2006 Massachusetts elections

2006 Massachusetts general election

← 2004 November 7, 2006 2008  →
Part of the 2006 United States elections

The 2006 Massachusetts general election was held on November 7, 2006, throughout Massachusetts.

At the federal level, Ted Kennedy was re-elected to the United States Senate, and all ten seats in the United States House of Representatives were won by incumbent Democratic Party candidates.

Incumbent Republican Governor Mitt Romney did not run for re-election and was succeeded by Democrat Deval Patrick. Martha Coakley was elected Attorney General. Democratic incumbents were re-elected Secretary of the Commonwealth, Auditor, and Treasurer.

In the Massachusetts General Court, Democrats gained one seat in the Senate and two seats in the House.

Governor and Lieutenant Governor

Further information: Massachusetts gubernatorial election, 2006

Incumbent Republican governor Mitt Romney chose not to seek re-election for a second term in office.

Primary elections for Governor and Lieutenant Governor were conducted separately with the Democrats nominating former Assistant U.S. Attorney General Deval Patrick and Mayor of Worcester Tim Murray. The Republicans nominated a ticket of incumbent Lieutenant Governor Kerry Healey and former State Representative Reed Hillman.

Patrick and Murray were elected Governor and Lieutenant Governor in the general election.

Secretary of the Commonwealth

2006 election for Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth

←  2002 November 7, 2006 (2006-11-07) 2010  →

Nominee William F. Galvin Jill Stein Party Democratic Green Popular vote 1,635,714 351,495 Percentage 82.31% 17.69%

County results Municipality results Galvin:     50–60%     60–70%     70–80%     80–90%     >90%

Secretary of the Commonwealth before election William F. Galvin Democratic Elected Secretary of the Commonwealth William F. Galvin Democratic

Incumbent Democratic Secretary William F. Galvin ran for re-election to a fourth term in office. He was opposed in the Democratic primary by John C. Bonifaz, a voting-rights activist who founded the National Voting Rights Institute.

Democratic primary

Polling

Source	Date	MoE	Candidates
Democratic Primary			William F. Galvin	John Bonifaz	Und
Suffolk University	August 17–21, 2006	±5.1%	49%	5%	46%
Suffolk University	June 22–26, 2006	±4.0%	50%	9%	38%

Results

Democratic Secretary of the Commonwealth Primary ^[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	William F. Galvin (incumbent)	633,035	82.84%
	Democratic	John Bonifaz	129,012	17.00%
	Write-in	All others	1,997	0.26%
	None	Blank votes	162,358

General election

In the general election, Galvin's only challenger was Green-Rainbow nominee Jill Stein, a medical doctor and community activist who ran for governor in 2002.

Polling

Source	Date	MoE	Candidates
General Election			Galvin (D)	Stein (GR)	Und.
Suffolk University Archived 2007-03-13 at the Wayback Machine	October 20–23, 2006	±4.9%	57%	13%	31%
Suffolk University	October 2–4, 2006	±4.4%	56%	11%	33%
Suffolk University	August 17–21, 2006	±4.0%	54%	11%	35%
Suffolk University	June 22–26, 2006	±4.0%	52%	9%	35%
Suffolk University	May 3, 2006	±4.9%	46%	10%	43%
Suffolk University	April 3, 2006	±4.9%	46%	8%	44%

Results

2006 Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth Election ^[2]
(unofficial results)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	William F. Galvin (incumbent)	1,635,714	82.31%	9.86
	Green-Rainbow	Jill Stein	351,495	17.69%	17.69
	Democratic hold		Swing

Attorney General

Incumbent Attorney General Thomas Reilly ran for Governor instead of seeking a third term in office.

Democratic Middlesex County District Attorney Martha Coakley was elected Attorney General, defeating former Norfolk County District Attorney Republican Larry Frisoli, a trial attorney from Belmont ^[3] who was known for his handling of the Jeffery Curley case against NAMBLA. Both candidates were unopposed for nomination in their parties' primaries.

General election

Polling

Source	Date	MoE	Coakley (D)	Frisoli (R)	Und.
Suffolk University Archived 2007-03-13 at the Wayback Machine	October 20–23, 2006	±4.9%	59%	18%	14%
Suffolk University	October 2–4, 2006	±4.4%	52%	15%	33%
Suffolk University	August 17–21, 2006	±4.0%	50%	9%	39%
Suffolk University	June 22–26, 2006	±4.0%	50%	16%	33%
Suffolk University	May 3, 2006	±4.9%	49%	13%	36%

Results

2006 Massachusetts Attorney General Election ^[4]
(unofficial results)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Martha Coakley	1,542,319	73.02%	26.22
	Republican	Larry Frisoli	569,822	26.98%	26.98
	Democratic hold		Swing

Treasurer and Receiver-General

2006 election for Massachusetts Treasurer and Receiver-General

←  2002 November 7, 2006 (2006-11-07) 2010  →

Nominee Timothy P. Cahill James O'Keefe Party Democratic Green Popular vote 1,641,196 322,493 Percentage 83.58% 16.42%

County results Municipality results Cahill:     60–70%     70–80%     80–90%

Treasurer and Receiver-General before election Timothy P. Cahill Democratic Elected Treasurer and Receiver-General Timothy P. Cahill Democratic

Incumbent Democrat Timothy P. Cahill was re-elected over Green-Rainbow candidate James O'Keefe, who also ran in 2002. Republican Ronald K. Davy, a financial analyst and Hull selectman, was nominated but failed to reach signature requirement to qualify for the ballot. ^[5]

