2006 Massachusetts elections explained

Election Name:2006 Massachusetts general election
Type:parliamentary
Country:Massachusetts
Previous Election:2004 Massachusetts general election
Previous Year:2004
Next Election:2008 Massachusetts general election
Next Year:2008
Election Date:November 7, 2006
Seats For Election:Part of the
2006 United States elections

The 2006 Massachusetts general election was held on November 7, 2006, throughout Massachusetts.

At the federal level, Ted Kennedy was re-elected to the United States Senate, and all ten seats in the United States House of Representatives were won by incumbent Democratic Party candidates.

Incumbent Republican Governor Mitt Romney did not run for re-election and was succeeded by Democrat Deval Patrick. Martha Coakley was elected Attorney General. Democratic incumbents were re-elected Secretary of the Commonwealth, Auditor, and Treasurer.

In the Massachusetts General Court, Democrats gained one seat in the Senate and two seats in the House.

Governor and Lieutenant Governor

Incumbent Republican governor Mitt Romney chose not to seek re-election for a second term in office.

Primary elections for Governor and Lieutenant Governor were conducted separately with the Democrats nominating former Assistant U.S. Attorney General Deval Patrick and Mayor of Worcester Tim Murray. The Republicans nominated a ticket of incumbent Lieutenant Governor Kerry Healey and former State Representative Reed Hillman. Patrick and Murray were elected Governor and Lieutenant Governor in the general election.

Secretary of the Commonwealth

Incumbent Democratic Secretary William F. Galvin ran for re-election to a fourth term in office. He was opposed in the Democratic primary by John C. Bonifaz, a voting-rights activist who founded the National Voting Rights Institute.

Democratic primary

Polling

SourceDateMoECandidates
Democratic PrimaryWilliam F. GalvinJohn BonifazUnd
Suffolk UniversityAugust 17–21, 2006±5.1%49%5%46%
Suffolk UniversityJune 22–26, 2006±4.0%50%9%38%

Results

General election

Election Name:2006 election for Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth
Country:Massachusetts
Type:presidential
Ongoing:no
Previous Election:2002 Massachusetts general election
Previous Year:2002
Next Election:2010 Massachusetts general election
Next Year:2010
Nominee1:William F. Galvin
Party1:Democratic Party (United States)
Popular Vote1:1,635,714
Percentage1:82.31%
Nominee2:Jill Stein
Party2:Green Party of the United States
Popular Vote2:351,495
Percentage2:17.69%
Secretary of the Commonwealth
Before Election:William F. Galvin
Before Party:Democratic Party (United States)
After Election:William F. Galvin
After Party:Democratic Party (United States)

In the general election, Galvin's only challenger was Green-Rainbow nominee Jill Stein, a medical doctor and community activist who ran for governor in 2002.

Polling

SourceDateMoECandidates
General ElectionGalvin (D)Stein (GR)Und.
Suffolk University October 20–23, 2006±4.9%57%13%31%
Suffolk UniversityOctober 2–4, 2006±4.4%56%11%33%
Suffolk UniversityAugust 17–21, 2006±4.0%54%11%35%
Suffolk UniversityJune 22–26, 2006±4.0%52%9%35%
Suffolk UniversityMay 3, 2006±4.9%46%10%43%
Suffolk UniversityApril 3, 2006±4.9%46%8%44%

Results

Attorney General

Incumbent Attorney General Thomas Reilly ran for Governor instead of seeking a third term in office.

Democratic Middlesex County District Attorney Martha Coakley was elected Attorney General, defeating former Norfolk County District Attorney Republican Larry Frisoli, a trial attorney from Belmont[1] who was known for his handling of the Jeffery Curley case against NAMBLA. Both candidates were unopposed for nomination in their parties' primaries.

