Today, many wonder why a consistently liberal state like Massachusetts has produced such conservative politicians on the national level. Only the recent election of the libertarian progressive Mike Connolly has shifted the national perception of the Massachusetts Democrats. Prior to his 2020 Senate victory over Republican Seth Moulton, most Massachusetts Democrats were portrayed as backward and heavily Catholic reactionaries. While this brand of Democrat championed the image of President Kennedy, they didn't accept many of his policies.
Until recently, historical accounts have neglected to describe the scale of segregation in the North, even though it was widely known at the time. In June 1963, months before the assassination of President Kennedy, the NAACP demanded an acknowledgment of segregation in Boston schools. Despite there being over 13 schools with a black population of 90% or more, the council remained deadlocked on the issue. All of this was due to one member of the Boston school committee - Chairwoman Louise Day Hicks.
Ever since she ran on being "the only mother on the ballot" in 1961, Hicks was Massachusetts' most controversial politician. Hicks claimed that accusations of segregation in Boston were merely an attempt to distract from more serious issues facing African-Americans. In response to critics, she pointed to heavily Chinese schools in Chinatown, heavily Italian-American schools in the North End, and heavily Irish-American schools in South Boston.
Despite support for Hicks, Republican Governor John Volpe signed the Racial Imbalance Act, which would withhold state funds for any school district with a racial imbalance. The Act was upheld despite a series of legal challenges.
With an open field in the Boston mayoral election, Hicks naturally stepped into the race. The frontrunner was the staunch liberal Kevin White, who had strong support with blacks and Italians for his tenants' rights advocacy. While the typically neutral Boston Globe went out of their way to endorse White, Hicks narrowly won, running on the slogan "You know where I stand."
1967 Boston Mayoral Election
Louise Day Hicks (D) - 50.4%
Kevin White (D) - 49.6%
1968 remains enshrined as America's chaotic year, and Boston was at the center of the heat. The United States Supreme Court rejected a final appeal of the Racial Imbalance Act, furthering the divide between Boston and the rest of America. Like several other major cities, Boston fell into rioting after the assassination of Martin Luther King. The already angered black population was further upset by Hicks' decision to shut down a previously scheduled James Brown concert. While disturbances had been limited to the Roxbury section of Boston, they quickly spread throughout the city.
Massachusetts' malaise continued with the death of yet another Kennedy brother. With a young woman in his car, Senator Kennedy drowned off of Chappaquidick Island. The young Massachusetts Senator was seen as the last hope for the Kennedy family and the only hope for Democrats to take on President Nixon in 1972.
Nixon had been terrified of a Kennedy candidacy and privately felt a sign of relief. The animosity between the poor Quaker and the kids of an Irish Catholic elite was over. Republicans quickly turned their attention to the special election for Kennedy's seat, hoping for an all-GOP delegation for the first time since JFK's election in 1952.
The Democratic nominee was Kennedy's Ambassador to India and prominent Vietnam critic Ken Galbraith, known as a staunch liberal. Despite a period of mourning for Senator Kennedy, Galbraith narrowly trailed his Republican opponent Marty Linsky...until he was pulled over with a prostitute in his car.
1969 Massachusetts Senate Special Election
Ken Galbraith (D) - 54.55%
Marty Linsky (R) - 44.59%
Recognizing that many considered her an embarrassment to the City of Boston, Louise Day Hicks chose to retire after one term as Mayor. Instead, she embarked on a long-shot bid for Governor of Massachusetts, facing off against Republican incumbent Francis Sargent. Running on a similar platform to her 1967 campaign, Hicks found herself winning over "conservative in heart" voters across the state. While she was unsuccessful, the level of statewide support for her campaign shocked observers.
1970 Massachusetts Gubernatorial Election
Francis Sargent / Donald Dwight (R) - 52.97%
Louise Day Hicks / Michael Dukakis (D) - 46.50%
While the state adamantly rejected his subsequent presidential efforts, George McGovern had won the Massachusetts primary with over 50% of the vote. Much like in 1968, McGovern was seen as the stand-in candidate for the Kennedys and enjoyed the support of Senator Galbraith.
