A Massachusetts general election was held on November 7, 1978 in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.
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Part of the 1978 United States elections | ||
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The election included:
- statewide elections for United States Senator, Governor, Lieutenant Governor, Attorney General, Secretary of the Commonwealth, Treasurer, and Auditor;
- district elections for U.S. Representatives, State Representatives, State Senators, and Governor's Councillors; and
- ballot questions at the state and local levels.
Democratic and Republican candidates were selected in party primaries held September 14, 1978.
Governor and lieutenant governor
Democrats Edward J. King and Thomas P. O'Neill III were elected Governor and Lieutenant Governor, respectively, over Republican candidates Francis W. Hatch, Jr. and William I. Cowin.
Attorney general
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Democrat Francis X. Belotti was elected Attorney General. He defeated Republican Bill Weld in the general election.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Francis X. Belotti (incumbent) | 1,532,835 | 78.43% |  28.76 | |
| Republican | Bill Weld | 421,417 | 21.56% |  27.15 | |
| Write-in | 64 | 0.01% | 0.01 | ||
| Total votes | 1,954,316 | 100.00% | |||
Secretary of the Commonwealth
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Incumbent Secretary of the Commonwealth Paul Guzzi sought election to the U.S. Senate, leaving his office vacant for the next term.
State Representative Michael J. Connolly defeated Lois Pines, Anthony J. Vigliotti, James Hennigan, David E. Crosby, William J. Galvin Jr., and John Fulham in the Democratic primary and Republican John W. Sears in the general election.
Democratic primary
Candidates
- Michael J. Connolly, State Representative from Roslindale
- David E. Crosby
- John Fulham
- William J. Galvin Jr., son of former Boston City Council President William J. Galvin
- James W. Hennigan Jr., former State Senator from Jamaica Plain and member of the Boston School Committee
- Lois Pines, State Representative from Newton
- Anthony J. Vigliotti, Worcester County Registrar of Deeds
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Michael J. Connolly | 192,641 | 25.81% | |
| Democratic | Lois Pines | 185,504 | 24.85% | |
| Democratic | Anthony J. Vigliotti | 103,895 | 13.91% | |
| Democratic | James Hennigan | 80,402 | 10.77% | |
| Democratic | David E. Crosby | 78,372 | 10.50% | |
| Democratic | William J. Galvin Jr. | 67,180 | 9.00% | |
| Democratic | John Fulham | 38,337 | 5.13% | |
| Write-in | 12 | 0.00% | ||
| Total votes | 746,383 | 100.00% | ||
| Blank | {{{candidate}}} | 156,876 | — | |
| Turnout | 903,259 | 100.00% | ||
General election
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Michael J. Connolly | 1,115,409 | 59.96% | 4.53 | |
| Republican | John W. Sears | 744,488 | 40.02% | 4.53 | |
| Write-in | 169 | 0.02% | 0.02 | ||
Treasurer and Receiver-General
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Incumbent Treasurer and Receiver-General Robert Q. Crane defeated Lawrence DiCara, Paul Cacchiotti, Dayce Moore, Thomas Lopes, and Lawrence Blacke in the Democratic Primary and Republican Lewis Crampton in the general election.
Democratic primary
Candidates
- Lawrence Blacke
- Paul Cacchiotti
- Robert Q. Crane, incumbent Treasurer and Receiver-General since 1964
- Lawrence DiCara, President of the Boston City Council
- Thomas Lopes, State Representative from New Bedford
- Dayce Moore
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Robert Q. Crane (incumbent) | 375,688 | 49.04% | |
| Democratic | Lawrence DiCara | 231,315 | 30.19% | |
| Democratic | Paul Cacchiotti | 45,029 | 5.88% | |
| Democratic | Dayce Moore | 43,466 | 5.67% | |
| Democratic | Thomas Lopes | 39,691 | 5.18% | |
| Democratic | Lawrence Blacke | 30,930 | 4.04% | |
| Write-in | 24 | 0.00% | ||
| Total votes | 766,143 | 100.00% | ||
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Robert Q. Crane (incumbent) | 1,125,960 | 60.24% | 39.72 | |
| Republican | Lewis Crampton | 743,231 | 39.76% | N/A | |
| Write-in | 67 | 0.00% | 0.03 | ||
| Total votes | 1,869,258 | 100.00% | |||
Auditor
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Incumbent Auditor Thaddeus M. Buczko defeated Peter Meade in the Democratic primary and Republican Timothy F. O'Brien in the general election.
O'Brien replaced William A. Casey as the Republican nominee after Casey dropped out of the race. After conservative Edward J. King defeated Michael Dukakis for the Democratic nomination for governor, Casey chose to drop-out and support the anti-abortion King over the pro-choice Republican nominee Francis Hatch.[6]
O'Brien was selected by the State Committee over attorney Ralph Barbagallo, Jr. and William Sargent, the son of former Governor Francis W. Sargent.[6]
Democratic primary
Candidates
- Thaddeus M. Buczko, incumbent Auditor
- Peter Meade, former Boston Parks Commissioner
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Thaddeus M. Buczko (incumbent) | 448,294 | 59.57% | |
| Democratic | Peter Meade | 304,218 | 40.43% | |
| Write-in | 10 | 0.00% | ||
| Total votes | 752,522 | 100.00% | ||
General election
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Thaddeus M. Buczko (incumbent) | 1,189,562 | 64.91% | 35.08 | |
| Republican | Timothy F. O'Brien | 643,096 | 35.09% | N/A | |
| Write-in | 48 | 0.00% | 0.01 | ||
| Total votes | 1,832,658 | 100.00% | |||
United States Senator
Democratic Democratic Congressman Paul E. Tsongas was elected over incumbent Republican Edward Brooke.