U.S. House, Massachusetts 9th Congressional District · Election November 3, 2026 · Updated
Who should I vote for in Massachusetts's 9th Congressional District?
Bill Keating has the strongest record in Massachusetts's 9th Congressional District. Bill Keating scores 66 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, ahead of Tyler Macallister at 58, as of October 9, 2026. Bill Keating's highest marks are relevant experience and command of the job. Tyler Macallister's highest marks are roots in the constituency and relevant experience. Every score comes from public records on character, qualifications and performance, the same way for every party.
Democratic · incumbent
Strongest record
Bill Keating
66 / 100
Public evidence on 14 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 55
- Qualifications
- 85
- Performance
- 56
Republican
Tyler Macallister
On the ballot as R. Tyler Macallister
58 / 100
Public evidence on 9 of 15 criteria
- Character
- 50
- Qualifications
- 65
- 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.
Bill Keating
- On the record2026-08-24
Debated primary challenger Craig Swallow once, on WATD radio; Swallow said Keating declined his requests for more debates and town halls, and Keating's office said he had agreed to multiple debates and forums.
Sources: The New Bedford Light, Aug. 25, 2026, The New Bedford Light, Aug. 20, 2026
- On the record2026-10-06
Took part in a general election forum with Republican Tyler Macallister hosted by The New Bedford Light and the League of Women Voters SouthCoast; said his last town hall was in Wareham in March 2025.
- On the record2025-09-16
Voted Yea on the DC CRIMES Act, which Leader Jeffries and most House Democrats opposed.
- On the record2025-03-11
Objected at a March 11, 2025 Foreign Affairs subcommittee hearing when chair Keith Self twice called Rep. Sarah McBride 'Mr. McBride', telling him he was out of order; Self adjourned the hearing.
- On the record1999-2011
Served as Norfolk County district attorney from 1999 until his election to Congress, after serving in the Massachusetts House and Senate from 1977.
- Credit2025-12-18
Sponsored H.R. 5274, the Western Balkans Democracy and Prosperity Act; its provisions were enacted in the FY2026 National Defense Authorization Act, signed Dec. 18, 2025.
Tyler Macallister
- On the record2026-10-06
Took part in a general election forum with Rep. Bill Keating hosted by The New Bedford Light and the League of Women Voters SouthCoast.
- On the record2025-01
Was cast in a Discovery Channel program on harpoon fishing; a producer described him as one of the sharpest fishermen in the harpoon community.
Source: The Wanderer, Jan. 24, 2025
- On the record2021-07
Rejoined the Mattapoisett Select Board in 2021 after leaving it in 2019, and began a new three-year term in May 2023.
Sources: The Wanderer, July 28, 2021, The Wanderer, May 17, 2023
- On the record2021
Owns a charter fishing business and works as a consultant to the renewable energy industry, per The Wanderer.
Source: The Wanderer, 2021
- On the record2019-10
Resigned from the Mattapoisett Select Board in 2019 to apply for the town administrator job.
Source: The Wanderer, Oct. 2, 2019
- On the record2013-10
Chaired the Mattapoisett Board of Selectmen in October 2013, when the town's bond adviser congratulated the board on a new AAA rating from Standard and Poor's.
Source: The Wanderer, Oct. 22, 2013
Who they are
Character
Integrity
Tells the truth, keeps their word, and takes no private gain from public office.
Bill Keating. Annual financial disclosure for 2025 is on file with the House Clerk, filed July 14, 2026 after an extension. No House Ethics Committee finding or FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: House Clerk financial disclosure, Filing ID 10078334, House Committee on Ethics site search for Keating, FEC administrative fines search
Tyler Macallister. Filed a House candidate financial disclosure on May 14, 2026, and FEC reports are on file through Aug. 12, 2026. No FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: House Clerk candidate financial disclosure, Filing ID 10078049, FEC candidate page, FEC administrative fines search
Courage
Takes a stand that costs them something, including telling their own side no.
