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| Turnout | 75.85% 18.44[1] | |||||||||||||||||||
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 County results Municipality resultsWeld: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% Silber: 40–50% 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% | ||||||||||||||||||||
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The1990 Massachusetts gubernatorial election was held on November 6, 1990. IncumbentDemocratic governorMichael Dukakis, his party's nominee for president after losing the presidency to then-vice presidentGeorge H. W. Bush in1988, opted to not seek a fourth term.RepublicanBill Weld won the open seat, beatingDemocratJohn Silber to become the first Republican governor of Massachusetts elected since 1970. This was the first open-seat gubernatorial election in Massachusetts since1960.
After Flynn's decision not to run, Murphy was the early frontrunner due to her strong name recognition and a solid base of liberal support. In July 1989, she led Bellotti 42% to 18% in aBoston Globe poll. That November, Bellotti had come within 2% of Murphy in anotherBoston Globe poll.[4]
In January, Silber entered the race and Bellotti ran his first wave of television ads. By this point, Bellotti had taken the lead in the race, polling 38% to Murphy's 20% and Silber's 16%.[4]
The Democratic Convention was held on June 2, 1990, at theSpringfield Civic Center. On the first ballot, Bellotti received 42.9% of the vote, Murphy received 37%, Silber received 15.5%, and Flood received 4.5%. Silber's 15.5% gave him enough votes to remain on the ballot. On the second ballot, Bellotti won the convention with 51%, Murphy received 40%, and Flood received 8.5%. Flood was not able to stay on the ballot as he did not receive the necessary 15%.[5]
Murphy's campaign appeared to be badly hurt by the public perception that she was close to the unpopular Dukakis and therefore tried to make a break with the Dukakis Administration.[4][6] Dukakis twice postponed a trade mission to Europe because Murphy hinted at a news conference that she would execute her own economic plan while serving as acting governor.[6] After the incident, Murphy's unfavorable rating rose to 49% in aBoston Globe/WBZ-TV poll, compared to 38% a month earlier.[4]
A week before the primary, Evelyn Murphy dropped out of the race and threw her support to Bellotti.[7]
Despite having Murphy's support and as high as a 15-point lead in the polls at one point during the campaign, Bellotti was upset by Silber, a political outsider who had run a provocative campaign filled with controversial statements known as "Silber Shockers".[8]
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | John Silber | 562,222 | 53.47% | |
| Democratic | Francis X. Bellotti | 459,128 | 43.67% | |
| Democratic | Evelyn Murphy (withdrawn) | 30,054 | 2.86% | |
| Total votes | 1,051,404 | 100.00% | ||
Clapprood easily won the nomination, defeating her nearest opponent by over 22%.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Marjorie Clapprood | 498,241 | 52.02% | |
| Democratic | William B. Golden | 283,719 | 29.62% | |
| Democratic | Nicholas Paleologos | 175,558 | 18.33% | |
| Total votes | 957,518 | 100.00% | ||
At the Republican Convention, Pierce received 2,672 votes (52.6%), Weld received 1,845 (36.3%), and Cronin received 563 (11.1%).[13] Cronin was not able to run in the primary because he did not receive the 15% necessary to make the ballot.[14] Pierce received enough votes to have a "supermajority", which made Pierce the officially endorsed candidate of the Republican Party.[13]
During the campaign, Weld attacked Pierce's anti-abortion stance while Pierce claimed that Weld had changed his position on abortion.[15] Pierce also touted his ability to win a House seat in a Democratic district, while Weld had lost to the Democratic front-runner for governor Francis Bellotti in the 1978 attorney general's race.[15][16]
