U.S. House, Massachusetts 4th Congressional District · Election November 3, 2026 · Updated
Who should I vote for in Massachusetts's 4th Congressional District?
Jake Auchincloss has the strongest record in Massachusetts's 4th Congressional District. Jake Auchincloss scores 62 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, as of October 9, 2026. Jake Auchincloss's highest marks are relevant experience and command of the job. Tom Stalcup (6 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.
Democratic · incumbent
Strongest record
Jake Auchincloss
62 / 100
Public evidence on 13 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 50
- Qualifications
- 75
- Performance
- 56
Republican
Tom Stalcup
On the ballot as Thomas Stalcup
Not enough public record for a score
Public evidence on 6 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 50
- Qualifications
- 55
- Performance
- NR
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.
Jake Auchincloss
- On the record2025-09-17
Ruled out a 2026 Senate challenge to Ed Markey to focus on chairing Majority Democrats, a new group of younger Democratic officeholders.
Source: Boston Globe, Sept. 17, 2025
- 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 record2020-08
During his first House primary, apologized for a 2010 Facebook post about burning the Quran and other old social media posts, at a Boston Globe web event.
Sources: Boston.com, Aug. 16, 2020, Jewish Insider, Aug. 11, 2020
- On the record2016 to 2020
Served on the Newton City Council before his election to Congress.
Source: Ballotpedia, Jake Auchincloss
- Credit2010 to 2015
Served in the U.S. Marine Corps, reaching the rank of captain.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Jake Auchincloss, Boston.com, Aug. 28, 2020
Tom Stalcup
No notable items confirmed in news archives or public documents.
Who they are
Character
Integrity
Tells the truth, keeps their word, and takes no private gain from public office.
Jake Auchincloss. Annual disclosure for 2025 filed April 9, 2026; FEC reports on file. His periodic transaction reports from 2022 to 2026 were filed within the 45-day window. No ethics finding or FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: House Clerk financial disclosure, Filing ID 10073339, House Clerk periodic transaction report, Filing ID 20030976, FEC administrative fines search, committee C00721449
Tom Stalcup. Campaign reports are on file with the FEC through Aug. 12, 2026. No FEC administrative fine or official finding found. No House candidate financial disclosure in the Clerk's 2026 index (hand check, E23).
Sources: FEC candidate page, FEC administrative fines search, committee C00945477
Courage
Takes a stand that costs them something, including telling their own side no.
Jake Auchincloss. No public record found.
Tom Stalcup. No public record found.
Accountability
Owns mistakes, answers hard questions, and works in the open.
Jake Auchincloss. Held open-press in-person town halls in Franklin and Dighton in April 2023 and a telephone town hall in March 2025. No 2026 general election debate with Tom Stalcup found.
Sources: Office site, March 31, 2023, Fig City News, March 16, 2025
Tom Stalcup. No public record found.
Temperament and judgment
Steady under pressure, decides on evidence, and treats opponents and staff with respect.
Jake Auchincloss. Marine Corps officer from 2010 to 2015, Newton city councilor from 2016 to 2020 and U.S. representative since 2021, with no formal conduct finding found.
Source: Ballotpedia, Jake Auchincloss
Tom Stalcup. No public record found.
Fidelity to the oath
Uses power inside its limits: accepts certified results, obeys court rulings, follows the rules of the office.
Jake Auchincloss. Served as a Marine officer and took the House oath in 2021; voted Nay on both January 2021 objections to certified electors. No official finding of misuse of office found.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Jake Auchincloss, House Clerk Roll Call 10, Jan. 6, 2021, House Clerk Roll Call 11, Jan. 7, 2021
Tom Stalcup. No public record found.
What they bring
Qualifications
Relevant experience
Has done work that prepares them for this specific office.
Jake Auchincloss. U.S. representative since Jan. 3, 2021, in his third term; earlier a Newton city councilor and a Marine captain who commanded infantry in Afghanistan.
Sources: GovTrack, Jake Auchincloss, Office site, About
Tom Stalcup. Physicist with a 2000 Florida State University Ph.D. who founded an environmental-monitoring company and works as its CEO. Has not held public office.
