Sept. 30, 1969:
Democrats pick up their third House seat of the year, and each result is portrayed as a reflection on President Nixon's Vietnam war policies.
In a special election in Massachusetts' 6th District to fill the seat of the late GOP Rep. William Bates, state Rep. Michael Harrington (D) defeats state Sen. William Saltonstall (R). Harrington is a strong opponent of the war, while Saltonstall, the son of former Sen. Leverett Saltonstall, supported Nixon.
Harrington becomes the first Democrat to represent the district since the 1874 elections. It's also the third time a Democrat picked up a Republican House seat this year in special elections; the other two were in Wisconsin's 7th CD (David Obey) and Montana's 2nd CD (John Melcher).
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