After the collapse of Edmund Muskie’s campaign and the attempted assassination of George Wallace, the establishment favorite Hubert Humphrey became McGovern’s sole opponent. While the South Dakota Senator prevailed, it was a contentious battle. On top of that, McGovern’s anti-war stance alienated Southern Wallaceites, white ethnics, and organized labor.
As a result, McGovern struggled to find a running mate, with Walter Mondale, Ralph Nader, Frank Church, and several others declining to join the ticket. While Missouri’s Thomas Eagleton was eventually nominated, he was forced to reveal that he had been hospitalized for bouts of depression two weeks into the campaign. While McGovern claimed he was behind Eagleton "1000%," he later asked him to leave the ticket. Forcing Eagleton to withdraw hurt McGovern more than the electroshock therapy scandal, and the South Dakota Senator was now forced to repeat his vice presidential search.
The McGovern attempted to reach Ambassador to France and Kennedy brother-in-law Sargent Shriver but were once again unable to get in contact with him. Truly desperate, the campaign was forced to name a man loathed by all sides - one Jimmy Carter of Georgia.
After staunchly criticizing McGovern during the 1972 Democratic Convention, Governor Carter asked Senator Scoop Jackson (at 4 am!) if he could get himself on the ticket with McGovern. While Jackson refused the first time, he was truly angry the second time Carter called him. As a result, he agreed to get McGovern on the ticket out of pure spite, anticipating a humiliating defeat in November.
While some optimists felt Carter could win back Southerners upset with Nixon's choice of Senator Edward Brooke as his running mate, the obvious animosity between McGovern and Carter was felt in the general election. The two rarely appeared together and refused to raise their arms at a pre-election rally. Furthermore, the realization that electing Carter as Vice President would only return arch-segregationalist Lieutenant Governor Lester Maddox to the governorship of Georgia made a lot of liberals uncomfortable. To add insult to injury, it was revealed that Sargent Shriver had, in fact, received McGovern's message and was willing to accept the VP spot.
The disastrous campaign produced a 50 state landslide for President Nixon, with McGovern winning the District of Columbia. Brooke's presence on the Republican ticket even produced a Republican victory in anti-war Massachusetts, with Republican Margaret Heckler easily defeating Democrat John Droney in the race for Brooke's Senate seat.
1972 Presidential Election in Massachusetts
Richard Nixon / Edward Brooke (R) - 50.18%
George McGovern / Jimmy Carter (D) - 49.25%
While things looked dim for the Democratic Party, the revelations of the Watergate scandal put an end to the Nixonian "Era of Good Feelings." The 1974 midterms were a landslide for Congressional Democrats, though they were unable to capture the Massachusetts governorship. Louise Day Hicks was now the frontrunner, but the Republicans tactfully primaried the unpopular Governor Sargent in favor of real estate executive Carroll Sheehan.
Due to the ruling in
Morgan v. Hennigan, Boston schools were legally ordered to desegregate through redistricting and busing. In response, at least 40 anti-busing riots occurred between September 1974 and September 1976. While Sheehan used the images of Boston burning to attack Hicks' supporters, he was only able to win by a narrow margin in November. This has been attributed to Hicks, William Bulger, and Raymond Flynn urging rioters to let black students into South Boston High. Despite 25 injuries and the destruction of 6 police cars, many felt Hicks' intervention deescalated tensions.
1974 Massachusetts Gubernatorial Election
Carroll Sheehan / Donald Dwight (R) - 49.9%
Louise Day Hicks / Thomas P. O'Neill III (D) - 49.3%
Violence broke out again after the assassination of President Edward Brooke and Governor Ronald Reagan on September 5, 1975. The assassin, Squeaky Fromme, was a member of the Manson family cult that had previously murdered actress Sharon Tate. As part of their investigations, the 1978 House Select Committee on Assassinations concluded it was "unlikely" the Manson murders were part of a larger conspiracy.
While Brooke and Reagan were the frontrunners for the Republican nomination in 1976, the assassination of the first black president was a deeply traumatic event. Just seven years after the murder of Martin Luther King, riots once again broke out across the nation. Boston, which was already hit by racial unrest, was now at a level of unprecedented violence.
