1990 Massachusetts gubernatorial election

Candidates

• Francis Bellotti, former lieutenant governor and attorney general of Massachusetts
• John Silber, president of Boston University

Campaign

After Dukakis and Boston mayor Raymond Flynn declined to run, lieutenant governor Evelyn Murphy was the early frontrunner due to strong name recognition and a solid base of support among liberals. In July 1989, she led Francis Bellotti with 42 percent in a Boston Globe poll to 18 percent. However, by November 1989, Bellotti had closed the gap to within 2 percent of Murphy.^[5]

In January, Boston University president John Silber entered the race. Silber's campaign for the nomination was marked by a series of caustic, politically incorrect statements which came to be called "Silber shockers." For example, in the context of a discussion on healthcare policy, Silber urged prioritizing care for children over the elderly and terminally ill by saying, "Shakespeare was right when he said 'Ripeness is all.' When you've had a long life and you're ripe, then it's time to go."^[6] Columnist George Will defended Silber, arguing that he had been misquoted or misrepresented by his opponents and the media, who had equated this statement with "advocacy for genocide."^[6] In reaction to his relationship with the media during the primary, Silber remarked, "Typically, I put forward a statement for examination and then develop evidence and argument toward a conclusion. In the context of a political campaign, I've discovered that the first thing one says—and often it is said to attract attention—is taken as the sound bite and the definitive position of the candidate on a subject. If the candidate makes any effort to enlarge upon that sound bite, he is then accused of having changed his position."^[6]

Bellotti ran his first wave of television ads in January and continued to surge, taking the lead in the race, polling 38 percent to 20 percent and 16 percent for Murphy and Silber, respectively.^[5] By May, Silber had surpassed Murphy, and a Boston Herald poll found that Bellotti led with 36 percent to 24 percent for Silber and 19 percent for Murphy. The Murphy campaign downplayed the polling by suggesting it was the result of Silber's advertising campaign, which spent $200,000 in two weeks in April.^[7]

Convention

The Democratic Party state convention was held on June 2, 1990, at the Springfield Civic Center. Silber and his supporters made an issue of the 15 percent rule, which requires candidates to receive the support of 15 percent of delegates on the first ballot in order to qualify for the official primary ballot, calling it an "exclusionary" measure.^[7] Surveys taken in May suggested that Silber would struggle to reach that threshold despite his popular support, given his heterodox views and support for Bellotti and Murphy from liberals and organized labor, two groups which would dominate the delegate pool.^[7]

On the first ballot, Bellotti and Murphy easily qualified for the ballot with 42.9 percent and 37 percent of the vote, respectively. Silber narrowly qualified for the ballot with 15.5 percent of the delegates. On the second ballot, Bellotti won the party endorsement with 51 percent of the vote. State representative John H. Flood was eliminated.^[8]

Post-convention campaign

Murphy's campaign continued its decline post-primary, apparently hurt by the public perception that she was close to the unpopular Dukakis.^[5][9] However, efforts to distance herself from Dukakis backfired. Dukakis twice postponed a trade mission to Europe because Murphy had publicly hinted that she would execute her own economic plan while serving as acting governor.^[9] After the incident, Murphy's unfavorable rating rose to 49 percent in a Boston Globe poll from 38 percent one month earlier.^[5]

A week before the primary, Evelyn Murphy dropped out of the race and threw her support to Bellotti.^[10]

Endorsements

Silber was endorsed by William Bulger, president of the Massachusetts Senate.^[7]

Results

Despite Murphy's endorsement and a polling lead as high 23 percent in late polls, Bellotti was upset by Silber.^[2][11]

The Silber campaign said that exit polling showed that he had fared worst among blacks and women. However, he ran strongly among independents and white men. Polling experts suggested that the major polling miss was the result of participation bias or social-desirability bias, because a large group of voters were reluctant to admit their support for Silber to pollsters after his controversial remarks on blacks, women, and the elderly.^[2]

Candidates

• Marjorie Clapprood, state representative from Sharon
• William B. Golden, state senator from Weymouth
• Nicholas Paleologos, state representative from Woburn

Results

Clapprood easily won the nomination, defeating her nearest opponent by over 22%.

Candidates

• Steven Pierce, state representative from Westfield
• William Weld, former U.S. attorney for the District of Massachusetts

Campaign

At the Republican convention, Pierce received 2,672 votes (52.6%), Weld received 1,845 (36.3%), and Cronin received 563 (11.1%).^[16] Cronin was not able to run in the primary because he did not receive the 15% necessary to make the ballot.^[17] Pierce received enough votes to have a "supermajority", which made Pierce the officially endorsed candidate of the Republican Party.^[16]

During the campaign, Weld attacked Pierce's anti-abortion stance while Pierce claimed that Weld had changed his position on abortion.^[18] Pierce also touted his ability to win a House seat in a Democratic district, while Weld had lost to the Democratic front-runner for governor Francis Bellotti in the 1978 attorney general's race.^[18][19]

Results

Despite losing the convention and trailing Pierce in the polls, Weld was able to come from behind, and defeated Pierce in the Republican primary.

Candidates

• Paul Cellucci, state senator from Hudson (running with Weld)
• Peter G. Torkildsen, state representative from Danvers (running with Pierce)

Results

State senator Paul Cellucci, Weld's running mate, defeated state representative Peter G. Torkildsen, Pierce's running mate, for the Republican nomination.

Aftermath

Both Cellucci and Torkildsen would go on to higher office; Cellucci succeeded Weld as governor in 1998, and Torkildsen was elected to the U.S. House of Representatives in 1992.

Results by county

Source:^[30]

Counties that flipped from Democratic to Republican

• Barnstable
• Essex
• Franklin
• Hampshire
• Middlesex
• Nantucket
• Norfolk
• Plymouth
• Worcester