Public policy made simple. Dive into our information hub today!

Massachusetts state executive official elections, 2014

From Ballotpedia
Jump to: navigation, search
Ballotpedia Election Coverage Badge-smaller use.png
 Massachusetts's 2014 elections
U.S. Senate • U.S. House • Governor • Lt. Gov • Attorney General • Secretary of State • Other executive offices • State Senate • State House • State ballot measures • Candidate ballot access
Flag of Massachusetts.png


2015 →
← 2013
2014
State Executive Official Elections
Alabama • Alaska • Arizona • Arkansas • California • Colorado • Connecticut • Delaware • Florida • Georgia • Hawaii • Idaho • Illinois • Indiana • Iowa • Kansas • Louisiana • Maine • Maryland • Massachusetts • Michigan • Minnesota • Missouri • Montana • Nebraska • Nevada • New Hampshire • New Mexico • New York • North Dakota • Ohio • Oklahoma • Oregon • Pennsylvania • Rhode Island • South Carolina • South Dakota • Tennessee • Texas • Utah • Vermont • Wisconsin • Wyoming
Table of Contents
Partisan breakdown
Candidates by office
Voter turnout
Key deadlines
State executive organization
Ballotpedia reports
Recent news
See also
See also
News • Calendar

Six state executive positions were up for election in 2014 in the state of Massachusetts. The general election took place on November 4, 2014.

In addition to candidate lists and election results, this page includes information about important dates, how the state's executive branch is organized, as well as links to articles about recent news in races across the state.

A primary election is an election in which registered voters select a candidate that they believe should be a political party's candidate for elected office to run in the general election. They are also used to choose convention delegates and party leaders. Primaries are state-level and local-level elections that take place prior to a general election. Massachusetts utilizes a semi-closed primary system where voters who are affiliated with a political party and unaffiliated voters may vote in a party's primary.[1]

For information about which offices are nominated via primary election, see this article.

The following offices were elected in 2014 in Massachusetts:

Partisan breakdown

Heading into the November 4 election, the Democratic Party held five out of six executive seats in Massachusetts, with the lieutenant governor's office vacant pending results of the general election.

Massachusetts State Executives -- Partisan Breakdown
Party As of November 4, 2014 After the 2014 Election
     Democratic Party 5 4
     Republican Party 0 2
     Vacant 1 0
Total 6 6

Candidates by office

Office Incumbent Assumed Office Incumbent running? General Election Candidates 2015 Winner Partisan Switch?
Governor Deval Patrick
Devalpatrick.jpg		 2007 No Democratic Party Martha Coakley

Republican Party Charles D. Baker
Independent Evan Falchuk
Independent Jeffrey McCormick

Independent Scott Lively
 Republican Party Charles D. Baker Yes
Lieutenant Governor Office vacant N/A Democratic Party Steve Kerrigan

Republican Party Karyn Polito
Independent Angus Jennings
Independent Tracy Post

Independent Shelly Saunders
 Republican Party Karyn Polito Yes
Secretary of the Commonwealth William F. Galvin
William f galvin.jpg		 1995 Yes[2] Democratic Party William F. Galvin

Republican Party David D'Arcangelo

Green Party Danny Factor
 Democratic Party William F. Galvin No
Attorney General Martha Coakley
Martha Coakley.jpg		 2007 Ran for governor[3] Democratic Party Maura Healey
Republican Party John Miller
 Democratic Party Maura Healey No
Treasurer Steven Grossman
Steven Grossman.jpg		 2010 Ran for governor[4] Democratic Party Deb Goldberg

Republican Party Mike Heffernan

Green Party Ian Jackson
 Democratic Party Deb Goldberg No
Auditor of the Commonwealth Suzanne Bump
Suzanne Bump.jpg		 2011 Yes[5] Democratic Party Suzanne Bump

Republican Party Patricia Saint Aubin

Green Party MK Merelice
 Democratic Party Suzanne Bump No


Primary election results

Governor

Governor of Massachusetts, Democratic Primary, 2014
Candidate Vote % Votes
Green check mark transparent.pngMartha Coakley 42.4% 229,156
Steve Grossman 36.4% 196,594
Don Berwick 21.1% 113,988
Write-in candidates 0.2% 995
Total Votes 540,733
Election results via Massachusetts Secretary of State.
Governor of Massachusetts, Republican Primary, 2014
Candidate Vote % Votes
Green check mark transparent.pngCharles D. Baker 74.1% 116,004
Mark Fisher 25.7% 40,240
Write-in votes 0.2% 336
Total Votes 156,580
Election results via Massachusetts Secretary of State.