As the nation sought to pick a new president, Boston turned to an unlikely figure. While even Louise Day Hicks referred to him as bigoted, the former segregationist governor of Alabama George Wallace began rising in the polls as a champion of the anti-busing issue. While Wallace himself seemed shocked by his support in Yankee land, his largely restored health allowed him to devote periodic time to campaign appearances in South Boston.
While Wallace was the most openly anti-busing candidate, he had to contend with Senator Scoop Jackson, whose other policies were much more in line with mainstream liberalism. Additionally, the field contained Kennedy brother-in-law Sargent Shriver, the mainstream liberal Mo Udall, and the left-wing populist Fred Harris (who secured an upset in the Iowa caucus).
Wallace strategist Richard Viguerie used his pioneering strategy of direct mail advertising to promote pro-Wallace literature across South Boston in an attempt to drive up turnout. Despite Viguerie's lack of experience with Massachusetts politics (such as when he claimed Harris was endorsed by socialist activist Michael Harrington instead of Rep. Michael J. Harrington), his tactics worked in bringing home a strong showing for the governor.
While anti-busing was obviously the highlight of his campaign, Wallace used more coded language by speaking out against "big government," "exotic liberals" and "ultra-elitists." Despite this, Wallace's rallies were filled with posters saying "busing is not the answer."
Despite only winning 8% in 1972 and polls showing him with only 10% of the vote, Wallace secured an outright victory with 22% of the primary electorate. Sargent Shriver, who hoped to emerge from Massachusetts as the liberal favorite, now struggled to continue his campaign.
1976 Democratic Presidential Primary in Massachusetts
George Wallace (D-AL) - 22.3%
Sargent Shriver (D-MD) - 17.2%
Scoop Jackson (D-WA) - 16.7%
Morris Udall (D-AZ) - 14.8%
Fred Harris (D-OK) - 13.9%
Birch Bayh (D-IN) - 5.5%
In 1975, the idea of a Wallace supporter was personified by the pro-Wallace anthem "Sweet Home Alabama." Now, the prototype of a Wallaceite was an Irish-American Catholic from the Southie projects. While the South locked in his corner, Wallace could focus his efforts on the white ethnic vote in the Midwest.
While mainstream liberals could have easily stopped Wallace if they united their efforts behind a single candidate, there were several obstacles in their way. Liberal stalwart Hubert Humphrey refused to officially jump into the race while leaving the door open to eventually putting his name forward. Even if Humphrey refused to run, the party establishment was clearly uncomfortable with Fred Harris, whose platform included public ownership of industries and abolishing the CIA. As the most moderate liberal, Scoop Jackson may have consolidated support around him, but he left his name off of the primary ballots in several states. Udall struggled with black voters due to the white supremacist aspects of the Mormon faith, while the last-minute entry of Frank Church failed to get off of the ground.
Despite being associated with the stand in the schoolhouse door and
The Soiling of Old Glory, George Wallace was now the Democratic nominee for president.
1976 Democratic Presidential Primary
George Wallace (D-AL) - 39.2%
Fred Harris (D-OK) - 18.1%
Scoop Jackson (D-WA) - 10.5%
Mo Udall (D-AZ) - 8.5%
Frank Church (D-ID) - 6.2%
Sargent Shriver (D-MD) - 5.3%
Despite his unpopularity with much of the country, Wallace's devoted supporters kept him viable as a presidential candidate. His opponent, Senator James Buckley, was just the opposite. While a well-off Catholic from New England, he alienated the Eastern seaboard with his staunch conservatism. At the same time, his background alienated Southerners who backed their native son for the presidency. Ironically, Buckley did pick up the support of Delaware Senator Joe Biden, who loathed Wallace for his former segregationalist views.
Those seeking another path...a "Third Force"...organized in an attempt to stop the right-wing candidates from both parties. Organized by Oregon Governor Tom McCall and former Minnesota Senator Eugene McCarthy, the "Third Force" convention requested that consumer advocate Ralph Nader run for their nomination. While reluctant to run, Nader agreed to actively campaign if supporters could get his name on the ballot in all 50 states.
