1994 Massachusetts gubernatorial election
{{Short description|none}}
{{more citations needed|date=May 2011}}
{{Use American English|date=January 2025}}
{{Use mdy dates|date=September 2023}}
{{Infobox election
| election_name = 1994 Massachusetts gubernatorial election
| country = Massachusetts
| type = presidential
| ongoing = no
| previous_election = 1990 Massachusetts gubernatorial election
| previous_year = 1990
| election_date = November 8, 1994
| next_election = 1998 Massachusetts gubernatorial election
| next_year = 1998
| turnout = 70.05% {{decrease}} 5.8 {{cite web|title=Massachusetts gubernatorial election, 1994|url=https://www.ourcampaigns.com/RaceDetail.html?RaceID=8910}}
| image1 = File:William F. Weld (MA) (cropped).jpg
| nominee1 = Bill Weld
| party1 = Republican Party (United States)
| running_mate1 = Paul Cellucci
| popular_vote1 = 1,533,390
| percentage1 = 70.9%
| map_image = {{switcher
|County results
|File:1994 Massachusetts Gubernatorial Election by Municipality.svg
|Municipality results
|default=1
}}
| map_size = 250px
| map_caption = Weld: {{legend0|#e27f7f|50–60%}} {{legend0|#d75d5d|60–70%}} {{legend0|#d72f30|70–80%}} {{legend0|#c21b18|80–90%}}
Roosevelt: {{legend0|#7996e2|50–60%}}
| title = Governor
| before_election = Bill Weld
| before_party = Republican Party (United States)
| after_election = Bill Weld
| after_party = Republican Party (United States)
| image2 = File:1987 Mark Roosevelt Massachusetts House of Representatives (cropped).png
| image_size = x150px
| nominee2 = Mark Roosevelt
| party2 = Democratic Party (United States)
| running_mate2 = Bob Massie
| popular_vote2 = 611,650
| percentage2 = 28.3%
}}
{{ElectionsMA}}
The 1994 Massachusetts gubernatorial election was held on November 8, 1994. Incumbent Republican governor Bill Weld won reelection as Governor of Massachusetts by the largest margin in state history, winning every single county and all but 6 of the state's 351 municipalities. As of 2024, this is the most recent election in which Boston, Somerville, Lawrence, Chelsea, Brookline, Northampton, Provincetown, Monterey, Great Barrington, Ashfield, Williamstown, Williamsburg, Shelburne, Sunderland, and Pelham voted for the Republican candidate for governor.
Republican primary
=Governor=
==Candidates==
- Bill Weld, incumbent governor
=Lieutenant governor=
==Candidates==
- Paul Cellucci, incumbent lieutenant governor
Incumbent governor Bill Weld and Lieutenant Governor Paul Cellucci were unopposed for renomination.
Democratic primary
=Governor=
==Candidates==
- George A. Bachrach, former state senator from Watertown
- Michael J. Barrett, state senator from Cambridge
- Mark Roosevelt, state representative from the Back Bay and member of the Roosevelt family
In 1987, Barrett succeeded Bachrach as the senator from the Middlesex and Suffolk District. The district was composed of Cambridge, Belmont, Watertown, and the Allston-Brighton neighborhood of Boston.
=== Declined ===
- Joseph P. Kennedy II, U.S. representative (1987–1999)
In 1993 a Boston Globe poll showed Kennedy within one percentage point of popular incumbent William Weld in a hypothetical gubernatorial match-up, prompting prominent state Democrats to try and recruit him for the race.{{cite web|url=http://www.thecrimson.com/article/1993/2/22/kennedy-wont-run-pcambridge-democratic-leaders/|title=Kennedy Won't Run |work= The Harvard Crimson| publisher= | first= Wendy M.
| last= Seltzer| date= February 22, 1993| access-date= June 7, 2023}} Though no other Democrat was polling near Weld, Kennedy decided to forgo the race and remain in Congress.
==Results==
File:Massachusetts Democratic gubernatorial primary results by municipality, 1994.svg
{{Election box begin no change
| title=Massachusetts Democratic Gubernatorial Primary, 1994}}
{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change
|party = Democratic Party (United States)
|candidate = Mark Roosevelt
|votes = 215,061
|percentage = 47.91%
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change
|party = Democratic Party (United States)
|candidate = George Bachrach
|votes = 120,567
|percentage = 26.86%
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change
|party = Democratic Party (United States)
|candidate = Michael J. Barrett
|votes = 111,199
|percentage = 24.77%
}}
{{Election box total no change
|votes = 446,827
|percentage = 100.00%
}}
{{Election box end}}
=Lieutenant governor=
==Candidates==
- Bob Massie, activist
- Marc Draisen, state representative from Roslindale
==Results==
{{Election box begin no change
| title=Massachusetts Democratic Lt. Gubernatorial Primary, 1994}}
{{Election box winning candidate with party link no change
|party = Democratic Party (United States)
|candidate = Bob Massie
|votes = 193,508
|percentage = 52.66%
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link no change
|party = Democratic Party (United States)
|candidate = Marc Draisen
|votes = 173,896
