1982 Massachusetts gubernatorial election

The 1982 Massachusetts gubernatorial election was held on November 2, 1982. Michael Dukakis was elected to a second non-consecutive term. He beat Republican John W. Sears in the general election, after defeating incumbent Governor Edward J. King in the Democratic primary.

1982 Massachusetts gubernatorial election

← 1978 November 2, 1982 1986 →
Turnout	82.51% 3.54 [1]
Nominee Michael Dukakis John W. Sears Party Democratic Republican Running mate John Kerry Leon Lombardi Popular vote 1,219,109 749,679 Percentage 59.48% 36.57%
County results Municipality results Dukakis:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90% Sears:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%
Governor before election Edward J. King Democratic Elected Governor Michael Dukakis Democratic

This election notably saw the Dukakis-Kerry ticket for governor and lt. governor, a gubernatorial ticket made up of the future 1988 and 2004 Democratic nominees for President of the United States, who both lost to Bush family members, George H.W. and George W., respectively. Republican candidate Andrew Card also went on to serve in key roles in both Bush administrations, as White House Deputy Chief of Staff, Transportation Secretary, and White House Chief of Staff.

Democratic primary

Governor

Candidates

• Michael Dukakis, former governor
• Edward J. King, incumbent governor

Withdrew

• Thomas P. O'Neill III, incumbent lieutenant governor

Campaign

Former Governor Michael Dukakis challenged incumbent Governor Edward J. King in a rematch of the 1978 Democratic primary. This time, Dukakis was victorious, 53–47%.

Results

1982 Massachusetts Democratic gubernatorial primary

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Michael Dukakis	631,911	53.49%	11.29
	Democratic	Edward J. King (incumbent)	549,335	46.50%	4.57
Total votes			1,181,246	100.00%

Lt. Governor

Candidates

• John Kerry, veteran and anti-war activist
• Evelyn Murphy, chair of the National Advisory Committee on Oceans and Atmosphere and former State Secretary of Economic Affairs
• Lou Nickinello, State Representative from Natick
• Lois Pines, former State Representative from Newton
• Samuel Rotondi, State Senator from Winchester

Campaign

Incumbent Lt. Governor Thomas P. O'Neill III did not run for re-election. Former Navy Lieutenant and anti-war activist John Kerry won a five-way contest for the Democratic nomination.

Results

Primary results by municipality

1982 Massachusetts Democratic Lt. gubernatorial primary

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	John Kerry	325,890	29.00%
	Democratic	Evelyn Murphy	286,378	25.48%
	Democratic	Samuel Rotondi	228,086	20.29%
	Democratic	Lou Nickinello	150,829	13.42%
	Democratic	Lois Pines	132,734	11.81%
Total votes			1,123,917	100.00%

Republican primary

Governor

Candidates

• Andrew Card, State Representative from Holbrook
• John Lakian, businessman
• John Winthrop Sears, former Suffolk County Sheriff and Boston City Councilman

Campaign

Lakian, a political newcomer, was the early favorite for the nomination after securing the Republican Party endorsement at the state convention. However, The Boston Globe published a damaging story questioning elements of Lakian's biography, claiming that he had made several exaggerations with respect to his record. After losing the primary, Lakian sued the paper.

Results

Republican primary results by municipality

1982 Massachusetts Republican gubernatorial primary

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	John W. Sears	90,617	50.71%
	Republican	John Lakian	46,675	26.12%
	Republican	Andrew Card	40,899	22.95%
Total votes			178,191	100.00%

Lawsuit

Lt. Governor

Candidates

• Leon Lombardi, State Representative from Easton

Results

Lombardi was unopposed for the Republican nomination.

General election

Results

Michael Dukakis won the election with 57.9% of the vote, winning every county in the state - 13 with a majority, and one (Barnstable) with a plurality.

1982 Massachusetts gubernatorial election

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Michael Dukakis (John Kerry)	1,219,109	59.48%	6.97
	Republican	John W. Sears (Leon Lombardi)	749,679	36.57%	10.62
	Independent	Frank Rich (John Davies)	63,068	3.08%	N/A
	Libertarian	Rebecca Shipman (Norman MacConnell, Jr.)	17,918	0.87%	N/A
Majority			469,430	22.91%

Results by county

1982 United States gubernatorial election in Massachusetts (by county) [2]
County	Dukakis - D %	Dukakis - D #	Sears - R %	Sears - R #	Others %	Others #	Total #
Barnstable	48.7%	33,942	46.4%	32,379	4.9%	3,444	69,765
Berkshire	61.8%	32,453	31.6%	16,585	6.6%	3,451	52,489
Bristol	60.1%	96,602	32.8%	52,658	7.1%	11,490	160,750
Dukes	61.8%	2,698	33.3%	1,453	4.9%	214	4,365
Essex	57.3%	143,900	36.5%	91,633	6.2%	15,519	251,052
Franklin	55.2%	13,765	39.8%	9,937	5.0%	1,242	24,944
Hampden	54.0%	77,183	35.2%	50,391	10.8%	15,399	142,973
Hampshire	60.3%	29,355	33.6%	16,332	6.1%	2,988	48,675
Middlesex	60.2%	319,453	34.4%	182,483	5.4%	28,798	530,734
Nantucket	53.7%	1,252	41.6%	970	4.8%	111	2,333
Norfolk	56.2%	143,940	37.7%	96,519	6.1%	15,679	256,138
Plymouth	51.3%	73,570	42.0%	60,250	6.7%	9,605	143,425
Suffolk	63.4%	117,525	28.5%	52,884	8.0%	14,859	185,268
Worcester	57.8%	133,171	37.0%	85,205	5.3%	12,192	230,568

See also

• 1981–1982 Massachusetts legislature