Patrick Roath
Roath’s nomination odds surged from 58% to 31% in the past hour after the Boston Teachers Union endorsement was reported, making him the clear market favorite in this primary challenge against Stephen Lynch.
$10.9K
SEP 16, 2026Primary Election
Party selects its nominee.
Current roleAttorney
PartyDemocratic
Political ideologyProgressive Democrat
GenderMale
LocationMassachusetts
BackgroundAttorney
Notable personal detailsPatrick Thomas Roath is a Democratic candidate for U.S. House in Massachusetts’ 8th Congressional District in the 2026 election cycle. He is an attorney and voting-rights/democracy advocate who has worked with Common Cause Massachusetts and previously served as an aide to Gov. Deval Patrick and President Barack Obama. Roath is based in Boston (Jamaica Plain) and has emphasized election reforms such as automatic voter registration and expanded vote-by-mail access in Massachusetts.
Supports expanding refundable tax credits for working- and middle-class families (Child Tax Credit and Earned Income Tax Credit) while increasing tax obligations for the wealthiest individuals and large corporations to ensure they "pay their fair share."
The candidate supports access to quality, affordable healthcare and seeks to strengthen protections for reproductive and transgender-related health services. The campaign emphasizes fixing healthcare costs and expanding access rather than advocating for single‑payer or full privatization.
Supports comprehensive, bipartisan, and humane immigration reform that includes an orderly pathway to citizenship, protections for asylum seekers, increased support for immigration judges, and smarter border enforcement. Calls for dismantling ICE and reassigning domestic immigration enforcement to a new or different agency. Rejects efforts to strip due-process rights from non-citizens and opposes dehumanizing rhetoric toward immigrants.
The candidate supports pro-choice policies and federal protections for reproductive freedom. He says family planning decisions should be between individuals and healthcare providers, would vote to codify Roe v. Wade (via the Women’s Health Protection Act), and seeks access to the full spectrum of reproductive health care for all.
Supports bold action on climate with federal investments in a broad set of clean energy technologies and resilience, while emphasizing energy affordability for households. Endorses offshore and onshore wind, solar, advanced nuclear, fusion, geothermal, and small-scale hydro as part of a clean-energy strategy.
The candidate supports serious, comprehensive gun-control measures including a federal licensing system for firearm possession and tighter regulation to keep guns out of the wrong hands. The campaign frames firearms regulation as comparable to motor-vehicle licensing and emphasizes immediate action to reduce gun violence.
Roath’s nomination odds surged from 58% to 31% in the past hour after the Boston Teachers Union endorsement was reported, making him the clear market favorite in this primary challenge against Stephen Lynch.
Patrick Roath is now the front-runner for the MA-08 Democratic nominee spot with 31% odds, ahead by 12.0 points.
Aggregation source: FiftyPlusOne
2026
LatestCycle 2026
Source: FEC
New updates coming soon
We're monitoring and will update when new data impacts the race.