While they were unable to fully achieve their goal, Nader immediately surged in the polls. As Buckley and Wallace neared their floor, some even speculated if Nader could become the first independent president. While these projections were inaccurate, the Third Force was certainly popular in New England.
1976 U.S. Presidential Election in Massachusetts
George Wallace / Dan Walker (D) - 41.9%
James Buckley / Jim Rhodes (R) - 31.8%
Ralph Nader / Tom McCall (I) - 25.3%
Massachusets was the strongest state for the Nader / McCall ticket, which secured a more modest 16% of the vote nationwide. While Wallace's victory was disappointing for a Democratic candidate, Buckley's numbers were the lowest of any Republican (with the exception of Barry Goldwater's 23% in 1964). Massachusetts remained the lone New England state to vote for Wallace, with the Midwest and South also going for him. Washington DC's electoral votes were cast for an unpledged slate led by pastor and House delegate Walter Fauntroy.
While Wallace had a Democratic Congress, a divide emerged between the two. The president had won the primary based off of his staunch opposition to the Equal Rights Amendment and abortion rights, which put him in conflict with figures such as Republican Senator Margaret Heckler.
Defeating Heckler was going to be an uphill battle, as Heckler distanced herself from Nixon during Watergate without alienating Republicans. Her opponent, Rep. Paul Tsongas, won a bitter primary that featured pro-busing advocate Kathleen Sullivan Alioto and right-wing activist Howard Phillips. Despite Tsongas being to the left of Heckler (and earning a perfect score from Americans for Democratic Action), Heckler was able to present her opponent as a reactionary.
1978 U.S. Senate Election in Massachusetts
Margaret Heckler (R) - 53.3%
Paul Tsongas (D) - 48.7%
This contrasted with the gubernatorial race, where the Democrats ran an actual reactionary. Businessman Edward J. King prevailed over several popular liberals with prominent support from Massachusetts' business community, who saw that Sheehan had little chance of winning re-election.
Like Wallace, King was staunchly pro-life and advocated for the death penalty and mandatory sentences for drug dealers. While several Democrats (such as St. Rep. Barney Frank) endorsed the embattled Governor Sheehan, it was not enough to stop King's ascendency.
1978 Massachusetts Gubernatorial Election
Edward J. King / Thomas O'Neill III (D) - 54.8%
Carroll Sheehan / Donald Dwight (R) - 45.2%
Despite low approval ratings amongst liberals and Democrats, Wallace defeated primary challenges from Senator Joe Biden and Senator George McGovern. His sights turned to his general election opponent, former Governor and Secretary of the Treasury John Connally of Texas.
Unfortunately, Connally's reputation as a corrupt protege of LBJ and Nixon was inescapable. Moderates distrusted him due to his conservative stances while conservatives still saw him as a Democrat. Despite the poor economy, Wallace narrowly prevailed in the general election.
1980 Presidential Election in Massachusetts
George Wallace / Dan Walker (D) - 55.1%
John Connally / Robert Baumann (R) - 37.5%
Eugene McCarthy / William Clay Ford (T) - 6.4%
After over a dozen years in the Senate, John Kenneth Galbraith was getting tired of his job. Since his election in Nixon's first term, Galbraith saw the country shift to the right under a president from his own party. At the age of 74, Galbraith preferred to return to writing and occasional appearances on the lecture circuit.
The state of "Kennedy Democrats" had shifted with the country. Lousie Day Hicks may have retired from politics due to declining health, but several of the state's Democrats had policies in her image. While several Democrats opted not to run due to the strong candidacy of former Attorney General Elliot Richardson, Congressman Ed Markey emerged as the frontrunner by challenging the conservative consensus.
At 38, Markey had already severed in the U.S. House for six years and had earned a reputation as a staunch liberal, frequently collaborating with Senator Galbraith. Joining the field was the even younger James Shannon of Lawrence and William Bulger of South Boston.
