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William Keating

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Keating’s experience meets Swallow’s call for change in 9th District primary

The New Bedford Light · August 19, 2026

Fifty years after Bill Keating first ran for public office, winning a seat in the Massachusetts House of Representatives, the congressman is asking voters to send him to Washington for a ninth term.

His opponent, Craig Swallow, a New Bedford activist who has never held elected office, argues that Keating’s long career is precisely why the 9th Congressional District needs a change.

The two Democrats will face each other in the Sept. 1 primary. The winner will advance to the Nov. 3 general election and will face Republican R. Tyler MacAllister.

The Massachusetts primary election is Sept. 1, with polls open 7 a.m. to 8 p.m.

The voter registration deadline is Aug. 22.

The vote by mail application deadline is Aug. 25 at 5 p.m.

The early voting period is Aug. 22 to 28.

The 9th Congressional District includes the Cape and Islands and parts of the South Coast and South Shore, including parts of Bristol and Plymouth counties.

Keating, who turns 74 in September, was first elected to Congress in …