1974 Massachusetts gubernatorial election

1974 Massachusetts gubernatorial election

← 1970 November 5, 1974 1978 →
Turnout	74.64% 0.53
Nominee Michael Dukakis Francis Sargent Party Democratic Republican Running mate Thomas O'Neill III Donald Dwight Popular vote 992,284 784,353 Percentage 53.50% 42.29%
County results Municipality results Dukakis:      30–40%      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80% Sargent:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%
Governor before election Francis Sargent Republican Elected Governor Michael Dukakis Democratic

Elections in Massachusetts
General 1942 1944 1946 1948 1950 1952 1954 1956 1958 1960 1962 1964 1966 1970 1974 1978 1982 1986 1990 1994 1998 2002 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020 2022
Federal government U.S. President 1788–89 1792 1796 1800 1804 1808 1812 1816 1820 1824 1828 1832 1836 1840 1844 1848 1852 1856 1860 1864 1868 1872 1876 1880 1884 1888 1892 1896 1900 1904 1908 1912 1916 1920 1924 1928 1932 1936 1940 1944 1948 1952 1956 1960 1964 1968 1972 1976 1980 Dem 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 Dem 2004 Dem GOP 2008 Dem GOP 2012 2016 Dem GOP 2020 Dem GOP 2024 Dem GOP U.S. Senate Class 1: 1788 1790 1796 (S) 1796 1798 1800 (S) 1803 1808 (S) 1810 (S) 1811 1813 (S) 1815 1815 (S) 1816 (S) 1818 (S) 1820 1820 (S) 1822 1826 1827 1829 (S) 1833 1839 February 1841 (S) 1845 1851 1851 (S) 1857 1863 1869 1874 (S) 1875 1881 1887 1893 1899 1905 1911 1916 1922 1928 1934 1940 1946 1952 1958 1962 (S) 1964 1970 1976 1982 1988 1994 2000 2006 2010 (S) 2012 2018 2024 Class 2: 1788 1793 1796 1800 (S) 1803 (S) 1805 1810 1811 (S) 1816 1822 (S) 1826 (S) 1828 1835 January 1841 (S) 1841 1845 (S) 1847 1853 1855 (S) 1859 1865 1871 1873 (S) 1877 1883 1889 1895 1901 1905 (S) 1907 1913 1918 1924 1930 1936 1942 1944 (S) 1948 1954 1960 1966 1972 1978 1984 1990 1996 2002 2008 2013 (S) 2014 2020 U.S. House 1788/1789 1790/1792 1792/1793 1794/1795 1796/1797 1798/1799 1800/1801 1802/1803 1804 1806 1808 1810/1811 1812/1813 1814/1815 3rd 1816/1817 1818/1819 1820/1821 1822/1823 1824/1825 1826/1827 1828 1830/1832 1833/1834 1834/1835 1836 1838/1839 1840/1841 1842/1844 1844/1846 1846 1848/1850 1850/1851 1852 1854 1856 1858 1860 1862 1864 1866 1868 1870 1872 1874 1876 1878 1880 1882 1884 1886 1888 1890 1892 1894 1896 1898 1900 1902 1904 1906 1908 1910 1912 1914 1916 1918 1920 1922 1924 1926 1928 1930 1932 1934 1936 1938 1940 1942 1944 1946 1948 1950 1952 1954 1956 1958 1960 1962 1964 1966 1968 1970 1972 1974 1976 1978 1980 1982 1984 1986 1988 1990 1991 (1st) 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2001 (9th) 2002 2004 2006 2007 (5th) 2008 2010 2012 2013 (5th) 2014 2016 2018 2020 2022 2024
State government Governor 1800 1801 1802 1803 1804 1805 1806 1807 1808 1809 1810 1811 1812 1813 1814 1815 1816 1817 1818 1819 1820 1821 1822 1823 1824 1825 1826 1827 1828 1829 1830 Apr. 1831 Nov. 1831 1832 1833 1834 1835 1836 1837 1838 1839 1840 1841 1842 1843 1844 1845 1846 1847 1848 1849 1850 1851 1852 1853 1854 1855 1856 1857 1858 1859 1860 1861 1862 1863 1864 1865 1866 1867 1868 1869 1870 1871 1872 1873 1874 1875 1876 1877 1878 1879 1880 1881 1882 1883 1884 1885 1886 1887 1888 1889 1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1922 1924 1926 1928 1930 