1974 Massachusetts gubernatorial election
(Redirected from Massachusetts gubernatorial election, 1974)
The 1974 Massachusetts gubernatorial election was held on November 5, 1974. Michael Dukakis was elected to a four-year term, from January 2, 1975 until January 4, 1979. He defeated incumbent Governor of Massachusetts Francis W. Sargent in the general election.
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| Turnout | 74.64%  0.53 | |||||||||||||||||||
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Dukakis:
30–40% 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% Sargent: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% | ||||||||||||||||||||
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As of 2024, this is the most recent year in which the incumbent governor of Massachusetts lost the general election. (Two governors, Dukakis and Edward J. King, lost the Democratic nomination to each other in 1978 and 1982, respectively. In 2002, acting Governor Jane Swift ran for election but withdrew after polls showed her trailing Mitt Romney for the Republican nomination.)
Republican primary
editGovernor
editCandidates
edit- Francis Sargent, incumbent governor
- Carroll Sheehan, former State Commerce Commissioner
Results
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Francis W. Sargent (incumbent) | 124,250 | 63.32% | ||
| Republican | Carroll Sheehan | 71,936 | 36.66% | ||
| Write-in | All others | 46 | 0.02% | ||
Lieutenant governor
editIncumbent lieutenant governor Donald R. Dwight was unopposed in the Republican Primary.
Democratic primary
editGovernor
editCandidates
edit- Michael Dukakis, former state representative from Brookline and nominee for lieutenant governor in 1970
- Robert H. Quinn, attorney general
Results
edit
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Michael Dukakis | 444,590 | 57.67% | ||
| Democratic | Robert H. Quinn | 326,385 | 42.33% | ||
| Write-in | All others | 46 | 0.01% | ||
Lieutenant governor
editCandidates
edit- Thomas P. O'Neill III, state representative and son of U.S. Representative Tip O'Neill
- Christopher A. Iannella, Boston City Councillor
- Eva Hester, Democratic National Committeewoman
- John P. Lynch, Hampden County Register of Deeds and candidate for U.S. Senate in 1972
- Thomas Martin Sullivan, resident of Randolph
Results
edit
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Thomas P. O'Neill III | 250,259 | 35.69% | ||
| Democratic | Christopher A. Iannella | 190,587 | 27.18% | ||
| Democratic | Eva Hester | 97,665 | 13.93% | ||
| Democratic | John P. Lynch | 81,874 | 11.68% | ||
| Democratic | Thomas Martin Sullivan | 80,745 | 11.52% | ||
| Write-in | All others | 15 | 0.00% | ||
General election
editDukakis defeated Sargent by 207,931 votes. It was the first gubernatorial victory for the Massachusetts Democratic Party since 1962.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Michael Dukakis (Thomas P. O'Neill III) |
992,284 | 53.50% | ||
| Republican | Francis W. Sargent (Donald R. Dwight) (incumbent) |
784,353 | 42.29% | ||
| American | Leo F. Kahian (Nicholas J. Greco) |
63,083 | 3.40% | ||
| Socialist Workers | Donald Gurewitz (Ollie Bivins) |
15,011 | 0.81% | ||
Results by county
edit| 1974 United States gubernatorial election in Massachusetts (by county) [5] | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| County | Dukakis % | Dukakis # | Sargent % | Sargent # | Others % | Others # | Total # |
| Barnstable | 39.9% | 19,362 | 54.7% | 26,539 | 5.4% | 2,641 | 48,542 |
| Berkshire | 54.2% | 26,947 | 40.4% | 20,105 | 5.4% | 2,682 | 49,734 |
| Bristol | 62.6% | 91,839 | 32.1% | 47,055 | 5.4% | 7,876 | 146,770 |
| Dukes | 36.4% | 1,346 | 59.1% | 2,189 | 4.5% | 167 | 3,702 |
| Essex | 52.1% | 117,815 | 42.6% | 96,475 | 5.3% | 12,056 | 226,346 |
| Franklin | 53.2% | 11,666 | 41.5% | 9,087 | 5.3% | 1,168 | 21,921 |
| Hampden | 63.6% | 84,222 | 30.9% | 40,978 | 5.5% | 7,257 | 132,457 |
| Hampshire | 59.2% | 24,051 | 33.7% | 13,691 | 7.1% | 2,889 | 40,631 |
| Middlesex | 51.0% | 243,914 | 44.2% | 211,511 | 4.8% | 22,938 | 478,363 |
| Nantucket | 36.2% | 537 | 58.4% | 865 | 5.4% | 80 | 1,482 |
| Norfolk | 48.1% | 110,701 | 45.4% | 104,375 | 6.5% | 14,859 | 229,935 |
| Plymouth | 46.7% | 54,781 | 44.9% | 52,738 | 8.4% | 9,811 | 117,330 |
| Suffolk | 45.6% | 85,343 | 39.3% | 73,491 | 15.1% | 28,208 | 187,042 |
| Worcester | 56.5% | 119,820 | 40.2% | 85,254 | 3.4% | 7,152 | 212,226 |
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Massachusetts Election Statistics 1974.
- ^ Massachusetts Election Statistics 1974.
- ^ Massachusetts Election Statistics 1974.
- ^ "1970 Governor General Election". PD43+. Retrieved June 25, 2022.
- ^ "PD43+ » Search Elections".