 Nicola Dickson " Niki " Sauvage Tsongas ( / ˈsɒŋɡəs / ; born April 26 , 1946 ) is an American politician and the current U.S. Representative for Massachusetts 's 3rd congressional district . From 2007 to 2013 she represented Massachusetts 's 5th congressional district , the district her husband Paul Tsongas served prior to being elected to the United States Senate . She is a member of the Democratic Party . Following John Kerry 's appointment as Secretary of State , she was widely expected to run in the 2013 special election for the Senate seat once held by her husband ; she put such speculations to rest when she announced her endorsement of Representative Ed Markey instead . 