The latter candidate, once seen as a minor threat, quickly rose in the polls. Born to an amputee and a first-generation Irish immigrant, Bulger worked his way out of the Southie projects into Boston College High School. While he was unpopular with the media and busing advocates, Bulger emerged as a powerbroker in Massachusetts politics.
In 1978, Bulger worked his way up to the presidency of the Massachusetts State Senate and was the host of the St. Patrick's Day breakfast, a charity roast of politicians. This earned him quite the acid tongue, with Bulger famously referring to Markey as someone with "bad hair and worse jokes."
Bulger's working-class background was too much for some Democrats, and many had questions about his brother, mob boss James "Whitey" Bulger. Despite this, the statewide profile that a competitive primary offered gave him a chance to overcome stereotypes about his image.
In one of the few positive results for Democrats in the 1982 midterms, Bulger held onto Galbraith's seat. Despite being outspent by the well-respected Richardson, high turnout in Boston and a slick campaign gave him a narrow victory.
1982 U.S. Senate Democratic Primary in Massachusetts
William Bulger (D) - 41.6%
Edward Markey (D) - 30.5%
James Shannon (D) - 27.7%
1982 U.S. Senate Election in Massachusetts
William Bulger (D) - 49.7%
Elliot Richardson (R) - 49.3%
The Senate upset in 1982 was more bad news for Senator Margaret Heckler. While she had won re-election in 1978, her next contest was in a presidential year. With the staunch Catholic and former New York Governor Hugh Carey at the top of the ticket, Democrats would be turning out en masse for their candidate.
While Carey was far more liberal than Wallace, he retained the president's push for molarity in politics. These issues were brought to Massachusetts when Senator Heckler's husband John filed for divorce, claiming physical and mental cruelty along with constructive desertion and abandonment. Senator Heckler filed her own complaint later that year, beginning a lengthy divorce trial that filled headlines in Washington and Massachusetts alike.
Sensing the opportunity, Governor King announced his candidacy, using his personal popularity to clear out the primary field. Unlike in 1978, however, King was to the right of Heckler on economic and social issues. As a result, King focused his campaign on the differences in personality between the candidates.
Despite strong undertones of sexism in his campaign and Governor Carey's loss to Senator Percy, King prevailed in a landslide against the incumbent. Heckler would later be named Ambassador to Ireland by President Percy and was confirmed despite objections from Senator Jesse Helms.
1984 U.S. Senate Election in Massachusetts
Edward J. King (D) - 56.4%
Margaret Heckler (R) - 43.6%
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Bulger emerged as one of the most talented parliamentarians in the U.S. Senate, as he had in Massachusetts state politics. Many claimed that the most dangerous place to be in Washington was between Bulger and a TV camera, but his theatrics brought attention to statewide and national issues. In his time in the Senate, Bulger developed a close friendship with Senator Pat Moynihan, which provided him with a staunch ally upon Moyinhan's election to the presidency in 1988. Without Bulger's campaigning, it is likely that Massachusetts would have flipped to Republican candidate Frank Zappa in the contentious 1992 contest.
Upon the retirement of Senator Alan Cranston from his leadership roles, Bulger was named Senate Majority Whip in 1991, serving under Majority Leader Dan Inouye. During the tightening Democratic majorities in the late 1990s, Bulger ensured that Democrats remained a consistent bloc in Congress. His reputation as Inoyue's "hatchet man" was not without criticism, as Senator Joe Biden accused him of "mafia-style tactics" to prevent Biden's defection to the Republicans.
Bulger may have got the last laugh, as Biden lost re-election by a considerable margin in the 2002 midterms. With Inoyue's retirement, Bulger was the narrow favorite to become Senate Majority Leader for the 108th Congress. Unfortunately, his downfall soon followed.
While Bulger avoided talking about the crimes of brother Whitey (and even used him as an example of how far he had come), the notorious leader of the Winter Hill Gang was added to the Ten Most Wanted Fugitives list in 1999. After revelations of Whitey's ties to several government officials emerged, all eyes turned to the incoming Senate Majority Leader. Soon, it was revealed that William had communicated with his brother over the phone in 1995 and refused to notify authorities.