General election

Polling

SourceDateMoECoakley (D)Frisoli (R)Und.
Suffolk University October 20–23, 2006±4.9%59%18%14%
Suffolk UniversityOctober 2–4, 2006±4.4%52%15%33%
Suffolk UniversityAugust 17–21, 2006±4.0%50%9%39%
Suffolk UniversityJune 22–26, 2006±4.0%50%16%33%
Suffolk UniversityMay 3, 2006±4.9%49%13%36%

Results

Treasurer and Receiver-General

Incumbent Democrat Timothy P. Cahill was re-elected over Green-Rainbow candidate James O'Keefe, who also ran in 2002. Republican Ronald K. Davy, a financial analyst and Hull selectman, was nominated but failed to reach signature requirement to qualify for the ballot.[2]

General election

Polling

SourceDateMoECahill (D)O'Keefe (GR)Davy (R)Und.
Suffolk University October 20–23, 2006±4.9%56%15%29%
Suffolk UniversityOctober 2–4, 2006±4.4%51%11%37%
Suffolk UniversityAugust 17–21, 2006±4.0%48%10%42%
Suffolk UniversityJune 22–26, 2006±4.0%47%7%10%35%
Suffolk UniversityMay 3, 2006±4.9%46%6%6%41%
Suffolk UniversityApril 3, 2006±4.9%40%21%30%

Results

Auditor

Incumbent Democrat Joe DeNucci was re-elected for a sixth term over Working Families nominee Rand Wilson, a union organizer and labor communicator. Republican candidate Earle Stroll, a 52-year-old small-business consultant from Bolton,[3] also failed to reach signature requirement to qualify for the ballot. Green-Rainbow candidate Nathanael Fortune, a physicist from Smith College and a Whatley School Committee member, dropped out of the race for personal reasons in late March 2006.

General election

Polling

SourceDateMoEDeNucci (D)Wilson (WF)Und.
Suffolk University October 20–23, 2006±4.9%56%10%35%
Suffolk UniversityOctober 2–4, 2006±4.4%48%13%38%
Suffolk UniversityAugust 17–21, 2006±4.0%46%11%42%

Results

U.S. House of Representatives

see 2006 United States House of Representatives elections in Massachusetts

Massachusetts Senate

see 2006 Massachusetts Senate election

Massachusetts House of Representatives

see 2006 Massachusetts House of Representatives elections

Governor's Council

See 2006 Massachusetts Governor's Council election

Ballot questions

There were three statewide ballot questions, all initiatives, which the Massachusetts voters voted on this election, and all were defeated.[4] [5] [6] There were also various local ballot questions around the state.

Statewide Questions:

Polling

SourceDateMoEQuestionYesNoUnd
UNH/GlobeOctober 22–25, 2006±4.1%Wine in food stores57%38%5%
Suffolk University October 20–23, 2006±4.9%Wine in food stores52%40%8%
Fusion voting26%51%23%
Collective bargaining for childcare providers34%36%30%
Suffolk UniversityOctober 10–11, 2006±4.9%Wine in food stores50%41%9%
Suffolk UniversityOctober 2–4, 2006±4.4%Wine in food stores47%44%9%
Fusion voting27%48%24%
Collective bargaining for childcare providers42%33%25%
Suffolk UniversityAugust 17–21, 2006±4.0%Wine in food stores54%38%8%
Fusion voting35%48%18%
Collective bargaining for childcare providers46%32%22%
Suffolk UniversityJune 27, 2006±4.0%Wine in food stores61%31%9%
Fusion voting34%48%19%
Collective bargaining for childcare providers42%37%22%

Results

References

  1. http://www.townonline.com/belmont/localRegional/view.bg?articleid=471639 "Frisoli runs for AG" Belmont Citizen-Herald
  2. http://www.boston.com/news/local/politics/blog/2006/06/republican_down.html Republican down ballot candidates struggle
  3. http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2006/03/10/bolton_consultant_plans_run_for_state_auditor/ Boston Globe "Bolton consultant plans run for state auditor"
  4. http://www.sec.state.ma.us/ele/elepip/pipidx.htm Secretary of the Commonwealth's ballot questions page
  5. http://cbs4boston.com/ballot CBS News ballot questions page
  6. http://www.boston.com/news/local/politics/candidates/ballot_questions/ Boston.com Ballot Question Section

External links

Campaign sites

Attorney General

Secretary of the Commonwealth

Ballot Questions
Question 1 - Sale of Wine by Food Stores:

Question 2 - Nomination of Candidates for Public Office:

Not on statewide ballot in 2006: