U.S. House, Massachusetts 8th Congressional District · Election November 3, 2026 · Updated
Who should I vote for in Massachusetts's 8th Congressional District?
Stephen Lynch has the strongest record in Massachusetts's 8th Congressional District. Stephen Lynch scores 61 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, as of October 9, 2026. Stephen Lynch's highest marks are relevant experience and command of the job. Rob Burke (5 of 15 criteria) and Rasheed Walters (4 of 15 criteria) have too little public record to score. Every score comes from public records on character, qualifications and performance, the same way for every party.
Republican
Rob Burke
On the ballot as Robert G. Burke
Not enough public record for a score
Public evidence on 5 of 15 criteria
- Character
- NR
- Qualifications
- 55
- Performance
- NR
Democratic · incumbent
Strongest record
Stephen Lynch
On the ballot as Stephen F. Lynch
61 / 100
Public evidence on 14 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 50
- Qualifications
- 85
- Performance
- 44
Independent
Rasheed Walters
On the ballot as Rasheed Nicholas Walters
Not enough public record for a score
Public evidence on 4 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 50
- Qualifications
- 67
- 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.
Rob Burke
- On the record2026
Says he ran for the 8th District seat in 2022 and 2024 and is running again in 2026.
Source: Campaign site, Meet Rob
Stephen Lynch
- Mark against2023-05-03
Filed a stock transaction report on May 3, 2023 for December 2022 retirement fund trades noticed Jan. 11, 2023, past the reporting deadline; the filing says the quarterly statement had been misplaced.
Source: House Clerk periodic transaction report, Filing ID 20020981
- On the record2026-08-13
Debated primary challenger Patrick Roath at a League of Women Voters forum in Weymouth, the only face-to-face meeting scheduled in the primary.
Source: South Shore News, Aug. 14, 2026
- On the record2025-01-07
Voted Yea on the Laken Riley Act, the only Massachusetts House member to do so, while Leader Jeffries voted Nay; his 2026 primary challenger cited the vote.
Sources: House Clerk Roll Call 6, Jan. 7, 2025, South Shore News, Aug. 14, 2026
- On the record2023-08
Won earmarks of $2 million (FY2023) for the South Boston health center employing his wife, and $1 million (FY2022) for the Gavin Foundation, where she is on the board; he says neither breaks the rules.
Source: Boston Globe, Aug. 20, 2023
- Credit2026-07-11
Sponsored H.R. 6269, the Modular Housing Production Act; its provisions were enacted in the 21st Century ROAD to Housing Act on July 11, 2026.
- Credit2021-12-27
Sponsored H.R. 6343, the Illicit Finance Improvements Act on Russian money laundering; its provisions were enacted in the FY2022 National Defense Authorization Act.
Rasheed Walters
- On the record2026-07-05
Filed a statement of candidacy with the FEC as an independent for the 8th District.
Source: FEC candidate page
- On the record2023-05
Was lead plaintiff in Walters v. Boston City Council; in May 2023 a federal judge blocked the council's 2022 redistricting map and ordered it redrawn.
Sources: Dorchester Reporter, May 8, 2023, CommonWealth Beacon, May 17, 2023
- On the record2022-2023
Wrote opinion columns for the Boston Herald from July 2022 to March 2023.
Sources: CommonWealth Beacon, May 17, 2023, Dorchester Reporter, May 8, 2023
Who they are
Character
Integrity
Tells the truth, keeps their word, and takes no private gain from public office.
Rob Burke. No public record found.
Stephen Lynch. A May 2023 stock transaction report disclosed four December 2022 retirement fund trades about four months after his January 2023 notice; the filing says the quarterly statement was misplaced. No House Ethics Committee finding or FEC fine found.
