1964 Massachusetts elections

1964 Massachusetts general election

← 1962 November 3, 1964 1966 →
Part of the 1964 United States elections

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A Massachusetts general election was held on November 3, 1964, in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

The election included:

• statewide elections for United States Senator, Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, Secretary of the Commonwealth, Treasurer, and Auditor;
• district elections for U.S. Representatives, State Representatives, State Senators, and Governor's Councillors; and
• ballot questions at the state and local levels.

Democratic and Republican candidates were selected in party primaries held on September 10, 1964.

This was the final election before the term of office for governor, lieutenant governor, attorney general, secretary of the commonwealth, treasurer, and auditor was extended from two to four years.

Republican John A. Volpe was elected over Democrat Francis X. Bellotti, Socialist Labor candidate Francis A. Votano, and Prohibition candidate Guy S. Williams. Incumbent governor Endicott Peabody lost in the Democratic primary to Bellotti, his lieutenant governor.

1964 Massachusetts Lieutenant Governor election

← 1962 1966 →

Nominee Elliot Richardson John W. Costello Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 1,121,985 1,097,380 Percentage 50.2% 49.1%

Lieutenant Governor before election Francis X. Bellotti Democratic Elected Lieutenant Governor Elliot Richardson Republican

Republican Elliot L. Richardson was elected Lieutenant Governor over Democrat John W. Costello.

• Elliott Richardson, former United States Attorney for the District of Massachusetts

Richardson ran unopposed in the Republican primary for lieutenant governor.

• John W. Costello, member of the Massachusetts Governor's Council

• Joseph E. McGuire, Worcester attorney

• Joseph G. Bradley, state representative from Newton
• Edward F. Harrington, mayor of New Bedford
• George P. Macheras, Lowell City Councilor
• Rico Matera, former state representative from East Boston

• Joseph Alecks
• James A. DeGuglielmo
• Daniel Dibble, mayor of Holyoke
• Thomas S. Eisenstadt, member of the Boston School Committee
• George H. O'Fannell, state representative
• Andre R. Sigourney, state representative from Nahant
• Mario Umana, state senator from East Boston
• Harold L. Vaughn

On the first ballot, Governor's Councillor John W. Costello led with 428 votes to Worcester attorney and Industrial Accident Board member Joseph E. McGuire's 404, state senator Mario Umana's 250, and state representative Joseph G. Bradley's 112. The other seven candidates received less than the 100 votes required to remain on the ballot and Bradley chose to drop out, which left Costello, McGuire, and Umana as the only remaining candidates. Costello led again on the second ballot, with 641 votes to McGuire's 600 and Umana's 343, but did not receive enough votes to win the nomination. The same happened on the third (687 votes for Costello to McGuire's 656 and Umana's 172). On the fourth ballot, Umana fell to 99 votes, which eliminated him from the contest. On the fifth and final ballot Costello won the party's endorsement by defeating McGuire 724 votes to 691.^[1]

Costello was unopposed for the nomination for lieutenant governor.

1964 Massachusetts Attorney General election

← 1962 1966 →

Nominee Edward Brooke James W. Hennigan Jr. Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 1,543,900 746,390 Percentage 67.2% 32.5%

Attorney General before election Edward Brooke Republican Elected Attorney General Edward Brooke Republican

Incumbent Attorney General Edward Brooke defeated Democrat James W. Hennigan, Jr.

Massachusetts Attorney General Election, 1964^[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Edward Brooke (incumbent)	1,543,900	67.18%	11.20
	Democratic	James W. Hennigan, Jr.	746,390	32.48%	10.80
	Socialist Workers	Willy N. Hogseth	4,716	0.21%	0.26
	Prohibition	Howard B. Rand	3,030	0.13%	0.15
	Write-in		4	0.00%

1964 Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth election

← 1962 1966 →

Nominee Kevin White Wallace B. Crawford Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 1,572,871 621,894 Percentage 71.2% 28.1%

Secretary of the Commonwealth before election Kevin White Democratic Elected Secretary of the Commonwealth Kevin White Democratic

Incumbent Secretary of the Commonwealth Kevin White defeated Republican Wallace B. Crawford.

1964 Secretary of the Commonwealth election^[4]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Kevin White (incumbent)	1,572,871	71.20%	7.10
	Republican	Wallace B. Crawford	621,894	28.15%	8.43
	Socialist Workers	Fred M. Ingersoll	8,369	0.38%	0.10
	Prohibition	Julia B. Kohler	6,074	0.28%	0.12
	Write-in		7	0.00%

1964 Massachusetts Treasurer election

← 1962 1966 →

Nominee Robert Q. Crane Robert C. Hahn Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 1,390,921 762,593 Percentage 61.2% 35.2%

Treasurer and Receiver-General before election John T. Driscoll Democratic Elected Treasurer and Receiver-General Robert Q. Crane Democratic

Incumbent Treasurer and Receiver-General John T. Driscoll did not run for re-election as he had been appointed Chairman of the Massachusetts Turnpike Authority.

Robert Q. Crane defeated Republican Robert C. Hahn in the general election.

• John J. Buckley, Mayor of Lawrence and member of the Governor's Council
• Robert Q. Crane, state representative from Brighton
• Louise Day Hicks, member of the Boston School Committee
• John Francis Kennedy, former Treasurer and Receiver-General (1955–61)

1964 Treasurer and Receiver-General election^[6]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Robert Q. Crane	1,390,921	64.16%	2.36
	Republican	Robert C. Hahn	762,593	35.18%	2.34
	Socialist Workers	Arne A. Sortell	8,017	0.37%	0.09
	Prohibition	Warren C. Carberg	6,295	0.29%	0.07
	Write-in		3	0.00%

1966 Massachusetts Auditor election

← 1962 1966 →

Nominee Thaddeus Buczko Elwynn Miller Party Democratic Republican Popular vote 1,247,674 868,813 Percentage 58.4% 40.7%

Auditor before election Thomas J. Buckley Democratic Elected Auditor Thaddeus M. Buczko Democratic

Incumbent Auditor Thomas J. Buckley died on September 9, 1964, the night before the Democratic primary. Because no sticker campaign received enough votes to win the nomination, the Democratic State Committee chose Thaddeus M. Buczko to succeed Buckley for the Democratic nomination.

In the general election, Buczko defeated Republican Elwynn Miller.

• Thomas J. Buckley, incumbent (died September 9, 1964)

1964 Massachusetts Auditor election^[9]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Thaddeus M. Buczko (incumbent)	1,247,674	58.38%	9.27
	Republican	Elwynn Miller	868,813	40.66%	9.06
	Prohibition	John C. Hedges	11,368	0.53%	0.23
	Socialist Workers	Ethelbert L. Nevens	9,175	0.43%	0.02
	Write-in		9	0.00%

Democrat Ted Kennedy was re-elected over Republican Howard J. Whitmore, Jr., Socialist Labor candidate Lawrence Gilfedder, and Prohibition candidate Grace F. Luder.