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In truth, the post-1990 Census map for MA was quite friendly to Republicans, which is why they were able to pick up 2 seats and could have picked up 2-4 others (the CD Meehan won in 1992 had actually voted for Bush in 1988). Weld threatened to veto the map if it didn't meet his specifications, and the RAT legislators were afraid that an impasse (I assume that the GOP had enough votes to stop an override in at least one house) would throw redistricting to the courts, who would likely draw a map that would fail to protect the 4 RAT members with seniority who lived within a few miles of each other (Moakley, Kennedy, Markey, and Frank). The prior year, Weld had similarly shown a partisan bent by scheduling the special election to replace Conte for after universities were on summer vacation in order to aid the GOP candidate, who happened to be a conservative who had lost to Weld in the primary (his last name was Pierce IIRC); the GOP candidate lost by only 53%-47% or so in a very liberal district. Now, we all know that Weld ended up being a worthless RINO who did not move a finger to build the state GOP, but it seems like he at least started off on the right foot before being led astray.

I am not sure that it was the redistricting in 1990 that made Republicans so competitive in the 1990's.

The 3rd District consists of the Worcester area, one of the most Republican areas in the state (and which is home to nearly a majority of our Republican state Legislators). As a 16-year Incumbent, Joesph Early was getting old and tired, and was a prime target to an up and coming State Legislator, Peter Blute. Additionally, Pro-Life Dems have been kicked to the corner here in Massachusetts in the last 20 years, I think only one of our Congressmen is pro-Life today, despite the fact that 8 of them are Roman Catholic.

The fifth district, my own, is home to a large number of continuously discontented Independents, (sort of like New Hampshire) and in 1990 was home to Chester Atkins. In 1990 he gave Democrats a scare after he barely beat his unknown Republican Opponent (who did have Weld-coattails). He was promptly ousted by Marty Meehan in 1992 after Marty made a term limits pledge and secured his hometown, vote rich, Lowell. Marty then rolled former Congressman Paul Cronin (R) in the General Election.

The 6th district was won of course because Nicholas "Pockets" Mavroules while embrewed in a nasty scandal (that he later served time for) decided to still run for re-election. Peter Torkildsen took advantage of the opportunity and was elected easily.

Blute and Tork' were then assisted by the Republican Revolution of 1994, and then were promptly ousted in 1996, and our fortunes have never recovered. In fact, only the 6th, 9th and 10th Congressional seats have a Republican opponent this year (and weak ones at that).

Weld did however, do us a favor when Former House minority leader Steve Pierce challenged Olver in 1991 (funny because Pierce humiliated Weld in 1990 when he easily defeated him for the endorsement of State Convention for Governor). However Weld wasn't able to secure decent Senate districts in the 1990 redistricting. After we managed to win 16 Senate seats in the 1990 post-Dukakis election, we managed to lose 7 of them in 1992, and thus lose our veto-sustaining Legislative power.