| Election Name: | 1974 Massachusetts gubernatorial election |
| Country: | Massachusetts |
| Type: | presidential |
| Ongoing: | no |
| Previous Election: | 1970 Massachusetts gubernatorial election |
| Previous Year: | 1970 |
| Next Election: | 1978 Massachusetts gubernatorial election |
| Next Year: | 1978 |
| Election Date: | November 5, 1974 |
| Turnout: | 74.64% 0.53 |
| Image1: | Image:Governor Dukakis speaks at the 1976 Democratic National Convention (cropped).jpg |
| Nominee1: | Michael Dukakis |
| Party1: | Democratic Party (United States) |
| Running Mate1: | Thomas O'Neill III |
| Popular Vote1: | 992,284 |
| Percentage1: | 53.50% |
| Nominee2: | Francis Sargent |
| Party2: | Republican Party (United States) |
| Running Mate2: | Donald Dwight |
| Popular Vote2: | 784,353 |
| Percentage2: | 42.29% |
| Map Size: | 250px |
| Governor | |
| Before Election: | Francis Sargent |
| Before Party: | Republican Party (United States) |
| After Election: | Michael Dukakis |
| After Party: | Democratic Party (United States) |
The 1974 Massachusetts gubernatorial election was held on November 5, 1974. Michael Dukakis was elected to a four-year term, from January 2, 1975 until January 4, 1979. He defeated incumbent Governor of Massachusetts Francis W. Sargent in the general election.
As of, this is the most recent year in which the incumbent governor of Massachusetts lost the general election. (Two governors, Dukakis and Edward J. King, lost the Democratic nomination to each other in 1978 and 1982, respectively. In 2002, acting Governor Jane Swift ran for election but withdrew after polls showed her trailing Mitt Romney for the Republican nomination.)
Incumbent lieutenant governor Donald R. Dwight was unopposed in the Republican Primary.
Dukakis defeated Sargent by 207,931 votes. It was the first gubernatorial victory for the Massachusetts Democratic Party since 1962.
| 1974 United States gubernatorial election in Massachusetts (by county) [1] | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| County | Dukakis % | Dukakis # | Sargent % | Sargent # | Others % | Others # | Total # | ||
| 39.9% | 19,362 | 54.7% | 26,539 | 5.4% | 2,641 | 48,542 | |||
| 54.2% | 26,947 | 40.4% | 20,105 | 5.4% | 2,682 | 49,734 | |||
| 62.6% | 91,839 | 32.1% | 47,055 | 5.4% | 7,876 | 146,770 | |||
| 36.4% | 1,346 | 59.1% | 2,189 | 4.5% | 167 | 3,702 | |||
| 52.1% | 117,815 | 42.6% | 96,475 | 5.3% | 12,056 | 226,346 | |||
| 53.2% | 11,666 | 41.5% | 9,087 | 5.3% | 1,168 | 21,921 | |||
| 63.6% | 84,222 | 30.9% | 40,978 | 5.5% | 7,257 | 132,457 | |||
| 59.2% | 24,051 | 33.7% | 13,691 | 7.1% | 2,889 | 40,631 | |||
| 51.0% | 243,914 | 44.2% | 211,511 | 4.8% | 22,938 | 478,363 | |||
| 36.2% | 537 | 58.4% | 865 | 5.4% | 80 | 1,482 | |||
| 48.1% | 110,701 | 45.4% | 104,375 | 6.5% | 14,859 | 229,935 | |||
| 46.7% | 54,781 | 44.9% | 52,738 | 8.4% | 9,811 | 117,330 | |||
| 45.6% | 85,343 | 39.3% | 73,491 | 15.1% | 28,208 | 187,042 | |||
| 56.5% | 119,820 | 40.2% | 85,254 | 3.4% | 7,152 | 212,226 | |||