This was an open seat. Candidates were Democratic nominee
William R. Keating, Republican nominee
Jeff Perry, and Independents Maryanne Lewis and Jim Sheets. covers the south-east part of the state, including parts of the
South Shore and all of
Cape Cod and The Islands. Democrat
Bill Delahunt, who has represented the seat since 1997, announced in March 2010 that he did not plan to run for re-election. The Boston Globe, on April 30, 2010, reported that Democratic State Senator
Robert O'Leary would announce his candidacy for the Democratic nomination for the seat on the day following. Joseph P. Kennedy III was considered a likely Democratic contender, but he chose not to run. It was reported in the Boston Globe, that
District Attorney of
Norfolk County William R. Keating also sought the Democratic nomination for the seat. Republican
Joe Malone, who ran against
Ted Kennedy in 1988 and served as state treasurer from 1991 to 1999, unsuccessfully ran for the seat. Republican State Representative Jeff Perry also ran. Despite a movement to draft him into running, Republican State Senator
Bob Hedlund decided not to enter this race. Ray Kasperowicz of Cohasset had also filed to run as a Republican, but also lost in the primary. Malone received a donation from
US-Cuba Democracy PAC. Perry received donations from the Sandwich and Nantucket Republican Town Committees, the Cape Cod Republican Club, as well as other PACs such as the committee to Elect Greer Swiston and the Cummings Committee.
Polling Predictions ==Campaign financing ==