1932 1934 1936 1938 1940 1942 1944 1946 1948 1950 1952 1954 1956 1958 1960 1962 1964 1966 1970 1974 1978 1982 1986 1990 1994 1998 2002 2006 2010 2014 2018 2022 State Senate 1787 1824 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020 2022 2024 State House 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2020 2022 2024 Governor's Council 2006 2010 2014 2018 2022 2024 Ballot measures 1980: Proposition 2½ 2002: English Language Education in Public Schools 2006: 2008 Greyhound Protection Sensible Marijuana Policy State Income Tax Repeal 2010: No Sales Tax for Alcohol Sales Tax Relief Comprehensive Permits and Regional Planning 2012: Right to Repair Death with Dignity Medical Marijuana 2014: Automatic Gas Tax Increase Repeal Expansion of Bottle Deposits Casino Repeal Paid Sick Days 2016: Expand Slot Machine Gaming Charter School Expansion Farm Animal Confinement Legalization, Regulation and Taxation of Marijuana 2018: Gender Identity Anti-Discrimination 2020: pending
Boston Mayor 1822 1823 1824 Apr 1825 Dec 1825 1826 1827 1828 1829 1830 1831 1832 1833 1834 1835 1836 1837 1838 1839 1840 1841 1842 1843 1844–45 Dec 1845 1846 1847 1848 1849 1850 1851 1852 1853–54 Dec 1854 1855 1856 1857 1858 1859 1860 1861 1862 1863 1864 1865 1866 1867 1868 1869 1871 1872 1873 1874 1875 1876 1877 1878 1879 1880 1881 1882 1883 1884 1885 1886 1887 1888 1889 1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1897 1899 1901 1903 1905 1907 1910 1914 1917 1921 1925 1929 1933 1937 1941 1945 1949 1951 1955 1959 1963 1967 1971 1975 1979 1983 1987 1991 1993 1997 2001 2005 2009 2013 2017 2021 2025 City council 1977 1979 1981 1983 1985 1987 1989 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003 2005 2007 2009 2011 2013 2015 2017 2019 2021 2023
Springfield Mayor 1953 1955 1957 1959 1961 1963 1965 1967 1969 1971 1973 (S) 1973 1975 1977 1979 1983 1981 1985 1987 1989 (S) 1989 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003 2005 2007 2009 2011 2015 2019 2023
Worcester Mayor 1987 1989 1991 1993 1995 1997 1999 2001 2003 2005 2007 2009 2011 2013 2015 2017 2019 2021 2023
Massachusetts portal
v t e

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.

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.)

• Francis Sargent, incumbent governor
• Carroll Sheehan, former State Commerce Commissioner

1974 Massachusetts Republican gubernatorial primary^[1]

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%

Incumbent lieutenant governor Donald R. Dwight was unopposed in the Republican Primary.

• Michael Dukakis, former state representative from Brookline and nominee for lieutenant governor in 1970
• Robert H. Quinn, attorney general

1974 Massachusetts Democratic gubernatorial primary^[2]

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%

• 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

1974 Massachusetts Democratic lieutenant gubernatorial primary^[3]

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%

Dukakis defeated Sargent by 207,931 votes. It was the first gubernatorial victory for the Massachusetts Democratic Party since 1962.

Massachusetts gubernatorial election, 1974^[4]

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%

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

• 1973–1974 Massachusetts legislature