1974 Massachusetts gubernatorial election

1974 Massachusetts gubernatorial election

← 1970 November 5, 1974 1978 →
Turnout74.64% Decrease 0.53
 
Nominee Michael Dukakis Francis Sargent
Party Democratic Republican
Running mate Thomas O'Neill III Donald Dwight
Popular vote 992,284 784,353
Percentage 53.50% 42.29%

Dukakis:      30–40%      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%
Sargent:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%

Governor before election

Francis Sargent
Republican

Elected Governor

Michael Dukakis
Democratic

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 2024, 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.)