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Massachusetts, Governor/Lieutenant Governor

Massachusetts held elections for governor and lieutenant governor on November 6, 2018. The candidate filing deadline was June 5, 2018.

Democratic Party for more information on the Democratic gubernatorial primary and here for more information on the lieutenant gubernatorial primary.
Republican Party for more information on the Republican gubernatorial primary and here for more information on the lieutenant gubernatorial primary.

SETTING THE STAGE
  • Heading into the 2018 election, the sitting governor was Charles D. Baker (R), who was first elected in 2014. On November 28, 2017, Baker announced that he would seek re-election in 2018.
  • At the time of the 2018 election, Massachusetts was under divided government. It first gained this status when Baker took office in 2015. Massachusetts was under divided triplex control in 2018.
  • Massachusetts was won by the Democratic candidate in each of the five presidential elections leading up to the 2018 election. The widest margin of victory was Al Gore's 27 percent margin in 2000 while the narrowest was Barack Obama's 23 percent margin in 2012.
  • Massachusetts was one of 36 states that held an election for governor in 2018. Democrats gained seven previously Republican-held seats, and Republicans gained one previously independent-held seat. Heading into the 2018 elections, there were 16 Democratic governors, 33 Republican governors, and one independent governor. In 2018, 26 of the 33 states with a Republican governor held a gubernatorial election, while nine out of the 16 states with a Democratic governor held a gubernatorial election. Seventeen of the 36 seats up for election were open seats (four Democratic, 12 Republican, and one independent), meaning that the sitting governor was not seeking re-election.


    Polls

    Race rating

    Race ratings: Massachusetts gubernatorial election, 2018

    Race trackerRace ratings
    November 5, 2018October 30, 2018October 23, 2018October 16, 2018
    The Cook Political ReportSolid RepublicanSolid RepublicanSolid RepublicanSolid Republican
    Inside Elections with Nathan L. GonzalesSolid RepublicanSolid RepublicanSolid RepublicanSolid Republican
    Larry J. Sabato's Crystal BallSafe RepublicanSafe RepublicanSafe RepublicanSafe Republican

    State election history

    This section provides an overview of federal and state elections in Massachusetts from 2000 to 2016. All data comes from the Massachusetts Secretary of State.

    Historical elections

    Presidential elections, 2000-2016

    This chart shows the results of the presidential election in Massachusetts every year from 2000 to 2016.

    Election results (President of the United States), Massachusetts 2000-2016

    Year First-place candidate First-place candidate votes (%) Second-place candidate Second-place candidate votes (%) Margin of victory (%)
    2016 Democratic Party Hillary Clinton 60.0% Republican Party Donald Trump 32.8% 27.2%
    2012 Democratic Party Barack Obama 60.7% Republican Party Mitt Romney 37.5% 23.2%
    2008 Democratic Party Barack Obama 61.8% Republican Party John McCain 36.0% 25.8%
    2004 Democratic Party John Kerry 61.9% Republican Party George W. Bush 36.8% 25.1%
    2000 Democratic Party Al Gore 59.8% Republican Party George W. Bush 32.5% 27.3%

    U.S. Senate elections, 2000-2016

    This chart shows the results of U.S. Senate races in Massachusetts from 2000 to 2016. Every state has two Senate seats, and each seat goes up for election every six years. The terms of the seats are staggered so that roughly one-third of the seats are up every two years.

    Election results (U.S. Senator), Massachusetts 2000-2016

    Year First-place candidate First-place candidate votes (%) Second-place candidate Second-place candidate votes (%) Margin of victory (%)
    2014 Democratic Party Ed Markey 61.9% Republican Party Brian Herr 38.0% 23.9%
    2013 Democratic Party Ed Markey 57.3% Republican Party Gabriel Gomez 44.6% 12.7%
    2012 Democratic Party Elizabeth Warren 53.7% Republican Party Scott Brown 46.2% 7.5%
    2010 Republican Party Scott Brown 51.9% Democratic Party Martha Coakley 47.1% 4.8%
    2008 Democratic Party John Kerry 65.9% Republican Party Jeffrey Beatty 30.9% 35.0%
    2006 Democratic Party Ted Kennedy 69.3% Republican Party Kenneth Chase 30.5% 38.8%
    2002 Democratic Party John Kerry Unopposed -- -- Unopposed
    2000 Democratic Party Ted Kennedy 72.7% Republican Party Jack E. Robinson III 12.9% 59.8%

    Gubernatorial elections, 2000-2016

    This chart shows the results of the four gubernatorial elections held between 2000 and 2016. Gubernatorial elections are held every four years in Massachusetts.

    Election results (Governor), Massachusetts 2000-2016

    Year First-place candidate First-place candidate votes (%) Second-place candidate Second-place candidate votes (%) Margin of victory (%)
    2014 Republican Party Charlie Baker 48.4% Democratic Party Martha Coakley 46.5% 1.9%
    2010 Democratic Party Deval Patrick 48.4% Republican Party Charlie Baker 42.0% 6.4%
    2006 Democratic Party Deval Patrick 55.6% Republican Party Kerry Healey 35.3% 20.3%
    2002 Republican Party Mitt Romney 49.8% Democratic Party Shannon P. O'Brien 44.9% 4.9%

    Congressional delegation, 2000-2016

    This chart shows the number of Democrats and Republicans who were elected to represent Massachusetts in the U.S. House from 2000 to 2016. Elections for U.S. House seats are held every two years.

    Congressional delegation, Massachusetts 2000-2016

    Year Republicans Republicans (%) Democrats Democrats (%) Balance of power
    2016 Republican Party 0 0% Democratic Party 9 100% D+9
    2014 Republican Party 0 0% Democratic Party 9 100% D+9
    2012 Republican Party 0 0% Democratic Party 9 100% D+9
    2010 Republican Party 0 0% Democratic Party 10 100% D+10
    2008 Republican Party 0 0% Democratic Party 10 100% D+10
    2006 Republican Party 0 0% Democratic Party 10 100% D+10
    2004 Republican Party 0 0% Democratic Party 10 100% D+10
    2002 Republican Party 0 0% Democratic Party 10 100% D+10
    2000 Republican Party 0 0% Democratic Party 10 100% D+10

    Trifectas, 1992-2017

    A state government trifecta occurs when one party controls both chambers of the state legislature and the governor's office.

    Massachusetts Party Control: 1992-2019
    Eight years of Democratic trifectasNo Republican trifectas

    Year 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19
    Governor R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R D D D D D D D D R R R R R
    Senate D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D
    House D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D


    Demographics

    Demographic data for Massachusetts

    MassachusettsU.S.
    Total population:6,784,240316,515,021
    Land area (sq mi):7,8003,531,905
    Gender
    Female:51.5%50.8%
    Race and ethnicity**
    White:79.6%73.6%
    Black/African American:7.1%12.6%
    Asian:6%5.1%
    Native American:0.2%0.8%
    Pacific Islander:0%0.2%
    Two or more:2.9%3%
    Hispanic/Latino:10.6%17.1%
    Education
    High school graduation rate:89.8%86.7%
    College graduation rate:40.5%29.8%
    Income
    Median household income:$68,563$53,889
    Persons below poverty level:13.1%11.3%
    Source: U.S. Census Bureau, "American Community Survey" (5-year estimates 2010-2015)
    for more information on the 2020 census and here for more on its impact on the redistricting process in Massachusetts.

    As of July 2016, Massachusetts' three largest cities were Boston (pop. est. 685,000), Worcester (pop. est. 186,000), and Springfield (pop. est. 155,000).