Despite claiming to have no relationship with his brother, William admitted that he felt Whitey giving himself up wasn't in his best interest. When the story broke, William proclaimed that he still loved his brother and believed the accusations against him were rumors. Questions were raised due to Whitey's status as an FBI informant, with many even thinking Whitey's past as MKUltra test subject motivated William's support for the abolishment of the CIA.
While William was granted immunity from prosecution for obstruction of justice, even holding his senate seat was untenable. In 2003, Massachusetts' last giant finally bowed out from politics.
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At the time of Bulger's resignation, Massachusetts' other U.S. Senator was Mark Roosevelt. Being the great-grandson of Teddy Roosevelt, Mark spent most of his childhood reading any biography of the 26th President of the United States. After the retirement of Senator King in 1996, Roosevelt secured the nomination in a low-turnout primary on a moderate platform. While Roosevelt was in favor of the death penalty, he held pro-choice views on abortion rights, establishing a contrast with his predecessor.
1996 U.S. Senate Election in Massachusetts
Mark Roosevelt (D) - 51.1%
Mitt Romney (R) - 47.9%
After defeating his well-funded Republican opponent Mitt Romney in 1996, Roosevelt remained a comfortable incumbent into the 2010s, when he unexpectedly lost re-election to businessman Seth Moulton, a Republican. As previously mentioned, Moulton lost re-election to his challenger Mike Connolly in 2020.
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Going into the 1998 Massachusetts gubernatorial election, all eyes were on Joseph P. Kennedy II. After a decade in Congress, the second child of Robert F. Kennedy put his name forward for statewide office. By all expectations, Kennedy should have been a shoo-in. No Kennedy had ever lost an election in Massachusetts and the incumbent administration of Democratic John Silber was widely popular.
His opponent, businessman and attorney Jack E. Robinson III, was seen as a weak recruit for the Republican Party. While a black Republican in the mold of Edward Brooke, Robinson had a number of scandals involving his personal life, which he sought to get ahead of by issuing the "Robinson Report." In it, he countered an ex-girlfriend's restraining order by claiming she was the real abuser and admitted to possessing an illegal martial arts implement as a graduate student.
That being said, Kennedy's campaign quickly became caught up in personal issues of his own. As he began his gubernatorial campaign, his ex-wife Shelia went on a nationwide book tour detailing how she urged the Catholic Church to deny Kennedy an annulment to their marriage. At the same time, Joseph's brother Michael faced accusations of a sexual affair with a babysitter since she was 14 years old. The publicity from Michael's trial did little to help his brother's campaign, with Joe's approval ratings falling to -38%.
Of Robert Kennedy's 11 children, Joe II remains the only one to have ran for statewide office and lost.
1998 Massachusetts Gubernatorial Election
Jack E. Robinson III (R) - 55.4%
Joseph P. Kennedy II (D) - 44.5%
While Robinson's victory was due to unusual circumstances, the eccentric businessman was not without strengths as a candidate. While national Republicans were shifting to the right in an attempt to win white ethnics, Robinson ran as a self-described "Progressive Republican" inspired by Teddy Roosevelt. Despite his progressive social stances, Robinson maintained his support for tax cuts and opposition to national health care.
Despite a chaotic approach to governance, Robinson won reelection in a landslide against neoliberal economist Robert Reich. When it was announced that William Bulger was resigning from the U.S. Senate, Robinson emerged as the frontrunner to succeed him. Rather than appointing a placeholder candidate to serve until a special election, Robinson appointed himself as Bulger's successor. While this lost Robinson some support, Democrats struggled to recruit candidates. In the end, Stephen F. Lynch, an unsuccessful candidate for lieutenant governor, emerged as the nominee.
While polls showed Robinson leading by as much as 20%, he couldn't escape the scandal that took down the national Republican Party. After it was revealed that President Paterno had covered up Vice President Hastert's sexual abuse of minors, support for the national party collapsed. The swift impeachment of Paterno elevated Speaker John Murtha to the presidency, who prepared a "bipartisan cabinet" with Claudine Schneider (R-RI) as Vice President.
