| Election Name: | 2014 Massachusetts general election |
| Type: | parliamentary |
| Country: | Massachusetts |
| Previous Election: | 2012 Massachusetts general election |
| Previous Year: | 2012 |
| Next Election: | 2016 Massachusetts general election |
| Next Year: | 2016 |
| Election Date: | November 4, 2014 |
| Seats For Election: | Part of the 2014 United States elections |
The Massachusetts general election, 2014 was held on November 4, 2014, throughout Massachusetts. Primary elections took place on September 9, 2014.
See main article: 2014 Massachusetts gubernatorial election. Incumbent Democratic governor Deval Patrick did not seek re-election to a third term in office.[1] The office of lieutenant governor had been vacant since the resignation of Tim Murray on June 2, 2013.[2]
Primary elections for governor and lieutenant governor were conducted separately on September 9, 2014, with the Democrats nominating Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley and former CEO of the Democratic National Convention Steve Kerrigan, and the Republicans nominating former state cabinet secretary and 2010 gubernatorial nominee Charlie Baker and former state representative Karyn Polito. Three independent candidates also ran: healthcare executive Evan Falchuk and his running mate Angus Jennings; evangelical pastor Scott Lively and his running mate Shelly Saunders; and businessman Jeff McCormick and his running mate Tracy Post.
Incumbent Democratic Secretary of the Commonwealth William F. Galvin ran for re-election to a sixth term in office.[3] Malden City Councilor At-Large David D'Arcangelo ran as a Republican[4] and Acton attorney Danny Factor ran as a candidate with the Green-Rainbow Party.[5]
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | class=small | Sample size | Margin of error | Galvin (D) | David D'Arcangelo (R) | Other | Undecided | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Suffolk University | October 27–29, 2014 | 500 | ± 4.4% | align=center | 54.4% | 15% | 3.2%[6] | 27.4% | |
| Umass Amherst | align=center rowspan=2 | 437 LV | ± ? | align=center | 56% | 28% | <1% | 16% | |
| 587 RV | ± 4.4% | align=center | 53% | 24% | <1% | 23% | |||
| Suffolk University | September 25–28, 2014 | 500 | ± 4.4% | align=center | 54.8% | 12.6% | 4% | 28.6% |
Incumbent Democratic attorney general Martha Coakley was eligible to run for re-election to a third term in office, but she instead ran for governor.[7]
Former state senator Warren Tolman and former Assistant Attorney General Maura Healey[8] [9] ran for the Democratic nomination.[10]
State Representative Harold Naughton Jr. was a Democratic candidate, but dropped out of the race to run for re-election to the House instead.[11]
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Maura Healey | Harold Naughton | Warren Tolman | Other | Undecided | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boston Globe | September 2–3, 2014 | 400 | ± 4.8% | align=center | 45% | — | 29% | — | 27% | ||
| UMass Lowell | August 25–31, 2014 | 685 | ± 4.55% | 34% | — | align=center | 39% | — | 27% | ||
| Boston Globe | August 17–19 & 24–26, 2014 | 361 | ± 5.2% | 30% | — | 30% | — | align=center | 40% | ||
| Suffolk | August 21–24, 2014 | 400 | ± 4.9% | 28.5% | — | align=center | 34.75% | — | align=center | 36.75% | |
| Boston Globe | August 10–12 & 17–19, 2014 | 358 | ± 5.2% | align=center | 28% | — | 26% | — | align=center | 46% | |
| Boston Globe | June 1–3 & 8–10, 2014 | 442 | ± 4.7% | align=center | 22% | — | 20% | — | align=center | 58% | |
| Suffolk | June 4–7, 2014 | 450 | ± 4.6% | align=center | 21.33% | — | 17.56% | — | align=center | 61.11% | |
| Suffolk | Jan. 29–Feb. 3, 2014 | 309 | ± ? | 16.5% | 1.94% | align=center | 24.6% | — | align=center | 56.96% |
Bold denotes candidate met the minimum threshold of 15 percent to appear on the primary ballot
Attorney John Miller was the only Republican to file to run for the office.[12]
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | class=small | Sample size | Margin of error | Maura Healey (D) | John Miller (R) | Other | Undecided | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Suffolk University | October 27–29, 2014 | 500 | ± 4.4% | align=center | 44.8% | 23.8% | — | 31.4% | |
| Umass Amherst | align=center rowspan=2 | September 19–23, 2014 | 441 LV | ± ? | align=center | 53% | 30% | 1% | 16% |
| 593 RV | ± 4.4% | align=center | 52% | 24% | <1% | 23% | |||
| Suffolk University | September 25–28, 2014 | 500 | ± 4.4% | align=center | 49% | 18.4% | — | 32.6% |
Incumbent Democratic treasurer and receiver-general Steve Grossman was eligible to run for re-election to a second term in office, but he instead ran unsuccessfully for the Democratic nomination for governor.[13]
State Representative Tom Conroy,[14] State Senator Barry Finegold and former member of the Brookline Board of Selectmen Deb Goldberg were the Democratic candidates.
