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Party control of Massachusetts state government: Difference between revisions

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m (Text replacement - "{{State leadership gallery|" to "{{State trifecta leadership|")
m (Text replacement - "==Legislative party competitiveness score== The below chart shows the state's legislative party competitiveness score from 1880 to 1990. According to Gerald Gamm and Thad Kousser's study on party competition and policy outcomes, "This measure of competitiveness can range from 100% if the two parties are evenly matched to 0% if one party holds every seat in a legislature."<ref>[https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/american-political-science-review/article/life-literacy-a...)
 
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{{MA Parties}}'''After the 2018 election cycle, Massachusetts remained under divided government, with Republicans holding the governorship and Democrats holding both chambers of the state legislature.''' Divided government was established in 2015.
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<APIWidget template="TrifectaTriplexSentence" where="'a' = 'a' " extra_params='{"scope":"nation", "type":"trifecta"}' />
<APIWidget template="TrifectaTriplexSentence" where="'a' = 'a' " extra_params='{"scope":"nation", "type":"triplex"}' />
{{Patry control intro explainer}}


==Trifectas==
==Current leadership of key offices==
{{Headline|Trifectas influence how hard a party must work to advance its agenda.}}
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When one party controls the three vital centers of state political power—the office of the governor, the state House, and the state Senate —Ballotpedia considers that party to control a '''"[[trifecta]]."''' Trifectas make it easier for the dominant party to pursue its agenda, and more difficult for opposition parties to challenge it.


There are currently '''{{trifectas}} trifectas''': '''{{GOPtrifectas}} Republican trifectas''' and '''{{DEMtrifectas}} Democratic trifectas'''. [[Massachusetts]] operates under divided control'''.
==Historical party control==
{{Massachusetts Trifectas}}


===Trifectas in Massachusetts===
==Legislative party competitiveness score==
In Massachusetts, Democrats held trifecta control of state government from 2007 to 2014. In all other years from 1992 to 2017, the state operated under divided government, with Republicans holding the governorship and Democrats holding both chambers of the state legislature.
Professors of Political Science Gerald Gamm and Thad Kousser, University of Rochester and University of California San Diego, respectively, claim that states with competitive party systems spend more on education, health, and transportation. They base this on a study of each state's party competitiveness from 1880 (or year of statehood) to 2010. They assigned each state legislature a competitiveness score, which "can range from 100% if the two parties are evenly matched to 0% if one party holds every seat in a legislature."<ref>[https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/american-political-science-review/article/life-literacy-and-the-pursuit-of-prosperity-party-competition-and-policy-outcomes-in-50-states/4DD3750D110D228E18ABDBD9F30E089C ''American Political Science Review'', "Life, Literacy, and the Pursuit of Prosperity: Party Competition and Policy Outcomes in 50 States," August 2, 2021]</ref>


==Current leadership of key offices==
The below chart shows the state's legislative party competitiveness score from 1880 to 1990. The chart offers a look into competitiveness prior to Ballotpedia's 1992 analysis.
{{State trifecta leadership|State=Massachusetts}}


==Historical party control==
<html><iframe title="Massachusetts' legislative party competitiveness score: 1880-1990 " aria-label="Interactive line chart" id="datawrapper-chart-8CJ7P" src="https://datawrapper.dwcdn.net/8CJ7P/1/" scrolling="no" frameborder="0" style="width: 0; min-width: 100% !important; border: none;" height="400" data-external="1"></iframe><script type="text/javascript">!function(){"use strict";window.addEventListener("message",(function(a){if(void 0!==a.data["datawrapper-height"]){var e=document.querySelectorAll("iframe");for(var t in a.data["datawrapper-height"])for(var r=0;r<e.length;r++)if(e[r].contentWindow===a.source){var i=a.data["datawrapper-height"][t]+"px";e[r].style.height=i}}}))}();
{{Massachusetts Trifectas}}
</script></html>


==See also==
==See also==
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*[[Gubernatorial and legislative party control of state government]]
*[[Gubernatorial and legislative party control of state government]]
*[[Ballotpedia:Who Runs the States|Who runs the states]]
*[[Ballotpedia:Who Runs the States|Who runs the states]]
*[[Ballotpedia:Who Runs the States, Arkansas|Who runs the states, Massachusetts]]
*[[Ballotpedia:Who Runs the States, Massachusetts|Who runs the states, Massachusetts]]


==Footnotes==
{{reflist}}
{{who runs the states hnt}}
{{who runs the states hnt}}
{{Massachusetts}}
{{Massachusetts}}
{{Trifectas HNT}}
[[Category:Party control]]
[[Category:Party control]]

Latest revision as of 20:40, 30 August 2023

Party control
in Massachusetts
GovernorDemocratic
SenateDemocratic
HouseDemocratic
Click here for party control in all 50 states

Massachusetts has a Democratic trifecta and a Democratic triplex. The Democratic Party controls the offices of governor, secretary of state, attorney general, and both chambers of the state legislature.

As of February 21, 2026, there are 23 Republican trifectas, 16 Democratic trifectas, and 11 divided governments where neither party holds trifecta control.

As of February 21, 2026, there are 24 Republican triplexes, 21 Democratic triplexes, and 5 divided governments where neither party holds triplex control.

A state government trifecta is a term to describe when one political party holds majorities in both chambers of the state legislature and the governor's office. A state government triplex is a term to describe when one political party holds the following three positions in a state's government: governor, attorney general, and secretary of state. To learn more about trifectas and triplexes, click here.

Current leadership of key offices

President of the State Senate

Karen Spilka (D)

State Speaker of the House

Ronald Mariano (D)


Historical party control

Massachusetts Party Control: 1992-2026
Twelve years of Democratic trifectas  •  No Republican trifectas
Scroll left and right on the table below to view more years.

Year 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 00 01 02 03 04 05 06 07 08 09 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26
Governor R R R R R R R R R R R R R R R D D D D D D D D R R R R R R R R D D D D
Senate D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D
House D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D D

Legislative party competitiveness score

Professors of Political Science Gerald Gamm and Thad Kousser, University of Rochester and University of California San Diego, respectively, claim that states with competitive party systems spend more on education, health, and transportation. They base this on a study of each state's party competitiveness from 1880 (or year of statehood) to 2010. They assigned each state legislature a competitiveness score, which "can range from 100% if the two parties are evenly matched to 0% if one party holds every seat in a legislature."[1]

The below chart shows the state's legislative party competitiveness score from 1880 to 1990. The chart offers a look into competitiveness prior to Ballotpedia's 1992 analysis.

See also

Footnotes