1964 Massachusetts gubernatorial election

1964 Massachusetts gubernatorial election
November 3, 1964
 
Nominee John Volpe Francis Bellotti
Party Republican Democratic
Popular vote 1,176,462 1,153,416
Percentage 50.27% 49.29%
Volpe:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%
Bellotti:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%
Governor before election

Endicott Peabody
Democratic

Elected Governor

John Volpe
Republican

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.[1]

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.[2]

This was the final election held before the governor's term of office was extended from two to four years.

Democratic primary

Candidates

Declined

Results

1964 Democratic gubernatorial primary[3]
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

Defeated at convention

Withdrew

Results

Volpe ran unopposed in the Republican primary.

General election

Candidates

  • Francis Bellotti, Lieutenant Governor (Democratic)
  • John Volpe, former Governor (Republican)
  • Francis A. Votano (Socialist Labor)
  • Guy S. Williams (Prohibition)

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.[5]

1964 Massachusetts gubernatorial election [1]
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%

Results by county

County John Volpe
Republican 		Francis Bellotti
Democratic 		All Others Margin Total votes
# % # % # % # %
Barnstable 24,007 67.9% 11,228 31.8% 116 0.4% 12,779 36.1% 35,351
Berkshire 36,650 57.7% 26,475 41.7% 423 0.7% 10,175 16.0% 63,548
Bristol 73,560 39.5% 111,818 60.1% 705 0.4% -38,258 -20.6% 186,083
Dukes 1,894 59.4% 1,285 40.3% 11 0.4% 609 19.1% 3,190
Essex 138,334 48.9% 143,051 50.6% 1,355 0.5% -4,717 -1.7% 282,740
Franklin 13,302 51.9% 12,198 47.6% 128 0.5% 1,104 4.3% 25,628
Hampden 83,554 47.3% 92,209 52.2% 1,035 0.5% -8,655 -4.9% 176,798
Hampshire 21,829 50.2% 21,414 49.3% 198 0.4% 415 0.9% 43,441
Middlesex 319,252 55.3% 255,061 44.2% 2,641 0.5% 64,191 11.1% 576,954
Nantucket 1,114 63.6% 635 36.2% 3 0.2% 479 27.4% 1,752
Norfolk 147,298 57.5% 108,180 42.2% 900 0.3% 39,118 15.3% 256,378
Plymouth 66,579 55.1% 53,785 44.5% 393 0.4% 12,794 10.6% 120,757
Suffolk 120,013 40.6% 174,571 59.0% 1,289 0.4% -54,558 -18.4% 295,873
Worcester 129,076 47.5% 141,506 52.1% 1,052 0.4% -12,430 25.2% 271,634
Totals 1,176,462 50.3% 1,153,416 49.3% 10,252 0.4% 12,046 1.0% 2,340,130

Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Massachusetts Election Statistics 1964. p. 438.
  2. ^ "Democrats Close Ranks Behind Lt. Gov. Bellotti". Hartford Courant. September 12, 1964.
  3. ^ "Our Campaigns - MA Governor - D Primary Race - Sep 15, 1964". www.ourcampaigns.com.
  4. ^ a b c "Nominations Due in Massachusetts; Little Excitement Expected at Party Conventions". The New York Times. June 14, 1964. p. 56.
  5. ^ "Republicans Gain One Governor's Mansion". Los Angeles Times. November 5, 1964.
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