1994 Massachusetts gubernatorial election
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The 1994 Massachusetts gubernatorial election was held on November 8, 1994. Incumbent Republican governor Bill Weld won re-election as governor of Massachusetts by the largest margin in state history, winning every county and all but six 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.[2]
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November 8, 1994
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| Turnout | 70.05%  5.8[1] | |||||||||||||||||||
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Weld: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% Roosevelt: 50–60% | ||||||||||||||||||||
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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.[3] Though no other Democrat was polling near Weld, Kennedy decided to forgo the race and remain in Congress.
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Mark Roosevelt | 215,061 | 47.91% | |
| Democratic | George Bachrach | 120,567 | 26.86% | |
| Democratic | Michael J. Barrett | 111,199 | 24.77% | |
| Total votes | 446,827 | 100.00% | ||
Lieutenant governor
Candidates
- Bob Massie, activist
- Marc Draisen, state representative from Roslindale
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Bob Massie | 193,508 | 52.66% | |
| Democratic | Marc Draisen | 173,896 | 47.34% | |
| Total votes | 367,404 | 100.00% | ||
General election
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Debates
| No. | Date | Host | Moderator | Link | Republican | Democratic |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Key: P Participant A Absent N Not invited I Invited W Withdrawn |
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| Bill Weld | Mark Roosevelt | |||||
| 1 | Oct. 18. 1994 | Boston Herald WCVB-TV |
Natalie Jacobson | C-SPAN | P | P |
| 2 | Oct. 26. 1994 | The Boston Globe WBZ-TV |
Liz Walker Jack Williams |
C-SPAN | P | P |
Polling
| Source | Date | Weld (R) | Roosevelt (D) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Boston Herald | Oct. 2, 1994 | 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.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Bill Weld (incumbent) | 1,533,390 | 70.87% | +20.66 | |
| Democratic | Mark Roosevelt | 611,650 | 28.27% | −18.68 | |
| Libertarian | Dean Cook | 14,698 | 0.68% | N/A | |
| LaRouche Was Right | Jeffrey W. Rebello | 3,907 | 0.18% | N/A | |
| Total votes | 2,163,645 | 100.00% | |||
Results by county
| 1994 United States gubernatorial election in Massachusetts (by county)[4] | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| County | Weld - R % | Weld - R # | Roosevelt - D % | Roosevelt - D # | Others % | Others # | Total # |
| Barnstable | 74.7% | 68,719 | 24.6% | 22,576 | 0.7% | 662 | 91,957 |
| Berkshire | 62.6% | 30,430 | 36.3% | 17,618 | 1.1% | 553 | 48,601 |
| Bristol | 66.2% | 105,751 | 32.4% | 51,702 | 1.4% | 2,188 | 159,641 |
| Dukes | 64.3% | 3,748 | 34.4% | 2,007 | 1.3% | 77 | 5,832 |
| Essex | 74.5% | 189,618 | 24.7% | 63,019 | 0.7% | 1,935 | 254,542 |
| Franklin | 68.0% | 18,226 | 30.7% | 8,217 | 1.2% | 345 | 26,788 |
| Hampden | 75.1% | 109,631 | 23.9% | 34,860 | 1.1% | 1,526 | 146,017 |
| Hampshire | 64.1% | 33,965 | 34.8% | 18,449 | 1.1% | 613 | 53,027 |
| Middlesex | 69.7% | 376,503 | 29.5% | 159,190 | 0.8% | 4,445 | 540,138 |
| Nantucket | 72.4% | 2,131 | 27.0% | 794 | 0.6% | 17 | 2,942 |
| Norfolk | 71.6% | 187,155 | 27.7% | 72,479 | 0.7% | 1,877 | 261,511 |
| Plymouth | 75.5% | 123,320 | 23.7% | 38,747 | 0.8% | 1,338 | 163,405 |
| Suffolk | 60.4% | 99,615 | 38.6% | 63,716 | 1.1% | 1,715 | 165,046 |
| Worcester | 75.4% | 184,578 | 23.8% | 58,306 | 0.7% | 1,947 | 244,831 |
Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican
See also
- 1993–1994 Massachusetts legislature, for the legislature at the time of this election
- 1995–1996 Massachusetts legislature, for the legislature elected concurrently
- 1994 Massachusetts elections, for other elections held concurrently