newsletter and issue priority pages and holds town halls. Has not completed Ballotpedia's 2026 survey.
Sources: Office site, home page, Campaign site, WestfordCAT, April 10, 2026
Roots in the constituency
Lives there, knows the people, and is funded by them.
Dennis Conlon. Listed by the Secretary of the Commonwealth with a Hudson address, in the 3rd District.
Source: Secretary of the Commonwealth, 2026 State Election Candidates
Gary Grossi. Lives in Acton, was born and raised in Cambridge, and serves on the board of Acton's Iron Work Farm and as vice chair of the Acton Republican Town Committee. FEC by-state totals show all $1,435 itemized from Massachusetts.
Sources: Secretary of the Commonwealth, 2026 State Election Candidates, Campaign site, FEC contribution totals by state
Lori Trahan. Grew up in Lowell, her hometown, and attended Lowell public schools. FEC by-state totals for 2025 to 2026 show about 79 percent of itemized individual contributions from Massachusetts.
Sources: Office site, About, FEC contribution totals by state
Management
Can build and run an organization.
Dennis Conlon. No public record found.
Gary Grossi. Campaign reports are on file with the FEC through Aug. 12, 2026. No FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: FEC candidate page, FEC administrative fines search, committee C00941054
Lori Trahan. Campaign reports are on file with the FEC through Aug. 12, 2026. No FEC administrative fine found; the FEC took no action against her campaign in MUR 7588.
Sources: FEC candidate page, FEC administrative fines search, committee C00655647
What they deliver
Performance
Results
Turns ideas into outcomes.
Dennis Conlon. No public record found.
Gary Grossi. No public record found.
Lori Trahan. Center for Effective Lawmaking rates her Meets Expectations for the 118th Congress (LES 2.0 of 0.732 against 0.530). GovTrack counts 4 enacted bills as sponsor; provisions of her Accelerating Kids' Access to Care Act were enacted in the 119th.
Sources: Center for Effective Lawmaking House dataset, 93rd to 118th Congress, GovTrack, Lori Trahan, GovTrack, H.R. 1509 (119th)
Showing up
Does the basic work of the job.
Dennis Conlon. No public record found.
Gary Grossi. No public record found.
Lori Trahan. Missed 50 of 3,869 roll call votes, 1.3 percent, from January 2019 to September 2026.
Source: GovTrack, Lori Trahan
Constituent service
Solves problems for the people they represent.
Dennis Conlon. No public record found.
Gary Grossi. No public record found.
Lori Trahan. Keeps district offices in Lowell and Lawrence and publishes casework figures: 26,278 constituent cases closed and 2,294 meetings and events attended.
Source: Office site, home page
Coalition building
Wins support beyond their own faction.
Dennis Conlon. No public record found.
Gary Grossi. No public record found.
Lori Trahan. Lugar Center Bipartisan Index score of minus 0.29344 in the latest posted House scores (2023), ranked 187 of 436, a negative score above the bottom quarter.
Source: Lugar Center and McCourt School Bipartisan Index, House Scores
Stewardship of public money
Treats tax dollars as someone else's money.
Dennis Conlon. No public record found.
Gary Grossi. No public record found.
Lori Trahan. No public record found.
How to read this
Each criterion is scored 0 to 4 against the written rubric in the Ballot Standard. NR means no record: there is no reliable public evidence either way, so the criterion is left out and never counts against the candidate. A total is published when at least 8 of 15 criteria have evidence.
A sitting officeholder has a longer public record than a first-time candidate, so the two totals rest on different amounts of evidence. Read the count of criteria beside each score. Low marks require an official finding or a primary record. Allegations and opinion are not used.
No policy position is scored. Evidence checked October 9, 2026. Campaigns and readers can send a correction with a public source to tpg@thepoliticalgroup.com.
Questions
Who should I vote for in Massachusetts's 3rd Congressional District?
Lori Trahan has the strongest record in Massachusetts's 3rd Congressional District. Lori Trahan scores 67 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, ahead of Gary Grossi at 56, as of October 9, 2026. Lori Trahan's highest marks are relevant experience and roots in the constituency. Gary Grossi's highest marks are relevant experience and roots in the constituency. Dennis Conlon (4 of 15 criteria) has too little public record to score. Every score comes from public records on character, qualifications and performance, the same way for every party.
Who is running in Massachusetts's 3rd Congressional District in 2026?
Dennis Conlon (Unenrolled), Gary Grossi (Republican), Lori Trahan (Democratic, incumbent). The general election is November 3, 2026.
Is Dennis Conlon a good candidate for Congress?
Dennis Conlon has public evidence on 4 of the 15 Ballot Standard criteria, short of the 8 needed for a score. The evidence that exists is shown on the scorecard. No record never counts against a candidate.
Is Gary Grossi a good candidate for Congress?
Gary Grossi scores 56 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, with public evidence on 8 of 15 criteria: character 50 of 100, qualifications 60 of 100, performance no record. The standard measures character, qualifications and performance, not policy positions.
Is Lori Trahan a good candidate for Congress?
Lori Trahan scores 67 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, with public evidence on 13 of 15 criteria: character 50 of 100, qualifications 80 of 100, performance 69 of 100. The standard measures character, qualifications and performance, not policy positions.
How is the strongest record decided?
The candidate with the highest Ballot Standard score has the strongest record. Each of 15 criteria on character, qualifications and performance is scored 0 to 4 from public records and established reporting, the same way for every party. No policy position is scored, and unresolved accusations never move a score.
More on this race: every Massachusetts race scored, and the Massachusetts 2026 election guide. Independent scorecard by The Political Group, not affiliated with any candidate or party.