Lieutenant Governor

Note: Karyn Polito advanced to the general election as the only Republican to file for this seat.

Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts, Democratic Primary, 2014
Candidate Vote % Votes
Green check mark transparent.pngSteve Kerrigan 50.7% 222,562
Leland Cheung 29.3% 128,645
Michael Edward Lake 19.6% 86,006
Write-in votes 0.3% 1,435
Total Votes 438,648
Election results via Massachusetts Secretary of State.

Attorney General

Note: John Miller advanced to the general election as the only Republican to file for this seat.

Massachusetts Attorney General, Democratic Primary, 2014
Candidate Vote % Votes
Green check mark transparent.pngMaura Healey 62.1% 322,380
Warren Tolman 37.7% 195,654
Write-in votes 0.1% 721
Total Votes 518,755
Election results via Massachusetts Secretary of State.

Secretary of the Commonwealth

Note: There were three candidates who filed for this position by the filing deadline, but no primary was required as each candidate filed for a different party.

Treasurer

Note: Mike Heffernan and Ian Jackson advanced to the general election as the only Republican and Green-Rainbow Party candidates to file for this seat, respectively.

Massachusetts Treasurer, Democratic Primary, 2014
Candidate Vote % Votes
Green check mark transparent.pngDeb Goldberg 42.7% 202,819
Barry Finegold 31.4% 149,470
Thomas Conroy 25.7% 122,198
Write-in votes 0.2% 848
Total Votes 475,335
Election results via Massachusetts Secretary of State.

Auditor

Note: There were three candidates who filed for this position by the filing deadline, but no primary was required as each candidate filed for a different party.

General election results

The general election took place on November 4, 2014.

Governor/Lieutenant Governor

Governor and Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts, 2014
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Republican Green check mark transparent.pngCharles D. Baker/Karyn Polito 48.4% 1,044,573
     Democratic Martha Coakley/Steve Kerrigan 46.5% 1,004,408
     United Independent Evan Falchuk/Angus Jennings 3.3% 71,814
     Independent Scott Lively/Shelly Saunders 0.9% 19,378
     Independent Jeffrey McCormick/Tracy Post 0.8% 16,295
     Nonpartisan Write-in votes 0.1% 1,858
Total Votes 2,158,326
Election results via Massachusetts Secretary of State

Attorney General

Attorney General of Massachusetts, 2014
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Democratic Green check mark transparent.pngMaura Healey 61.7% 1,280,513
     Republican John Miller 38.2% 793,821
     Nonpartisan Write-in votes 0.1% 2,103
Total Votes 2,076,437
Election results via Massachusetts Secretary of State

Secretary of the Commonwealth

Secretary of State of Massachusetts, 2014
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Democratic Green check mark transparent.pngWilliam Galvin Incumbent 67.4% 1,395,616
     Republican David D'Arcangelo 28.9% 597,491
     Green Danny Factor 3.6% 74,789
     Nonpartisan Write-in votes 0.1% 1,421
Total Votes 2,069,317
Election results via Massachusetts Secretary of State

Treasurer

Massachusetts Treasurer, 2014
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Democratic Green check mark transparent.pngDeb Goldberg 55.1% 1,120,192
     Republican Mike Heffernan 40.8% 828,894
     Green Ian Jackson 4% 81,907
     Nonpartisan Write-in votes 0.1% 1,665
Total Votes 2,032,658
Election results via Massachusetts Secretary of State

Auditor

Massachusetts Auditor, 2014
Party Candidate Vote % Votes
     Democratic Green check mark transparent.pngSuzanne Bump Incumbent 57.7% 1,146,987
     Republican Patricia Saint Aubin 38.1% 757,213
     Green MK Merelice 4.1% 81,430
     Nonpartisan Write-in votes 0.1% 2,315
Total Votes 1,987,945
Election results via Massachusetts Secretary of State

