Rep. Marty Meehan (D-Mass.) will resign his House seat in the coming months following his selection yesterday as the new chancellor at the University of Massachusetts at Lowell.

Meehan, who was elected to his eighth term in Congress in November, had been one of three finalists for the slot. University President Jack Wilson offered the lawmaker the position yesterday morning, and Meehan’s final approval is set for this morning, when the board of trustees votes on his confirmation.

The university wants its next chancellor in place by July 1, and Meehan has indicated he would retain his seat for the time being. After that, a special election would ensue in Massachusetts’s 5th district.

The Hill

This is a map of the 5th Congressional District:

This district borders New Hampshire so I would make an educated guess that there are more Republicans here than if it were in the Greater Boston area.  But this is still Massachusetts and that may not really mean much.  Three Republicans have been mentioned as possible candidates.

Among Republicans, Lawrence Mayor Michael Sullivan, former state Rep. Donna Cuomo and 2002 Meehan opponent Charles McCarthy have been mentioned. McCarthy took 34 percent of the vote against Meehan.

34% doesn’t look that hopeful, particularly in the same year that Mitt Romney got elected Governor.  An open seat usually aids the party opposite of the incumbent because there is no incumbent in the election to draw as many crossover votes, but gaining another 16 points seems like quite a stretch.  It is certainly possible, though.

The 5th district tilts Democratic but isn’t as safe as some of the state’s other nine districts, all of which are held by Democratic men. Kerry won 57 percent of the vote there in 2004 — his second-lowest percentage in his home state

Possible, but I don’t think probable.