Sources: House Clerk periodic transaction report, Filing ID 20020981, FEC administrative fines search
Rasheed Walters. Filed a House candidate financial disclosure on Aug. 27, 2026, and a statement of candidacy with the FEC on July 5, 2026. No FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: House Clerk candidate financial disclosure, Filing ID 10082743, FEC candidate page, FEC administrative fines search
Courage
Takes a stand that costs them something, including telling their own side no.
Rob Burke. No public record found.
Stephen Lynch. Voted against Leader Jeffries and most House Democrats on several 2025 and 2026 bills, including the Laken Riley Act, as the only Massachusetts member to vote for it, and the DC CRIMES Act.
Sources: House Clerk Roll Call 6, Jan. 7, 2025, Laken Riley Act, South Shore News, Aug. 14, 2026, House Clerk Roll Call 270, Sept. 16, 2025, DC CRIMES Act
Rasheed Walters. No public record found.
Accountability
Owns mistakes, answers hard questions, and works in the open.
Rob Burke. No public record found.
Stephen Lynch. Took part in the only scheduled 2026 primary forum, a League of Women Voters event in Weymouth on Aug. 13, and held a virtual town hall on May 19, 2026.
Sources: South Shore News, Aug. 14, 2026, Office site, home page
Rasheed Walters. No public record found.
Temperament and judgment
Steady under pressure, decides on evidence, and treats opponents and staff with respect.
Rob Burke. No public record found.
Stephen Lynch. Has held public office since 1995, in both chambers of the Massachusetts legislature and in the U.S. House since 2001. No censure, reprimand or House Ethics Committee finding names him.
Sources: Office site, About, House Committee on Ethics site search for Lynch
Rasheed Walters. 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.
Rob Burke. No public record found.
Stephen Lynch. Voted Nay on both January 2021 objections to certified electors, did not vote on the January 2005 objection and made no objection in January 2017. No official finding of misuse of office.
Sources: House Clerk Roll Call 10, Jan. 6, 2021, House Clerk Roll Call 11, Jan. 7, 2021, House Clerk Roll Call 7, Jan. 6, 2005, objection to Ohio electors
Rasheed Walters. No public record found.
What they bring
Qualifications
Relevant experience
Has done work that prepares them for this specific office.
Rob Burke. Says he worked in telecommunications, founded a cleaning company, and later worked as a sports videographer and package delivery driver. Has not held public office.
Source: Campaign site, Meet Rob
Stephen Lynch. In the U.S. House since October 2001, after serving in the Massachusetts House and Senate, where he chaired the Joint Committee on Commerce and Labor.
Source: Office site, About
Rasheed Walters. No public record found.
Command of the job
Knows the issues and knows what the office can and cannot do.
Rob Burke. Publishes priorities in general terms on voting rules, immigration, jobs, safety and health care, naming one bill, the SAVE America Act.
Source: Campaign site, Priorities
Stephen Lynch. Ranking member of the Financial Services Subcommittee on Digital Assets, Financial Technology, and Artificial Intelligence, and a member of the Oversight Committee.
Source: GovTrack, committee membership
Rasheed Walters. Publishes detailed issue pages, including a pledge to co-sponsor a $5 billion annual federal pothole repair program paid directly to cities and towns.
Communication
Explains plainly, persuades, and listens.
Rob Burke. Publishes a priorities page on his campaign site. No questionnaire response or debate record found.
Source: Campaign site, Priorities
Stephen Lynch. Offers an e-newsletter and issue pages, held a virtual town hall in May 2026 and took part in an August 2026 forum. Has not completed Ballotpedia's 2026 survey.
Sources: Office site, About, Office site, home page, South Shore News, Aug. 14, 2026, Ballotpedia, Stephen Lynch
Rasheed Walters. Publishes issue pages on ten topics. Has not completed Ballotpedia's 2026 survey.
Sources: Campaign site, home page, Ballotpedia, Rasheed Walters
Roots in the constituency
Lives there, knows the people, and is funded by them.
Rob Burke. Lives in Dedham, which lies wholly in the 8th District, and grew up in Milton, which the district shares with the 7th. Reports no itemized individual contributions for 2025 to 2026.
