1930 Massachusetts gubernatorial election
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Ely: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% Allen: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% 90–100% | |||||||||||||||||
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| Elections in Massachusetts |
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 Massachusetts portal |
The 1930 Massachusetts gubernatorial election was held on November 4, 1930.
Incumbent Republican governor Frank G. Allen was defeated by Democrat Joseph B. Ely. This election marked the beginning of a new era for the Massachusetts Democratic Party, starting a string of eight consecutive years of Democratic governors, a streak later surpassed from 1974 until 1986.
Republican primary
Candidates
- Frank G. Allen, incumbent governor
- John D. Devir, mayor of Malden
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Frank G. Allen (incumbent) | 311,025 | 92.56% | |
| Republican | John D. Devir | 24,972 | 7.43% | |
| Write-in | 22 | 0.00% | ||
| Total votes | 336,019 | 100.00% | ||
Democratic primary
Candidates
- John J. Cummings, former State Senator and nominee for lieutenant governor in 1924
- Joseph B. Ely, candidate for governor in 1922
- John "Honey Fitz" Fitzgerald, former United States Representative, Mayor of Boston, and nominee for governor in 1922
Campaign
The Democratic primary featured a rematch of the 1922 primary between Joseph Ely and John Fitzgerald.This time, Ely won with 54.7% of the vote.
Fitzgerald was forced to withdraw late in the race due to illness, though his name remained on the ballot, and James Michael Curley encouraged a vote for Fitzgerald against the "anti-Irish" Ely.[1] Ely had previously lost the nomination for lieutenant governor in 1926 to another Irish candidate who withdrew from the race, Harry Dooley.[2]
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Joseph B. Ely | 117,548 | 54.68% | |
| Democratic | John F. Fitzgerald (withdrew) | 84,744 | 39.42% | |
| Democratic | John J. Cummings | 12,701 | 5.91% | |
| Total votes | 214,993 | 100.00% | ||
General election
Candidates
- John W. Aiken, Chelsea furniture repairman (Socialist Labor)
- Frank G. Allen, incumbent governor since 1929 (Republican)
- Harry J. Canter (Communist)
- Joseph B. Ely, former District Attorney for the Western District of Massachusetts and candidate for governor in 1922 (Democratic)
- Alfred B. Lewis, Socialist Party of Massachusetts secretary and candidate for U.S. Senate in 1926 and 1928 (Socialist)
Results
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Joseph B. Ely | 606,902 | 49.54% |  0.73
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| Republican | Frank G. Allen (incumbent) | 590,238 | 48.18% |  1.88
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| Socialist Labor | John W. Aiken | 14,603 | 1.19% | 1.10
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| Socialist | Alfred B. Lewis | 8,222 | 0.67% | 0.18
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| Communist | Harry J. Canter | 5,051 | 0.41% | 0.12
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| Write-in | All others | 1 | 0.00% | 
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| Total votes | 1,225,017 | 100.00% | |||
| Democratic gain from Republican | Swing | {{{swing}}} | |||
See also
References
- ^ "THE BAY STATE PRIMARY". The New York Times. September 18, 1930. p. 26. Retrieved June 9, 2022.
- ^ Huthmacher, J. Joseph (1959). Massachusetts People and Politics, 1919-1933. Cambridge, MA: Belknap Press. p. 124. OCLC 460668046.
- ^ "MA Governor, 1930 – D Primary". Our Campaigns. Retrieved May 24, 2019.
- ^ "MA Governor, 1930". Our Campaigns. Retrieved May 24, 2019.