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.
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.
This was the final election held before the governor's term of office was extended from two to four years.
Democratic primary Candidates Francis Bellotti, lieutenant governor Pasquale Caggiano, former state representative from Lynn and perennial candidate John J. Droney, Middlesex County district attorney Endicott Peabody, incumbent governor
Declined Robert F. Kennedy, U.S. attorney general and brother of John F. Kennedy (ran for U.S. Senate in New York)
Results
Republican primary Candidates John Volpe, former governor
Defeated at convention Philip A. Graham, state senator from Hamilton and Senate minority leader Francis W. Perry, state representative from Duxbury and nominee for lieutenant governor in 1962
Withdrew Edward Brooke, attorney general of Massachusetts (withdrew ahead of convention; ran for re-election)
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.
Results by county County John VolpeRepublican Francis BellottiDemocratic 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% 271,634Totals1,176,46250.3%1,153,41649.3%10,2520.4%12,0461.0%2,340,130
Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic Essex
See also 1963–1964 Massachusetts legislature
References