James Kelcourse is a member of the Massachusetts Parole Board. Kelcourse was previously a member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives. A resident of Amesbury, Massachusetts, he was elected as a Republican to represent the 1st Essex district. Kelcourse, a former Amesbury city councillor, defeated Newburyport city councillor Ed Cameron in a very close election. He was declared the victor by 12 votes after a month-long recount.[1][2] He was re-elected in 2016, 2018, and 2020. Kelcourse served the cities of Newburyport and Amesbury and the town of Salisbury for 4 terms in the House of Representatives.

James Kelcourse
Member of the Massachusetts Parole Board
Assumed office
June 29, 2022
Member of the
Massachusetts House of Representatives
from the 1st Essex district
In office
January 7, 2015 – June 29, 2022
Preceded byMichael A. Costello
Succeeded byDawne Shand
City Councilor At-Large for Amesbury, Massachusetts
In office
2010–2014
Personal details
Born
James M. Kelcourse

(1974-01-21) January 21, 1974 (age 50)
Residence(s)Amesbury, Massachusetts, U.S.
Education
Occupation
  • Attorney
  • Politician
  • Businessman
Websitejameskelcourse.com

In 2012, Kelcourse ran for the Massachusetts State Senate in the 1st Essex district as an unenrolled candidate. He placed last in the general election.[3]

On June 16, 2021, Kelcourse announced his candidacy for Mayor of the City of Amesbury. On November 2, 2021, in Amesbury's Mayoral election, Representative Kelcourse lost to incumbent Mayor Kassandra Gove.

On June 1, 2022, Kelcourse was nominated by Governor Charlie Baker to serve on the state Parole Board. On June 22, his nomination was confirmed by the Massachusetts Governor's Council. He resigned his position as State Representative on June 29, 2022 and was officially sworn in as a member of the Parole Board.

Kelcourse resides in Amesbury with his wife Amanda and their two children. Prior to his appointment to the Parole Board, Kelcourse operated a legal practice in Newburyport, Massachusetts.

Electoral history

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First Essex - 2012 State Senate General Election
Party Candidate Votes %
Democratic Kathleen A. O'Connor Ives 36,405 45.9
Republican Shaun P. Toohey 26,654 33.6
Unenrolled Paul A. Magliocchetti 12,870 16.2
Unenrolled James Kelcourse 3,358 4.2
Write-ins All others 40 0.1
First Essex - 2014 State Representative Republican Primary
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican James Kelcourse 1,133 99.7
Write-ins All others 3 0.3
First Essex - 2014 State Representative General Election
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican James Kelcourse 6,978 42.0
Democratic Edward C. Cameron 6,968 42.0
Unenrolled Ari B. Herzog 1,628 9.8
Unenrolled Steven J. Stanganeli 791 4.8
Unenrolled Joseph L. Valianti 231 1.4
Write-ins All others 2 0
First Essex - 2016 State Representative Republican Primary
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican James Kelcourse (inc.) 663 100.0
First Essex - 2016 State Representative General Election
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican James Kelcourse (inc.) 13,272 54.0
Democratic Brianna Sullivan 11,280 45.9
Write-ins All others 7 0.1
First Essex - 2018 State Representative Republican Primary
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican James Kelcourse (inc.) 2,096 99.6
Write-ins All others 9 0.4
First Essex - 2018 State Representative General Election
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican James Kelcourse (inc.) 11,384 52.7
Democratic Jennifer A. Rocco-Runnion 10,219 47.3
Write-ins All others 5 0.0
First Essex - 2020 State Representative Republican Primary
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican James Kelcourse (inc.) 2,123 99.7
Write-ins All others 6 0.3
First Essex - 2020 State Representative General Election
Party Candidate Votes %
Republican James Kelcourse (inc.) 14,537 51.6
Democratic Amber Hewett 13,614 48.3
Write-ins All others 11 0.1
Amesbury Mayoral - 2021 Mayoral General Election
Party Candidate Votes %
Unenrolled Kassandra Gove (inc.) 3,611 61
Republican James Kelcourse 2,307 38.9
Write-ins All others 12 0.1

[4]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ "MassLive - Massachusetts State Representative Election Results 2014". masslive.com. 4 November 2014. Retrieved 25 November 2014.
  2. ^ "Kelcourse prepares to head to Statehouse". 10 December 2014.
  3. ^ https://electionstats.state.ma.us/candidates/view/James-M-Kelcourse . Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
  4. ^ https://www.amesburyma.gov/sites/g/files/vyhlif6891/f/news/11-2-2021_official_tally_sheet-website.pdf [bare URL PDF]