1996Flipped from RepublicanFinal results
1996 election for Massachusetts's 6th District
U.S. House · Massachusetts
John F. Tierney (D) won with 48.1% of the vote, defeating Peter Torkildsen (R) by 0.1 points, a seat Republicans won last time.
John F. TierneyDemocrat · winner
48.1%133,002
Peter TorkildsenRepublican
48.0%132,642
Martin J. McNultyIndependent
1.5%4,195
Randal C. FritzConservative
0.9%2,532
Benjamin A. GatchellIndependent
0.7%2,043
Orrin SmithNatural Law
0.5%1,371
276,379 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 1996
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.
John F. TierneyNo Republican
$897.7K
Raised by the campaign
—
$894.8K
Spent by the campaign
—
$8.5K
Cash on hand
—
Other candidates' campaigns: Randal C. Fritz $11.8K.
Campaign money: FEC, through Dec 31, 1996.
Source: FEC campaign filingsUpdated Dec 31, 1996
The candidates
John F. Tierney (D)Peter Torkildsen (R)
Also on the ballot: Martin J. McNulty (Independent), 1.5%; Randal C. Fritz (Conservative), 0.9%; Benjamin A. Gatchell (Independent), 0.7%; Orrin Smith (Natural Law), 0.5%