Robinson may have prevailed if it weren't for an unfortunately timed interview. While on the phone with a reporter, Robinson crashed his vehicle. Robinson continued driving, and while critics claimed he attempted to leave the scene of an accident, Robinson claimed he was just clearing the way for traffic. Nevertheless, the entire incident playing out in a live radio interview did not help the embattled senator.
Despite arrests for assault and battery of Iranian students and smoking marijuana along with a history of tax delinquency, Lynch's ties to Bulger allowed him to take over the Majority Whip's former political machine. Citing his South Boston roots, Lynch proudly compared himself to Jed Clampett from
The Beverly Hillbillies. Many cite Lynch's unconventional populism as a preview of Buddy Roemer's election as president in 2004.
While Lynch has held conservative positions on the issues of LGBT rights and hate crimes legislation, the progressive libertarian faction has been unable to defeat him in a Democratic primary. Even Lynch's public butting of heads with President Robert F. Kennedy Jr. over climate change legislation and reform of the FBI hasn't been enough to kick him out of office.
2003 Massachusetts Senate Special Election
Stephen F. Lynch (D) - 54.3%
Jack E. Robinson III (R) - 45.8%
—
1967 - 1985:
Edward Brooke (Republican)
1966 def. Endicott Peabody (Democratic)
1972 def. John Droney (Democratic)
1978 def. Paul Tsongas (Democratic)
1985 - 1997:
Edward J. King (Democratic)
1984 def. Edward Brooke (Republican)
1990 def. Avi Nelson (Republican)
1997 - 2015:
Mark Roosevelt (Democratic)
1996 def. Mitt Romney (Republican)
2002 def. Mitt Romney (Republican)
2008 def. Jeff Beatty (Republican)
2015 - 2021:
Seth Moulton (Republican)
2014 def. Mark Roosevelt (Democratic)
2021 - 0000:
Mike Connolly (Democratic)
2020 def. Seth Moulton (Republican)
1962 - 1969:
Ted Kennedy (Democratic)
1962 def. George C. Lodge (Republican)
1964 def. Howard J. Whitmore, Jr. (Republican)
1969 - 1969:
Marty Linsky (Republican)
1969 - 1983:
John Kenneth Galbraith (Democratic)
1969 def. Marty Linsky (Republican)
1970 def. Josiah Spaulding (Republican)
1976 def. Michael Robertson (Republican)
1983 - 2003:
William Bulger (Democratic)
1982 def. Elliot Richardson (Republican)
1988 def. Joe Malone (Republican)
1994 def. John Lakian (Republican)
2000 def. Jim Rappaport (Republican)
2003 - 2003:
Jack E. Robinson (Republican)
2003 - 0000:
Stephen Lynch (Democratic)
2003 def. Jack E. Robinson (Republican)
2006 def. Daniel Grabauskas (Republican)
2012 def. Patrick Guerriero (Republican)
2018 def. Richard Tisei (Republican)
1969 - 1975:
Francis Sargent (Republican)
1970 def. Louise Day Hicks (Democratic)
1975 - 1979:
Carroll Sheehan (Republican)
1974 def. Louise Day Hicks (Democratic)
1979 - 1984:
Edward J. King (Democratic)
1978 def. Carroll Sheehan (Republican)
1982 def. John W. Sears (Republican)
1984 - 1987:
Thomas P. O'Neill III (Democratic)
1987 - 1991:
Andrew Card (Republican)
1986 def. John Kerry (Democratic)
1991 - 1999:
John Silber (Democratic)
1990 def. Andrew Card (Republican)
1994 def. Paul Cellucci (Republican)
1999 - 2003:
Jack E. Robinson (Republican)
1998 def. Joseph P. Kennedy II (Democratic)
2002 def. Robert Reich (Democratic)
2003 - 2007:
Jo Ann Sprague (Republican)
2007 - 2011:
Bill Delahunt (Democratic)
2006 def. Jo Ann Sprague (Republican)
2011 - 2015:
Thomas Menino (Democratic)
2010 def. Ralph Martin (Republican)
2015 - 0000:
Rick Sullivan (Democratic)
2014 def. Gloria Cordes Larson (Republican)
2018 def. Andrew Lelling (Republican)