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 County results Municipality resultsBrooke: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% >90% Droney: 40–50% 50–60% | |||||||||||||||||
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TheUnited States Senate election of 1972 in Massachusetts was held on November 7, 1972. IncumbentRepublican SenatorEdward Brooke defeatedDemocratic nominee John Droney in a landslide. As of 2026, this remains the last time that a Republican has been elected toMassachusetts’s Class 2 Senate seat and the last time a Republican has been elected to either Senate seat for a full term. This was also the last time until2010 that a Republican would win any U.S. Senate election in the state. This election was the first time ever that an African-American United States senator was re-elected to the United States Senate.
Senator Edward Brooke was unopposed for re-nomination. At the state convention on June 24, he was renominated by acclamation.[1]
John Droney won the party endorsement at the June 11 convention on the sixth ballot. The party platform endorsed legalized marijuana and an end to theVietnam War.[5] Droney himself did not oppose the war, stating that there was no right or wrong stand on Vietnam.[6] He received the support of state attorney generalRobert H. Quinn, Boston MayorKevin White and state legislative leadership. After losing at the convention, Norfolk County district attorney George Burke dropped out of the race and backed Droney. HoweverBoston City Councilor Gerald O'Leary, who was seen as the most liberal candidate, and Hampden County Register of Deeds John Pierce Lynch chose to stay in the race and face Droney in the Democratic primary.[3]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | John J. Droney | 215,523 | 45.05% | |
| Democratic | Gerald O'Leary | 169,876 | 35.51% | |
| Democratic | John P. Lynch | 92,979 | 19.43% | |
| Total votes | 478,378 | 100.00% | ||
Brooke centered his campaign on experience and his sponsorship of an amendment to end the Vietnam War. Droney ran on alaw and order platform supportingRichard Nixon's conservative nominees to theUnited States Supreme Court and questioning the value of theFifth Amendment. He also supported some of the president's foreign policy initiatives and did not come out against the Vietnam War.[6] He chose to focus his attacks on Brooke's record as Massachusetts Attorney General, an office Brooke held from 1963 to 1966, rather than on his record in the senate. Droney criticized Brooke for files that had allegedly disappeared during his administration (an investigative panel could not determine if the files went missing under Brooke's watch or that of his successorElliot Richardson) as well for his handling of theBoston Strangler case.[7]
Brooke held a large lead throughout the campaign. He led Droney 72% to 18% in an October poll conducted by Becker Research and 66% to 23% in a poll conducted by the same firm shortly before election day.[8][9]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Edward Brooke (incumbent) | 1,505,932 | 63.53% |  2.85 | |
| Democratic | John J. Droney | 823,278 | 34.73% |  4.01 | |
| Socialist Workers | Donald Gurewitz | 41,369 | 1.75% | 1.41 | |
| Total votes | 2,370,579 | 100.00% | |||
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