1990Final results
1990 election for Massachusetts's 5th District
U.S. House · Massachusetts
Chester Atkins (D) won with 49.8% of the vote, defeating John F. Macgovern (R) by 4.2 points.
Chester AtkinsDemocrat · winner
49.8%110,232
John F. MacgovernRepublican
45.7%101,017
Write-ins and other votesOther party
4.5%9,891
221,140 votes
Source: MIT Election Data and Science LabUpdated Sep 30, 2026, 7:25 AM ET
The seat over time
D − R margin in this seat's races around 1990
Races before and after
Source: MIT Election Data and Science LabUpdated Sep 30, 2026, 7:25 AM ET
Money in this race
Each line compares the two campaigns on one scale.
Chester AtkinsJohn F. Macgovern
$843.9K
Raised by the campaign
$239.2K
$861.3K
Spent by the campaign
$236.9K
$2.4K
Cash on hand
$2.8K
Campaign money: FEC, through Dec 31, 1990.
Source: FEC campaign filingsUpdated Dec 31, 1990