It may be a coincidence, but no sooner did U.S. Rep. Stephen Lynch of South Boston vote to hold former Democratic President Bill Clinton in contempt, than he got a Democratic primary opponent.

Not only that, his opponent, Patrick Roath, 38, of Jamaica Plain was endorsed by former Massachusetts Democratic Gov. Deval Patrick, who has close ties to Clinton.

Before serving two terms as governor (2008-2016) Patrick was Assistant Attorney General for Civil Rights in the Clinton administration from 1994 to 1997. He also briefly ran for president in 2020.

Roath, a progressive Democrat, is a Tufts University graduate, lawyer and voting rights advocate. He served as an intern in the Obama/Biden administration before going to work for Gov. Patrick first as a press aide then as a speech writer and policy advisor.

Patrick said Roath would bring fresh views to the job. He told the Globe that Roath’s “uncommon thoughtfulness and empathy is almost kind of an old-fashioned commitment to public service.”

Roath, who has not run for office before, told WBUR that “It’s just so obvious” that the Eighth Congressional District “needed new leadership, new thinking and new ideas.”

The district runs from Boston to Quincy and Brockton and includes a number of South Shore communities.

Lynch, 70, who previously served in the Massachusetts state Senate, has held the Congressional seat for 25 years. While considered a moderate, Lynch has moved to the left in recent years.

He is also close to being the ranking Democratic member of the Republican-controlled House Oversight and Government Reform Committee chaired by Rep. James Comer of Kentucky.

It was on this committee a week ago that Lynch voted to hold both Bill Clinton and his wife Hillary in contempt of Congress for failing to appear for depositions regarding sex offender Jeffrey Epstein, despite being subpoenaed.

The vote was 34 to eight with nine Democrats siding with the Republicans. The measure now goes before the full House.

Among the nine Democrats who defied House Democratic Minority leader Hakeem Jeffries on the issue were two Democrats from Massachusetts, Lynch and Rep. Ayanna Pressley of Boston who thus far has no opponent for re-election.

Neither Lynch nor Pressley, however, ever had much, if any, personal or political interaction with the Clintons when the Clintons were in power. Lynch was a state senator, and Pressley had not even been elected to the Boston City Council when Bill Clinton was president.

So there appears to have been no personal touch involved even though Democrats are known to circle the wagons to defend one of their own.

Regardless, their vote against the Clintons, along with the votes of the other seven Democrats, including that of fellow Pressley Squad member Rep. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan, took observers by surprise.

Lynch said there was “plenty of evidence” that “Clinton might have information that he could share with the committee on Epstein.”

Lynch apparently had in mind photos of Clinton with Epstein and various young women, including Ghislaine Maxwell, Epstein’s co-conspirator, who is now serving time.

“He had flown a number of times with Epstein, he had traveled with them, he knew Maxwell very closely,” Lynch said.

Pressley’s take was different. She said she was concerned about the young women who were victimized by Epstein. “I’m focused on the survivors,” she said. “Survivors deserve transparency and accountability.” She added, “I’m a sexual survivor myself.”

The Clintons have claimed that the subpoenas are invalid and that Congress has limited authority to compel testimony from a former president.

Meanwhile, Lynch has a Democratic opponent. Careful how you vote.

Veteran political reporter Peter Lucas can be reached at: peter.lucas@bostonherald.com

Former President Bill Clinton and former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton smile at the state funeral of former President Jimmy Carter at the National Cathedral last year in Washington. (AP Photo/Jacquelyn Martin, File)