Here a news item to keep an eye on. Scott Brown’s Senate election victory in Massachusetts could just be the start of a big shake up in Massachusetts’ Congressional delegation. Currently, with the exception of Brown, the delegation is made up of Democrats (10 House seats and 1 senator) I think we should be cautious about labeling Massachusetts this big safe liberal bastion.

James Freeman at WSJ reports on some of the numbers from the recent senatorial election that should concern Democrats. Niki Tsongas (5th), for example, is especially vulnerable. Freeman notes that every town in her district went for Brown over Coakley. In Richard Neal’s 5th district, 90% of the precincts went for Brown. Even is solidly Democratic districts, such as Stephen Lynch’s 9th and Bill Delahunt’s 10th, Brown won by a small majority.

What drew my attention to this story is the story of Barney Frank, the powerful chairman of the House Financial Services Committee, which has oversight over the entire financial services industry (securities, insurance, banking, housing). Even Frank’s district (4th) seems vulnerable.

Freeman writes,

And then there’s Rep. Barney Frank, representing the Boston suburbs of the 4th District. After the special election, Mr. Frank urged fellow Dems to be more cautious on health care. On Friday, he surprised many onlookers by calling for the abolition of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, the profligate mortgage giants that Mr. Frank long shielded from market competition and federal oversight. Whether Mr. Frank is simply looking to rebrand Fan and Fred or is actually willing to let taxpayers off the mortgage hook remains to be seen. But he’s suddenly sounding a lot more moderate, possibly because he may be the most vulnerable of the state’s incumbents.

Mr. Frank is the most powerful lawmaker in the Massachusetts House delegation given his chairmanship of the banking committee, but he also managed to win reelection by a smaller percentage than any of his Massachusetts colleagues in the blowout Democratic year of 2008. Yes, his 68% tally that year would still be the envy of most pols, but it was his worst showing since 1992. In many years, he ran unopposed, collecting virtually 100% of the vote. And because Mr. Frank’s decline began even before the recent rebellion over health-care reform and deficit spending, a good bet is that he’s been neglecting basic constituent services. Several potential GOP candidates already have expressed interest in the 4th District. Whoever the Republican is, Mr. Frank could be facing his toughest campaign since the early 1980s thanks to the anti-Washington tide.

This is complex on many sides. There is an anti-incumbent sentiment out there that is understandable and we can’t forget that Martha Coakley was a weak candidate so that throws an wrench into the electoral trending. Still, when Republicans are winning strong Democratic districts, perhaps it’s time to pay attention.