Massachusetts Primary Facts and Figures

Compiled by the U.S.News & World Report library staff

Presidential Primary Winners

Democrats

• 1988: Michael Dukakis
• 1992: Paul Tsongas
• 1996: Bill Clinton
• 2000: Al Gore
• 2004: John Kerry

Republicans

• 1988: George H.W. Bush
• 1992: George H.W. Bush
• 1996: Bob Dole
• 2000: John McCain
• 2004: George W. Bush (unopposed)

Sources: Congressional Quarterly's Guide to U.S. Elections, Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts

October 2006 General Election Voter Registration Data

• Registered voters: 3,990,505
• Registered Democrats: 1,472,707  (36.91% of total)
• Registered Republicans: 498,962  (12.50% of total)
• Unenrolled: 1,987,053  (49.79% of total)

Source: Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts

General Election Winners — 1988-2004

• 1988: Michael Dukakis
• 1992: Bill Clinton
• 1996: Bill Clinton
• 2000: Al Gore
• 2004: John Kerry

Sources: Congressional Quarterly's Guide to U.S. Elections, Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts

Exit Poll Demographics

2004 General Election

Sex

• Male:  48%
• Female:  52%

Race

• White:  87%
• African-American:  4%
• Latino:  6%
• Asian:  2%

Age

• 18-29:  16%
• 30-44:  30%
• 45-59:  31%
• 60 and older:  23%

"Are you a white conservative Protestant?"

• Yes:  6%
• No:  94%

Source: CNN

3 Things You Didn't Know About Massachusetts Primaries

1. Massachusetts Gov. Endicott Peabody hoped to be re-elected in 1964. Though he was the incumbent Democrat, he lost the party primary to Francis X. Bellotti — his own lieutenant governor. Bellotti, in turn, would ultimately lose to Republican John Volpe that fall.

2. In 1968, President Lyndon Johnson waited until minutes before the filing deadline to announce that he would not enter his name in the Massachusetts Democratic primary. This left only one candidate remaining on the printed ballot — Eugene McCarthy, who nevertheless received only 49.3 percent of the popular vote in the primary. He had competition from a range of write-in candidates, including Robert F. Kennedy, who got more than a quarter of the vote.

3. Massachusetts primary voters often choose candidates who do not go on to win their party's nomination. Since 1976, the state's picks have matched those of the respective nationwide parties only three times (in 1988, 1996, and 2004). Instead, voters have chosen candidates such as Henry Jackson, Gary Hart, and Paul Tsongas.

Sources:
Boston Globe
Congressional Quarterly's Guide to U.S. Elections
New York Times