Tierney-Tisei Race Now a 'Toss-up?'

The Capitol Hill newspaper Roll Call has categorized Massachusetts' 6th District congressional race between Congressman John Tierney, (D-Salem) and Republican challenger Richard Tisei of Wakefield as a toss-up.

That is the only Massachusetts congressional seat listed as such. The rest are in the "Safely Democratic" category. And the 6th District seat had previously been labeled as "Likely Democratic."

Both Hamilton and Wenham are in the 6th District.

The Tisei campaign is viewing this as a milestone in the race.

"Richard is well-known and liked throughout the district," Tisei Campaign Manager Paul Moore said. "Richard has spent years defying the odds by being elected by Independents, Republicans and Democrats. He's honest and a known problem-solver who cares about people and the future of the country. Richard believes it's time for a change of representation in Washington and is doing his very best to get to listen to people throughout the district. He's raising the money and drawing the support of people of all political stripes who believe it's time for a change."

The Tierney campaign is still pushing forward and recently bought $350,000 of TV airtime for the weeks leading up to the election.

“The outpouring of support from grassroots donors in Massachusetts shows that we will have the resources to win this election, and the enthusiasm from volunteers and activists to mount a massive voter contact program," Tierney campaign manager Matt Robinson said in a statement recently.