Bill Keating. Voted against Leader Jeffries and most House Democrats on several 2025 and 2026 bills, including the HALT Fentanyl Act, the DC CRIMES Act and the Deporting Fraudsters Act.
Sources: House Clerk Roll Call 270, Sept. 16, 2025, DC CRIMES Act, House Clerk Roll Call 33, 2025, HALT Fentanyl Act, House Clerk Roll Call 94, March 18, 2026, Deporting Fraudsters Act
Tyler Macallister. No public record found.
Accountability
Owns mistakes, answers hard questions, and works in the open.
Bill Keating. Took part in an Oct. 6, 2026 general election forum with his Republican opponent hosted by The New Bedford Light and the League of Women Voters, and an Aug. 24 primary radio debate. His last listed town hall was March 20, 2025.
Sources: The New Bedford Light, Oct. 7, 2026, The New Bedford Light, Aug. 25, 2026
Tyler Macallister. Took part in an Oct. 6, 2026 general election forum with Rep. Keating hosted by The New Bedford Light and the League of Women Voters SouthCoast.
Temperament and judgment
Steady under pressure, decides on evidence, and treats opponents and staff with respect.
Bill Keating. Has held public office since 1977, including as Norfolk County district attorney from 1999 until his election to Congress. No censure, reprimand or House Ethics Committee finding names him.
Sources: Office site, Full Biography, The New Bedford Light, Sept. 2, 2026
Tyler Macallister. Has served on the Mattapoisett Select Board across several terms since about 2011, plus the town's Conservation Commission and Finance Committee. No conduct finding found.
Sources: The Wanderer, May 17, 2023, The Wanderer, July 28, 2021
Fidelity to the oath
Uses power inside its limits: accepts certified results, obeys court rulings, follows the rules of the office.
Bill Keating. Voted Nay on both January 2021 objections to certified electors and made no objection in January 2017. Took the oaths of state legislator, district attorney and member of Congress with no finding of misuse of office.
Sources: House Clerk Roll Call 10, Jan. 6, 2021, House Clerk Roll Call 11, Jan. 7, 2021
Tyler Macallister. Has held sworn local office on the Mattapoisett Select Board. No official finding of misuse of office.
Source: The Wanderer, May 17, 2023
What they bring
Qualifications
Relevant experience
Has done work that prepares them for this specific office.
Bill Keating. In his eighth U.S. House term (since 2011), after serving in the Massachusetts House and Senate and as Norfolk County district attorney.
Sources: GovTrack, William Keating, The New Bedford Light, Sept. 2, 2026
Tyler Macallister. Elected Mattapoisett Select Board member, first for about eight years until 2019 and again since a 2021 special election; also a commodities broker, commercial fisherman and founder of solar and telecom companies.
Sources: The Wanderer, July 28, 2021, The Wanderer, June 16, 2020
Command of the job
Knows the issues and knows what the office can and cannot do.
Bill Keating. Ranking member of the Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Europe and a member of the Armed Services Committee; his Western Balkans bill was enacted in the FY2026 defense authorization.
Sources: GovTrack, committee membership, GovTrack, H.R. 5274 (119th Congress)
Tyler Macallister. Publishes general positions on cost of living, energy, taxes and fishing; at the October forum named a goal of cutting federal nuclear permitting from 10 years to two.
Sources: Campaign site, Solutions, The New Bedford Light, Oct. 7, 2026
Communication
Explains plainly, persuades, and listens.
Bill Keating. Offers e-mail updates and issue pages, answered The New Bedford Light's 2026 primary voter guide and took part in a primary debate and a general election forum. Has not completed Ballotpedia's 2026 survey.
Sources: Office site, home page, The New Bedford Light voter guide, The New Bedford Light, Oct. 7, 2026, Ballotpedia, Bill Keating
Tyler Macallister. Publishes issue positions on his campaign site and took part in the October 2026 forum. No Ballotpedia survey response found.