Voter turnout

Political scientist Michael McDonald's United States Elections Project studied voter turnout in the 2014 election by looking at the percentage of eligible voters who headed to the polls. McDonald used voting-eligible population (VEP), or the number of eligible voters independent of their current registration status, to calculate turnout rates in each state on November 4. He also incorporated ballots cast for the highest office in each state into his calculation. He estimated that 81,687,059 ballots were cast in the 50 states plus the District of Columbia, representing 35.9 percent of the VEP.[6] By comparison, 61.6 percent of VEP voted in the 2008 presidential election and 58.2 percent of VEP voted in the 2012 presidential election.[7]

Quick facts

  • According to PBS Newshour, voter turnout in the 2014 midterms was the lowest since the 1942 midterms, which took place during the nation's involvement in World War II.[8]
  • Forty-three states and the District of Columbia did not surpass 50 percent turnout in McDonald's analysis.
  • The three states with the lowest turnout according to McDonald's analysis were Texas (28.3 percent), Tennessee (28.6 percent), and Indiana (28.8 percent).
  • Maine (58.5 percent), Wisconsin (56.5 percent), and Colorado (54.5 percent) were the three states with the highest turnout.
  • Twelve states increased voter turnout in 2014 compared to the 2010 midterm elections.[9]

Note: Information from the United States Elections Project was last updated on December 16, 2014.

Key deadlines

Deadline Event
May 6, 2014 Signature filing deadline for party candidates seeking federal or statewide office to file with Registrar of Voters
June 3, 2014 Deadline for political party candidates seeking federal or statewide office to file with Secretary of Commonwealth
July 29, 2014 Deadline for nonpartisan candidates seeking federal or statewide office to file with Registrar of Voters
August 26, 2014 Deadline for nonpartisan candidates seeking federal or statewide office to file with Secretary of Commonwealth
September 9, 2014 Primary election
November 4, 2014 General election
January 8, 2015 Inauguration day for governor and lieutenant governor
January 21, 2015 Inauguration day for other state executive officers

State executive organization

Executive officials in Massachusetts are part of a three-pronged government structure that includes state legislators and state judges. The following chart details the relationship among different branches of Massachusetts's state government:

Massachusetts exec org chart.png

Ballotpedia reports

To learn more about developments in these races, check out the following news articles from Ballotpedia:

Recent news

This section links to a Google news search for the term "Massachusetts + state + executive + elections"

Massachusetts State Executive Elections News Feed

See also

Massachusetts

Footnotes

  1. ↑ Massachusetts Legislature, "Mass. Gen. Laws Ann. ch. 53, § 38," accessed October 20, 2025
  2. ↑ The Boston Globe, "Galvin’s pass on attorney general race opens door," October 9, 2013
  3. ↑ The Boston Globe, Political Intelligence, "Martha Coakley launches bid for governor with handshakes and a video," September 16, 2013
  4. ↑ Boston Globe, "Cape state senator, treasurer to run for governor," July 11, 2013
  5. ↑ The Phoenix, "The Gathering Storm," November 7, 2012
  6. ↑ United States Elections Project, "2014 November General Election Turnout Rates," November 7, 2014
  7. ↑ TIME, "Voter Turnout in Midterm Elections Hits 72-Year Low," November 10, 2014
  8. ↑ PBS, "2014 midterm election turnout lowest in 70 years," November 10, 2014
  9. ↑ U.S. News & World Report, "Midterm Turnout Down in 2014," November 5, 2014



Flag of Massachusetts
v • e
State of Massachusetts
Boston (capital)
Elections

What's on my ballot? | Elections in 2025 | How to vote | How to run for office | Ballot measures

Government

Who represents me? | U.S. President | U.S. Congress | Federal courts | State executives | State legislature | State and local courts | Counties | Cities | School districts | Public policy

Retrieved from "https://ballotpedia.org/wiki/index.php?title=Massachusetts_state_executive_official_elections,_2014&oldid=9035056"