1964 Massachusetts gubernatorial election
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County results
Municipality resultsVolpe: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90%Bellotti: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% | |||||||||||||||||
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The 1964 Massachusetts gubernatorial election was held on November 3, 1964. Incumbent Governor Endicott Peabody ran for re-election, but was defeated by then-Lieutenant Governor Francis X. Bellotti in the Democratic Party primary. Bellotti went on to lose the general election to former Governor John Volpe.
The race between Volpe and Bellotti was the first time in Massachusetts history that the two major parties backed sons of Italian immigrants for governor.
This was the final election held before the governor's term of office was extended from two to four years.
Democratic primary
Candidates
- Francis Bellotti, Lieutenant Governor
- Pasquale Caggiano, perennial candidate
- John J. Droney, Middlesex County District Attorney
- Endicott Peabody, incumbent Governor
- Robert F. Kennedy, U.S. Attorney General (brother of President John F. Kennedy)
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Francis X. Bellotti | 363,675 | 49.61% | |
| Democratic | Endicott Peabody (incumbent) | 336,780 | 45.94% | |
| Democratic | John J. Droney | 27,357 | 3.73% | |
| Democratic | Pasquale Caggiano | 5,250 | 0.72% | |
| Total votes | 733,062 | 100.00% | ||
Republican primary
Candidates
- John Volpe, former Governor
- Philip A. Graham, State Senator from Hamilton and Senate Minority Leader
- Francis W. Perry, State Representative from Duxbury and nominee for Lieutenant Governor in 1962
- Edward Brooke, Attorney General of Massachusetts (withdrew ahead of convention, ran for re-election)
Results
Volpe ran unopposed in the Republican primary.
General election
Results
Volpe defeated Bellotti by less than 25,000 votes. Volpe's victory came in a year in which Democrats gained seats in the United States House of Representatives and Senate and Lyndon Johnson won the presidential election in a landslide.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | John A. Volpe | 1,176,462 | 50.27% | ||
| Democratic | Francis X. Bellotti | 1,153,416 | 49.29% | ||
| Socialist Labor | Francis A. Votano | 6,273 | 0.27% | ||
| Prohibition | Guy S. Williams | 3,713 | 0.16% | ||
| Write-in | All others | 266 | 0.01% | ||
See also
References
- ^ a b Massachusetts Election Statistics 1964. p. 438.
- ^ "Democrats Close Ranks Behind Lt. Gov. Bellotti". Hartford Courant. September 12, 1964.
- ^ "Our Campaigns - MA Governor - D Primary Race - Sep 15, 1964". www.ourcampaigns.com.
- ^ a b c "Nominations Due in Massachusetts; Little Excitement Expected at Party Conventions". The New York Times. June 14, 1964. p. 56.
- ^ "Republicans Gain One Governor's Mansion". Los Angeles Times. November 5, 1964.
| (1963 ←) 1964 United States elections (→ 1965) | |
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