Source: Ballotpedia, Thomas Stalcup
Command of the job
Knows the issues and knows what the office can and cannot do.
Jake Auchincloss. Sits on the Energy and Commerce Committee and its Energy, Environment and Health subcommittees. Holds no chair or ranking post.
Source: GovTrack, Jake Auchincloss
Tom Stalcup. Proposes specific federal measures: disclosure of the evidence behind major federal policies, scientific whistleblower protections, independent review of agency findings, and broad Medicare drug price negotiation.
Communication
Explains plainly, persuades, and listens.
Jake Auchincloss. Publishes e-newsletters and campaign issue pages and completed Ballotpedia's Candidate Connection survey in 2020.
Sources: Office site, home page, Ballotpedia, Jake Auchincloss, Campaign site
Tom Stalcup. Completed Ballotpedia's 2026 survey and publishes issue pages.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Thomas Stalcup, Campaign site
Roots in the constituency
Lives there, knows the people, and is funded by them.
Jake Auchincloss. Born and raised in Newton and served on its city council. FEC by-state totals for 2025 to 2026 show about 47 percent of itemized individual contributions from Massachusetts.
Sources: Office site, About, FEC contribution totals by state
Tom Stalcup. Listed by the Secretary of the Commonwealth with a Brookline address, in the 4th District; graduated from Falmouth High School. FEC by-state totals show $3,760 of itemized contributions from Massachusetts, about 49 percent.
Sources: Secretary of the Commonwealth, 2026 State Election Candidates, Ballotpedia, Thomas Stalcup, FEC contribution totals by state
Management
Can build and run an organization.
Jake Auchincloss. 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 C00721449
Tom Stalcup. Founded and leads a company; campaign reports are on file with the FEC with no administrative fine found.
Sources: Ballotpedia, Thomas Stalcup, survey, FEC administrative fines search, committee C00945477
What they deliver
Performance
Results
Turns ideas into outcomes.
Jake Auchincloss. Center for Effective Lawmaking rates him Meets Expectations for the 118th Congress (LES 2.0 of 0.276 against a benchmark of 0.526, within CEL's Meets band). GovTrack lists no enacted bills as primary sponsor.
Source: Center for Effective Lawmaking House dataset, 93rd to 118th Congress
Tom Stalcup. No public record found.
Showing up
Does the basic work of the job.
Jake Auchincloss. Missed 61 of 2,915 roll call votes, 2.1 percent, from January 2021 to September 2026.
Source: GovTrack, Jake Auchincloss
Tom Stalcup. No public record found.
Constituent service
Solves problems for the people they represent.
Jake Auchincloss. Keeps district offices in Newton and Attleboro and weekly office hours in Fall River, and offers help with federal agencies.
Source: Office site, home page
Tom Stalcup. No public record found.
Coalition building
Wins support beyond their own faction.
Jake Auchincloss. Lugar Center Bipartisan Index score of minus 0.07951 in the latest posted House scores (2023), ranked 144 of 436, a negative score above the bottom quarter.
Source: Lugar Center and McCourt School Bipartisan Index, House Scores
Tom Stalcup. No public record found.
Stewardship of public money
Treats tax dollars as someone else's money.
Jake Auchincloss. No public record found.
Tom Stalcup. 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 4th Congressional District?
Jake Auchincloss has the strongest record in Massachusetts's 4th Congressional District. Jake Auchincloss scores 62 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, as of October 9, 2026. Jake Auchincloss's highest marks are relevant experience and command of the job. Tom Stalcup (6 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 4th Congressional District in 2026?
Jake Auchincloss (Democratic, incumbent), Tom Stalcup (Republican). The general election is November 3, 2026.
Is Jake Auchincloss a good candidate for Congress?
Jake Auchincloss scores 62 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, with public evidence on 13 of 15 criteria: character 50 of 100, qualifications 75 of 100, performance 56 of 100. The standard measures character, qualifications and performance, not policy positions.
Is Tom Stalcup a good candidate for Congress?
Tom Stalcup has public evidence on 6 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.
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.