|percentage = 47.34%
}}
{{Election box total no change
|votes = 367,404
|percentage = 100.00%
}}{{Election box end}}
General election
=Debates=
| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center;"
|+ 1994 Massachusetts gubernatorial election debates |
| scope="col" | {{abbr|No.|Number}}
! scope="col" | Date ! scope="col" | Host ! scope="col" | Moderator ! scope="col" | Link ! scope="col"| Republican ! scope="col"| Democratic |
|---|
| colspan="5" rowspan="2" |Key: {{Colors|black|#90ff90| P }} Participant {{Colors|black|#FFFFDD| A }} Absent {{Colors|black|#ff9090| N }} Not invited {{Colors|black|#CCFFCC| I }} Invited {{color box|#f0e68c|W}} Withdrawn ! scope="col" style="background:{{party color|Republican Party (US)}}"| ! scope="col" style="background:{{party color|Democratic Party (US)}}"| |
| scope="col" | Bill Weld
! scope="col" | Mark Roosevelt |
| 1
| style="white-space:nowrap;" | Oct. 18. 1994 | style="white-space:nowrap;" | Boston Herald | style="white-space:nowrap;" | Natalie Jacobson | style="white-space:nowrap;" | [https://www.c-span.org/video/?60959-1/massachusetts-gubernatorial-debate C-SPAN] | {{Yes|P}} | {{Yes|P}} |
| 2
| style="white-space:nowrap;" | Oct. 26. 1994 | style="white-space:nowrap;" | The Boston Globe | style="white-space:nowrap;" | Liz Walker | style="white-space:nowrap;" | [https://www.c-span.org/video/?61130-1/massachusetts-gubernatorial-debate C-SPAN] | {{Yes|P}} | {{Yes|P}} |
=Polling=
| class="wikitable"
! width="100px" | Source ! width="75px" | Date ! width="80px" | Weld (R) ! width="100px" | Roosevelt (D) |
| Boston Herald
| Oct. 2, 1994 | {{Party shading/Republican}} | 60% | 29% |
=Results=
Governor Weld defeated Democrat Mark Roosevelt by a 71%–28% margin, the largest gubernatorial margin of victory in modern Massachusetts history. Roosevelt won only six municipalities statewide (Amherst, Cambridge, Leverett, Otis, Shutesbury and Wendell). All six municipalities voted for Weld in 1990, meaning that he won every municipality in the state in a gubernatorial election.
{{Election box begin
| title=Massachusetts gubernatorial election, 1994}}
{{Election box winning candidate with party link
|party = Republican Party (United States)
|candidate = Bill Weld (incumbent)
|votes = 1,533,390
|percentage = 70.85%
|change = +20.66
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link
|party = Democratic Party (United States)
|candidate = Mark Roosevelt
|votes = 611,650
|percentage = 28.26%
|change = -18.68
}}
{{Election box candidate with party link
|party = Libertarian Party (United States)
|candidate = Dean Cook
|votes = 14,698
|percentage = 0.68%
|change = New
}}
{{Election box candidate
|party = LaRouche Was Right
|candidate = Jeffrey W. Rebello
|votes = 3,907
|percentage = 0.18%
|change = New
}}
{{Election box end}}
=Results by county=
| class="wikitable sortable"
! colspan="8" | 1994 United States gubernatorial election in Massachusetts (by county) {{cite web | url=https://electionstats.state.ma.us/elections/search/year_from:1972/year_to:2020/office_id:1/stage:General | title=PD43+ » Search Elections }} | |||||||
| County
! Weld - R % ! Weld - R # ! Roosevelt - D % ! Roosevelt - D # ! Others % ! Others # ! Total # | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| {{Party shading/Republican}}|Barnstable | 73.2% | 68,719 | 24.0% | 22,576 | 2.8% | 2,604 | 93,899 |
| {{Party shading/Republican}}|Berkshire | 60.9% | 30,430 | 35.3% | 17,618 | 3.8% | 1,919 | 49,967 |
| {{Party shading/Republican}}|Bristol | 63.8% | 105,751 | 31.2% | 51,702 | 5.1% | 8,413 | 165,866 |
| {{Party shading/Republican}}|Dukes | 62.4% | 3,748 | 33.4% | 2,007 | 4.2% | 255 | 6,010 |
| {{Party shading/Republican}}|Essex | 72.4% | 189,618 | 24.1% | 63,019 | 3.5% | 9,237 | 261,874 |
| {{Party shading/Republican}}|Franklin | 66.6% | 18,226 | 30.0% | 8,217 | 3.4% | 927 | 27,370 |
| {{Party shading/Republican}}|Hampden | 72.4% | 109,631 | 23.0% | 34,860 | 4.5% | 6,840 | 151,331 |
| {{Party shading/Republican}}|Hampshire | 62.1% | 33,965 | 33.8% | 18,449 | 4.1% | 2,239 | 54,653 |
| {{Party shading/Republican}}|Middlesex | 67.8% | 376,503 | 28.7% | 159,190 | 3.6% | 19,875 | 555,568 |
| {{Party shading/Republican}}|Nantucket | 71.2% | 2,131 | 26.5% | 794 | 2.3% | 70 | 2,995 |
| {{Party shading/Republican}}|Norfolk | 69.4% | 187,155 | 26.9% | 72,479 | 3.8% | 10,201 | 269,835 |
| {{Party shading/Republican}}|Plymouth | 73.5% | 123,320 | 23.1% | 38,747 | 3.4% | 5,744 | 167,811 |
| {{Party shading/Republican}}|Suffolk | 57.0% | 99,615 | 36.5% | 63,716 | 6.5% | 11,352 | 174,683 |
| {{Party shading/Republican}}|Worcester | 73.7% | 184,578 | 23.3% | 58,306 | 3.0% | 7,490 | 250,374 |
Other races
- Republican Joe Malone was re-elected as Treasurer over Democrat Shannon O'Brien.
- William F. Galvin was elected Secretary of the Commonwealth for the first time.
See also
References
{{1994 United States elections}}
{{Massachusetts Elections}}