Despite losing the convention and trailing Pierce in the polls, Weld was able to come from behind, and defeated Pierce in the Republican primary.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Bill Weld | 270,319 | 60.56% | |
| Republican | Steven Pierce | 176,070 | 39.44% | |
| Total votes | 446,389 | 100.00% | ||
State SenatorPaul Cellucci, Weld's running mate, defeated State RepresentativePeter G. Torkildsen, Pierce's running mate, for the Republican nomination.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Paul Cellucci | 241,354 | 59.41% | |
| Republican | Peter G. Torkildsen | 164,732 | 40.55% | |
| Total votes | 406,086 | 100.00% | ||
| No. | Date | Host | Moderator | Link | Republican | Democratic |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Key: P Participant A Absent N Not invited I Invited W Withdrawn | ||||||
| Bill Weld | John Silber | |||||
| 1 | Oct. 18, 1990 | C-SPAN | P | P | ||
| 2 | Oct. 30, 1990 | Boston Herald WCVB-TV WHDH (TV) | R.D. Sahl | C-SPAN | P | P |
Leonard Umina, a 38-year old computer executive, ran under the Independent High Tech Party banner. This party, of which Umina was a founding member, campaigned on a platform of establishing an independent state agency that would store all government documents on a publicly-accessible mainframe to ensure government accountability and transparency. On economic issues, the High Tech Party refuted theeconomic policies of the Reagan years and advocated the funneling of money to the poor. Four other candidates ran under the Independent High Tech label for statewide offices in 1990.[17][18]
At least two other candidates ran for governor. Dorothy L. Stevens, a single mother, ran as a write-in candidate after withdrawing from a campaign for the Democratic nomination. Her platform included a $10 minimum wage and an expansion of welfare benefits. Mark A. Emanation was the candidate of theSocialist Workers Party.[18]
Silber's lead in the polls vanished after his outburst in an interview withWCVB-TV'sNatalie Jacobson.[19][20][21][22] His blunt personality and controversial comments led many Democrats to vote for Weld.[23]
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Bill Weld defeated John Silber to become the state's first Republican governor sinceFrancis W. Sargent.
As of 2018, this is the most recent gubernatorial election in whichAmherst,Cambridge,Leverett,Shutesbury andWendell each voted for the Republican candidate.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Bill Weld | 1,175,817 | 50.19% | 20.63 | |
| Democratic | John Silber | 1,099,878 | 46.94% |  18.21 | |
| Independent High Tech | Leonard Umina | 62,703 | 2.68% | ||
| Independent | Dorothy Stevens (write-in) | 872 | 0.04% | ||
| Write-in | 3,657 | 0.2% | |||
| Total votes | 2,342,927 | 100.00% | |||
| 1990 United States gubernatorial election in Massachusetts (by county)[25] | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| County | Weld - R % | Weld - R # | Silber - D % | Silber - D # | Others % | Others # | Total # |
| Barnstable | 54.3% | 50,911 | 40.0% | 37,474 | 5.8% | 5,398 | 93,783 |
| Berkshire | 43.9% | 23,562 | 46.5% | 24,953 | 9.7% | 5,199 | 53,714 |
| Bristol | 39.1% | 71,420 | 53.1% | 97,046 | 7.7% | 14,136 | 182,602 |
| Dukes | 42.7% | 2,559 | 45.4% | 2,720 | 11.9% | 715 | 5,994 |
| Essex | 50.6% | 144,583 | 44.0% | 125,734 | 5.4% | 15,342 | 285,659 |
| Franklin | 50.5% | 15,101 | 39.5% | 11,822 | 10.0% | 2,995 | 29,918 |
| Hampden | 44.2% | 67,360 | 48.1% | 73,356 | 7.7% | 11,691 | 152,407 |
| Hampshire | 46.5% | 26,626 | 41.1% | 23,495 | 12.4% | 7,113 | 57,234 |
| Middlesex | 52.1% | 320,188 | 42.2% | 259,059 | 5.7% | 34,901 | 614,148 |
| Nantucket | 52.1% | 1,466 | 41.4% | 1,166 | 6.5% | 184 | 2,816 |
| Norfolk | 50.4% | 149,521 | 44.5% | 132,141 | 5.0% | 14,953 | 296,615 |
| Plymouth | 51.7% | 94,137 | 43.4% | 79,039 | 4.9% | 8,952 | 182,128 |
| Suffolk | 39.7% | 77,119 | 52.7% | 102,392 | 7.6% | 14,810 | 194,321 |
| Worcester | 47.9% | 130,264 | 47.6% | 129,481 | 4.5% | 12,342 | 272,087 |
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