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Ayanna Pressley beat 10-term representative Michael Capuano on Tuesday
Ayanna Pressley is expected to become the first African-American woman to be elected to the United States Congress in Massachusetts, following a first upheaval.
The 44-year-old Boston city councilor beat home veteran Michael Capuano to win the Democratic nomination.
She will not face a Republican opponent in mid-term elections in November.
This is the latest in a series of victories for progressive, young and minority candidates representing Democrats.
This year has also seen a historic number of women candidates for democratic candidacies.
In a speech after her victory, Ms. Pressley said, "Change is coming and the future belongs to us all."
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She also referred to President Donald Trump as "a bankrupt, racist, misogynist and truly empathetic man" and denounced inequalities of wealth in his seventh congressional district.
It is the only district of his state to have a predominantly non-white population.
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A moving video of her discovery has been shared thousands of times online.
His opponent, 66, has represented the district for two decades and has not faced a major challenger since his first nomination in 1998.
Learn more about the mid-terms of November:
Tuesday, Mr Capuano said: "It is clear that the district wanted a lot of change, but never mind, that's how life goes."
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Mr. Capuano (right) has been approved by Boston Mayor Marty Walsh
He and Ms. Pressley are both considered progressives – but she advocated a more "activist" leadership style.
It also supports measures considered radical by many, including the abolition of immigration and customs control, a federal agency that imposed President Trump's crackdown on illegal migrants.
Before becoming a councilor, she worked for Senator John Kerry and Rep. Joseph Kennedy II – whose uncle, John F. Kennedy, occupied the seat that Mrs. Pressley was to win before becoming president.
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Pressley's victory came two months after a similar victory against a 10-run opponent by Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, 28, in New York.
Ms. Ocasio-Cortez congratulated Ms. Pressley on Twitter and said that the two men were bound by the fact that people doubted their abilities and their experience.
Elsewhere in the state, congressmen Joe Kennedy, 37, won a comfortable victory in their primary and their 69-year-old Democratic compatriot Richard Neal pushed back a younger challenger.
Political analysts predict that the nine seats in the state House will remain democratic in the November vote.
The changing face of Democrats
Analysis of Anthony Zurcher, reporter for BBC News North America
The Boston neighborhoods that once helped send former President John F Kennedy and House Speaker Tip O'Neill to Congress will soon be represented by Ayanna Pressley. His victory on Tuesday reflects the changing face of the Democratic Party – younger, more progressive and more diverse.
This should both excite and scare Democratic leaders. There is boundless enthusiasm in their base, which can translate into electoral victories, but it may not be the politicians who take their party to the promised land.
Michael Capuano was not caught off guard in this race either. He is well liked in his district and has spent time and money to stay engaged and connected with his constituents. They just wanted someone else.
Until now, this anti-constitutional sentiment within the Democratic Party has not cost its seats, unlike the popular Tea Party uprising among Republicans during the Obama years. Democratic holders who have been upset have found themselves in safe districts.
This is a warning to the party, however, that they should not be complacent. If their team realizes big gains in the medium term, the base expects results – or the fight inside the party could start well.
The Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren, a favorite in the presidential election of 2020, was undisputed for the Democratic nomination of the state.
She will face Republican Geoff Diehl in November after beating two other Republican candidates on Tuesday.
According to the non-partisan election monitoring website, Ballotpedia, there are three elections in the US House of Representatives where Democrats have chosen not to run for office.
There are 39 races for the House in which no Republican stands.
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