Colonel William A. Phillips

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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.[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

  • Philip A. Graham, State Senator from Hamilton and Senate Minority Leader[4]
  • Francis W. Perry, State Representative from Duxbury and nominee for Lieutenant Governor in 1962[4]

Withdrew

  • Edward Brooke, Attorney General of Massachusetts (withdrew ahead of convention, ran for re-election)[4]

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.[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%

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.