Sources: Campaign site, Solutions, The New Bedford Light, Oct. 7, 2026
Roots in the constituency
Lives there, knows the people, and is funded by them.
Bill Keating. Lives in Bourne, which lies wholly in the 9th District, and has held Massachusetts office since 1977. FEC by-state totals for 2025 to 2026 show about 86 percent of itemized individual contributions from Massachusetts.
Sources: MA Secretary of the Commonwealth, 2026 State Election Candidates (Wayback capture Sept. 20, 2026), U.S. Census Bureau, 119th Congress district to county subdivision relationship file, Massachusetts, The New Bedford Light, Sept. 2, 2026, FEC contribution totals by state
Tyler Macallister. Grew up in Barnstable and has lived in Mattapoisett since 2001; both lie wholly in the 9th District. FEC by-state totals for 2025 to 2026 show about 77 percent of itemized individual contributions from Massachusetts.
Sources: The Wanderer, June 16, 2020, MA Secretary of the Commonwealth, 2026 State Election Candidates (Wayback capture Sept. 20, 2026), U.S. Census Bureau, 119th Congress district to county subdivision relationship file, Massachusetts, FEC contribution totals by state
Management
Can build and run an organization.
Bill Keating. 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
Tyler Macallister. Campaign committee reports are on file with the FEC through Aug. 12, 2026; the committee reports $1,005 in debts. No FEC administrative fine found.
Sources: FEC candidate page, FEC administrative fines search
What they deliver
Performance
Results
Turns ideas into outcomes.
Bill Keating. Legislative Effectiveness Score of 0.650 in the 118th Congress against a benchmark of 0.547, meets expectations. His Western Balkans Democracy and Prosperity Act was enacted in the FY2026 defense authorization, signed Dec. 18, 2025.
Sources: Center for Effective Lawmaking House dataset, 93rd to 118th Congress, GovTrack, H.R. 5274 (119th Congress), GovTrack, enacted legislation
Tyler Macallister. No public record found.
Showing up
Does the basic work of the job.
Bill Keating. Missed 310 of 9,214 roll call votes, 3.4 percent, from January 2011 to September 2026.
Source: GovTrack, missed votes
Tyler Macallister. No public record found.
Constituent service
Solves problems for the people they represent.
Bill Keating. Keeps district offices in Hyannis, New Bedford and Plymouth and offers casework with federal agencies. No published casework totals found.
Sources: Office site, Full Biography, Office site, Help with a Federal Agency
Tyler Macallister. No public record found.
Coalition building
Wins support beyond their own faction.
Bill Keating. Lugar Center Bipartisan Index score of -0.01192 in the latest posted House scores (118th Congress, 2023), ranked 133 of 436: a negative score.
Source: Lugar Center and McCourt School Bipartisan Index, House Scores
Tyler Macallister. No public record found.
Stewardship of public money
Treats tax dollars as someone else's money.
Bill Keating. No public record found.
Tyler Macallister. 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 9th Congressional District?
Bill Keating has the strongest record in Massachusetts's 9th Congressional District. Bill Keating scores 66 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, ahead of Tyler Macallister at 58, as of October 9, 2026. Bill Keating's highest marks are relevant experience and command of the job. Tyler Macallister's highest marks are roots in the constituency and relevant experience. Every score comes from public records on character, qualifications and performance, the same way for every party.
Who is running in Massachusetts's 9th Congressional District in 2026?
Bill Keating (Democratic, incumbent), Tyler Macallister (Republican). The general election is November 3, 2026.
Is Bill Keating a good candidate for Congress?
Bill Keating scores 66 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, with public evidence on 14 of 15 criteria: character 55 of 100, qualifications 85 of 100, performance 56 of 100. The standard measures character, qualifications and performance, not policy positions.
Is Tyler Macallister a good candidate for Congress?
Tyler Macallister scores 58 out of 100 on the Ballot Standard, with public evidence on 9 of 15 criteria: character 50 of 100, qualifications 65 of 100, performance no record. 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.