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | Sample size | Margin of error | Thomas Conroy | Barry Finegold | Deb Goldberg | Other | Undecided | |||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Boston Globe | September 2–3, 2014 | 400 | ± 4.8% | 15% | align=center | 23% | 18% | — | align=center | 44% | |
| Boston Globe | August 17–19 & 24–26, 2014 | 361 | ± 5.2% | 9% | align=center | 17% | 14% | — | align=center | 60% | |
| Suffolk | August 21–24, 2014 | 400 | ± 4.9% | 6.5% | 7.75% | align=center | 19.75% | — | align=center | 66% | |
| Boston Globe | August 10–12 & 17–19, 2014 | 358 | ± 5.2% | 10% | align=center | 16% | 13% | — | align=center | 62% | |
| Boston Globe | June 1–3 & 8–10, 2014 | 442 | ± 4.7% | 8% | align=center | 12% | 11% | — | align=center | 69% | |
| Suffolk | June 4–7, 2014 | 450 | ± 4.6% | 4.44% | 8.44% | align=center | 10.67% | — | align=center | 76.44% | |
| Suffolk | Jan. 29–Feb. 3, 2014 | 309 | ± ? | 5.50% | 9.06% | align=center | 18.45% | — | align=center | 66.99% |
Bold denotes candidate met the minimum threshold of 15 percent to appear on the primary ballot
Businessman Mike Heffernan was the only Republican to file to run.[15]
Ian T. Jackson ran as a Green-Rainbow candidate.[16]
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | class=small | Sample size | Margin of error | Deb Goldberg (D) | Mike Heffernan (R) | Other | Undecided | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Suffolk University | October 27–29, 2014 | 500 | ± 4.4% | align=center | 39% | 26% | 3.6%[17] | 31.4% | |
| Umass Amherst | align=center rowspan=2 | October 20–27, 2014 | 591 LV | ± 4.4% | align=center | 46% | 33% | — | 20% |
| 800 RV | ± 3.8% | align=center | 43% | 29% | — | 26% | |||
| Umass Amherst | align=center rowspan=2 | September 19–23, 2014 | 437 LV | ± ? | align=center | 47% | 35% | 1% | 18% |
| 587 RV | ± 4.4% | align=center | 45% | 31% | 1% | 23% | |||
| Suffolk University | September 25–28, 2014 | 500 | ± 4.4% | align=center | 43.8% | 20.2% | 4.6% | 31.4% |
Incumbent Democratic Auditor Suzanne M. Bump ran for re-election to a second term in office.[18] Patricia Saint Aubin was the Republican challenger[19] and M.K. Merelice ran as a candidate with the Green-Rainbow Party.[5]
| Poll source | Date(s) administered | class=small | Sample size | Margin of error | Suzanne M. Bump (D) | Patricia Saint Aubin (R) | Other | Undecided | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Suffolk University | October 27–29, 2014 | 500 | ± 4.4% | align=center | 33.4% | 22.8% | 4.4%[20] | align=center | 39.4% |
| Umass Amherst | align=center rowspan=2 | October 20–27, 2014 | 591 LV | ± 4.4% | align=center | 45% | 31% | — | 22% |
| 800 RV | ± 3.8% | align=center | 42% | 27% | — | 30% | |||
| Suffolk University | September 25–28, 2014 | 500 | ± 4.4% | align=center | 38.2% | 19.4% | 4.8% | 37.6% |
See main article: 2014 United States Senate election in Massachusetts. The Massachusetts seat in the United States Senate won by Ed Markey in the 2013 special election was up for election in 2014. Markey was re-elected with 62% of the vote.[21]
See main article: 2014 United States House of Representatives elections in Massachusetts. All of Massachusetts' nine seats in the United States House of Representatives were up for election in 2014.
All 40 seats in the Massachusetts Senate were up for election in 2014.
All 160 seats in the Massachusetts House of Representatives were up for election in 2014.
Counties in Massachusetts elected county commissioners, district attorneys, registers of probate and sheriffs.
There were four state-wide ballot questions, all initiatives.
| Number | Initiative Title | Subject | Description | Status | Yes | No | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Question 1 | Massachusetts Automatic Gas Tax Increase Repeal Initiative | Gas Taxes | Repeals automatic gas tax increases already signed into law | On ballot | |||
| Question 2 | Massachusetts Expansion of Bottle Deposits Initiative | Environment | Expands the state's beverage container recycling law to include all non-alcoholic containers | On ballot | |||
| Question 3 | Massachusetts Casino Repeal Initiative | Gambling | Repeals a 2011 law allowing resort casinos | On ballot | |||
| Question 4 | Massachusetts Paid Sick Days Initiative | Labor | Entitles certain employees to earn and utilize paid sick days | On ballot |