James P. McGovern
DemocratU.S. Representative, MA-2| Age | 66 (b. 1959-11-20) |
| Gender | Male |
| In office since | 1997-01-07 (~29 yrs) |
| Religion | Roman Catholic |
| Education | Worcester Academy; B.A. in History (1981) and M.P.A. (1984) from American University |
| Prior occupation | Congressional aide; senior staff member for U.S. Representative Joe Moakley (1982-1996) and earlier aide to Senator George McGovern |
| Military service | No |
| Birthplace | Worcester, Massachusetts |
| Marital status | married — Lisa Murray McGovern |
| Children | 2 |
| Residence | Worcester, Massachusetts |
Pending research: race / ethnicity · languages · notable relatives · openly lgbtq.
Career & politics
| First elected | 1996 |
| Previous offices | U.S. Representative, Massachusetts's 3rd congressional district (1997-2013) |
| Committees | House Committee on Rules (Ranking Member) · House Committee on Agriculture · House Agriculture Subcommittee on Nutrition, Foreign Agriculture, and Horticulture |
| Caucuses | Congressional Progressive Caucus · Medicare for All Caucus · Congressional Equality Caucus · Congressional Taiwan Caucus · House Hunger Caucus (co-chair) |
| Leadership | Ranking Member, House Committee on Rules (2023-present) · Chair, House Committee on Rules (2019-2023) · Co-chair, Tom Lantos Human Rights Commission · Former Chair, Congressional-Executive Commission on China |
| Ideology | Self-identified liberal; Americans for Democratic Action lifetime rating ~98.5% (1997-2007); GovTrack ranked 33rd most politically left in the 117th Congress |
| Signature legislation | McGovern-Dole International Food for Education and Child Nutrition Program · Pell Grant funding amendment (Higher Education Act of 1998) · People's Rights Amendment (2011) addressing corporate personhood |
Financial
Net worth: estimate
| Basement Rental Unit | real_estate · –$5,000,000 · 2025 |
| Fidelity FA Freedom 2025 A | fund · –$500,000 · 2025 |
| Congressional Federal Credit Union Money Market & CD | other · –$250,000 · 2025 |
| Owens Corning Inc Common Stock | stock · –$15,000 · 2025 |
Scandals & crimes ledger
resolved — Arrests for civil disobedience at Darfur/Sudan protests (2006, 2009, 2012)
Rep. James McGovern was arrested on multiple occasions (notably April 27, 2006 and March 16, 2012) outside the Sudanese Embassy in Washington, D.C., during pre-planned acts of civil disobedience protesting the Sudanese government's role in atrocities in Darfur. He was charged with the misdemeanors of disorderly conduct and unlawful assembly after refusing to leave embassy property. The arrests were intentional, publicized in advance, and resolved administratively; in the 2012 case he paid a $100 fine. McGovern has described being 'proud' of the arrests. These were nonviolent protest arrests, not crimes involving fraud, violence, or moral turpitude.