• Office Sought: Representative, Massachusetts (5)
• Birth Date: April 26, 1946
• Occupation: Attorney, Dean of External Affairs
• Web site: http://nikitsongas.com/

Education

• Boston University, JD
• Smith College

Nicola "Niki" Sauvage Tsongas was born on April 26, 1946 in Chico, Calif., and lives in Lowell, Mass. She received a bachelor's degree in religion from Smith College in 1968 and a law degree from Boston University in 1988.

Much of her life has been spent in various board and civic positions, serving the Merrimack Valley Repertory Theater, the Pollard Memorial Library, the Lowell Arena and Civic Stadium Commission and the Marty Meehan Education Fund.

Most recently, she worked as dean of external affairs at Middlesex Community College in Lowell.

She won her first bid for office in October 2007 during a special election to succeed Rep. Martin Meehan, another Lowell Democrat.

Tsongas beat Republican candidate Jim Ogonowski by a margin of 51 percent to 45 percent.

Tsongas has three grown daughters. She lives with Jim O'Brien, president of the Boston chapter of the Ireland Chamber of Commerce in the United States.