New District Map Means a Move for Bill Keating

Most of the South Shore will be part of a new congressional district after the state Legislature approved sweeping changes to congressional districts aimed at providing a stronger voice to minority communities and adjust for a slowly growing population.

Congressman Bill Keating, who recently moved to Quincy, will move to Bourne in order to run in the newly formed 9th Congressional District.

"After talking with my wife Tevis and our children, Kristen and Patrick, I have decided to run in the new 9th Congressional District where we've owned a home for 17 years," Keating said in a statement.

Keating currently represents Plymouth in the 10th Congressional District, while Stephen Lynch of Boston represents the current incarnation of the 9th.

The redistricting changes created a new district for the Cape, South Coast, and South Shore, including Plymouth, New Bedford, and Barnstable. The new district stretches from Rockland and Norwell in the North, east to Provincetown, and south to Martha's Vineyard and Nantucket. According to a Boston Globe report creation of the this particular seat was a priority for the committee. 

"I hope that the residents of my current District – from Quincy to Provincetown and the Islands – know that their well-being is my primary concern and nothing changes that," Keating said. "The current fight for our hardworking families isn't about me or any one district map. It's about changing the direction of this country so that all residents can benefit from the opportunities America has to offer."

The Boston Herald is reporting that the new district lines "raise the prospect of a run by Senate President Therese Murray, suggested Peter Ubertaccio of Stonehill College."

Other potential candidates mentioned were state Sen. Mark Montigny, Bristol County District Attorney Sam Sutter, Bristol County Sheriff Thomas Hodgson, and Plymouth District Attorney Tim Cruz. But Keating’s 2010 GOP rival, Jeff Perry, now in the Barnstable County sheriff’s office, ruled out a rematch.