2008Final results
2008 election for Massachusetts's 1st District
U.S. House · Massachusetts
John W. Olver (D) won with 72.8% of the vote, defeating Nathan A. Bech (R) by 45.8 points.
John W. OlverDemocrat · winner
72.8%215,696
Nathan A. BechRepublican
27.0%80,067
296,099 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 2008
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 W. OlverNathan A. Bech
$817.7K
Raised by the campaign
$161.4K
$857.6K
Spent by the campaign
$157.6K
$103.5K
Cash on hand
$4.8K
Campaign money: FEC, through Dec 31, 2008.
Source: FEC campaign filingsUpdated Dec 31, 2008