Sources: MA Secretary of the Commonwealth, 2026 State Election Candidates (Wayback capture Sept. 20, 2026), Campaign site, Meet Rob, U.S. Census Bureau, 119th Congress district to county subdivision relationship file, Massachusetts, FEC candidate page
Stephen Lynch. Born and raised in South Boston, where he lives. FEC by-state totals for 2025 to 2026 show about 92 percent of itemized individual contributions from Massachusetts.
Sources: Office site, About, MA Secretary of the Commonwealth, 2026 State Election Candidates (Wayback capture Sept. 20, 2026), FEC contribution totals by state
Rasheed Walters. Born in Boston and raised in Dorchester, and lists a Boston address; Boston is split between the 7th and 8th Districts.
Sources: Campaign site, About, MA Secretary of the Commonwealth, 2026 State Election Candidates (Wayback capture Sept. 20, 2026)
Management
Can build and run an organization.
Rob Burke. Campaign committee reports are on file with the FEC through Sept. 30, 2026; the committee reports a $1,500 candidate loan. No FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: FEC candidate page, FEC administrative fines search
Stephen Lynch. Campaign committee reports are on file with the FEC through Aug. 12, 2026, with no debts owed by the committee. No FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: FEC candidate page, FEC administrative fines search
Rasheed Walters. No public record found.
What they deliver
Performance
Results
Turns ideas into outcomes.
Rob Burke. No public record found.
Stephen Lynch. Legislative Effectiveness Score of 0.235 in the 118th Congress against a benchmark of 0.568, below expectations. Raised to 2 under E14: his Illicit Finance Improvements Act was enacted in the FY2022 defense authorization.
Sources: Center for Effective Lawmaking House dataset, 93rd to 118th Congress, GovTrack, H.R. 6343 (117th Congress), GovTrack, H.R. 6269 (119th Congress)
Rasheed Walters. No public record found.
Showing up
Does the basic work of the job.
Rob Burke. No public record found.
Stephen Lynch. Missed 540 of 15,781 roll call votes, 3.4 percent, from October 2001 to September 2026.
Source: GovTrack, missed votes
Rasheed Walters. No public record found.
Constituent service
Solves problems for the people they represent.
Rob Burke. No public record found.
Stephen Lynch. Keeps district offices in Boston, Brockton and Quincy and offers casework with federal agencies. No published casework totals found.
Rasheed Walters. No public record found.
Coalition building
Wins support beyond their own faction.
Rob Burke. No public record found.
Stephen Lynch. Lugar Center Bipartisan Index score of -1.35412 in the latest posted House scores (118th Congress, 2023), ranked 394 of 436, in the bottom quarter.
Source: Lugar Center and McCourt School Bipartisan Index, House Scores
Rasheed Walters. No public record found.
Stewardship of public money
Treats tax dollars as someone else's money.
Rob Burke. No public record found.
Stephen Lynch. No public record found.
Rasheed Walters. 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 8th Congressional District?
Stephen Lynch has the strongest record in Massachusetts's 8th Congressional District. Stephen Lynch scores 61 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, as of October 9, 2026. Stephen Lynch's highest marks are relevant experience and command of the job. Rob Burke (5 of 15 criteria) and Rasheed Walters (4 of 15 criteria) have 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 8th Congressional District in 2026?
Rob Burke (Republican), Stephen Lynch (Democratic, incumbent), Rasheed Walters (Independent). The general election is November 3, 2026.
Is Rob Burke a good candidate for Congress?
Rob Burke has public evidence on 5 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 Stephen Lynch a good candidate for Congress?
Stephen Lynch scores 61 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, with public evidence on 14 of 15 criteria: character 50 of 100, qualifications 85 of 100, performance 44 of 100. The standard measures character, qualifications and performance, not policy positions.
Is Rasheed Walters a good candidate for Congress?
Rasheed Walters 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.
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.