Democratic Rep. Lynch Beats GOP's Selvaggi

Democratic Massachusetts U.S. Rep. Stephen Lynch has won re-election, beating Republican Boston businessman Joe Selvaggi in the newly redrawn 8th Congressional District.

Lynch has deep blue-collar roots in the working-class neighborhoods and housing projects of South Boston. He was an ironworker who later became a union official before entering politics.

His new district includes communities south of Boston that he hasn't represented before, including Quincy.

Lynch was a staunch defender of Attorney General Eric Holder and President Obama during the House investigation into the government's botched Fast and Furious gun trafficking operation. He accused Republicans of playing politics.

Lynch's name came up as a possible contender for the seat of the late U.S. Sen. Edward M. Kennedy after he died in 2009. But Lynch decided against it.