General election

Polling

Source	Date	MoE	Cahill (D)	O'Keefe (GR)	Davy (R)	Und.
Suffolk University Archived 2007-03-13 at the Wayback Machine	October 20–23, 2006	±4.9%	56%	15%		29%
Suffolk University	October 2–4, 2006	±4.4%	51%	11%		37%
Suffolk University	August 17–21, 2006	±4.0%	48%	10%		42%
Suffolk University	June 22–26, 2006	±4.0%	47%	7%	10%	35%
Suffolk University	May 3, 2006	±4.9%	46%	6%	6%	41%
Suffolk University	April 3, 2006	±4.9%	40%	21%		30%

Results

2006 Massachusetts Treasurer Election ^[6]
(unofficial results)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	Tim Cahill (incumbent)	1,641,196	83.58%	32.92
	Green-Rainbow	James O'Keefe	322,493	16.42%	8.46
	Democratic hold		Swing

Auditor

2006 election for Massachusetts Auditor

←  2002 November 7, 2006 (2006-11-07) 2010  →

Nominee Joe DeNucci Rand Wilson Party Democratic Working Families Popular vote 1,563,716 369,513 Percentage 80.89% 19.11%

County results Municipality results DeNucci:     60–70%     70–80%     80–90%

Auditor before election Joe DeNucci Democratic Elected Auditor Joe DeNucci Democratic

Incumbent Democrat Joe DeNucci was re-elected for a sixth term over Working Families nominee Rand Wilson, a union organizer and labor communicator.^{[ citation needed ]} Republican candidate Earle Stroll, a 52-year-old small-business consultant from Bolton, ^[7] also failed to reach signature requirement to qualify for the ballot. Green-Rainbow candidate Nathanael Fortune, a physicist from Smith College and a Whatley School Committee member, dropped out of the race for personal reasons in late March 2006.

General election

Polling

Source	Date	MoE	DeNucci (D)	Wilson (WF)	Und.
Suffolk University Archived 2007-03-13 at the Wayback Machine	October 20–23, 2006	±4.9%	56%	10%	35%
Suffolk University	October 2–4, 2006	±4.4%	48%	13%	38%
Suffolk University	August 17–21, 2006	±4.0%	46%	11%	42%

Results

2006 Massachusetts Auditor Election ^[8]
(unofficial results)

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Democratic	A. Joseph DeNucci (incumbent)	1,563,716	80.89%	3.02
	Working Families	Rand Wilson	369,513	19.11%	19.11
	Democratic hold		Swing

U.S. House of Representatives

see 2006 United States House of Representatives elections in Massachusetts

Massachusetts Senate

see 2006 Massachusetts Senate election

Massachusetts House of Representatives

see 2006 Massachusetts House of Representatives elections

Governor's Council

See 2006 Massachusetts Governor's Council election

Ballot questions

There were three statewide ballot questions, all initiatives, which the Massachusetts voters voted on this election, and all were defeated. ^{[9] [10] [11]} There were also various local ballot questions around the state.

Statewide Questions:

• Question 1 - Sale of Wine by Food Stores. A law to allow local authorities to license stores selling groceries to sell wine.
• Question 2 - Nomination of Candidates for Public Office. A law to create "more ballot choices" by allowing for fusion voting.
• Question 3 - Family Child Care Providers. A law to allow home-based family child care providers providing state-subsidized care to bargain collectively with the state government.

Polling

Source	Date	MoE	Question	Yes	No	Und
UNH/Globe	October 22–25, 2006	±4.1%	Wine in food stores	57%	38%	5%
Suffolk University Archived 2007-03-13 at the Wayback Machine	October 20–23, 2006	±4.9%	Wine in food stores	52%	40%	8%
			Fusion voting	26%	51%	23%
			Collective bargaining for childcare providers	34%	36%	30%
Suffolk University	October 10–11, 2006	±4.9%	Wine in food stores	50%	41%	9%
Suffolk University	October 2–4, 2006	±4.4%	Wine in food stores	47%	44%	9%
			Fusion voting	27%	48%	24%
			Collective bargaining for childcare providers	42%	33%	25%
Suffolk University	August 17–21, 2006	±4.0%	Wine in food stores	54%	38%	8%
			Fusion voting	35%	48%	18%
			Collective bargaining for childcare providers	46%	32%	22%
Suffolk University	June 27, 2006	±4.0%	Wine in food stores	61%	31%	9%
			Fusion voting	34%	48%	19%
			Collective bargaining for childcare providers	42%	37%	22%

Results

Question 1

Massachusetts Question 1 (2006)

Sale of Wine by Food Stores
Results
Choice Votes  % Yes 915,076 43.66% No 1,180,708 56.34% Valid votes 2,095,784 100.00% Invalid or blank votes 0 0.00% Total votes 2,095,784 100.00%
County results Municipality results Yes   50–60% No   70–80%   60–70%   50–60%

Sale of Wine by Food Stores. A law to allow local authorities to license stores selling groceries to sell wine.

Question 1: Wine in Food Stores ^[12]

Candidate		Votes	%	±
	Yes	915,076	44%
✓	No	1,180,708	56%

Question 2

Massachusetts Question 2 (2006)

Nomination of Candidates for Public Office
Results
Choice Votes  % Yes 688,096 34.57% No 1,302,143 65.43% Valid votes 1,990,239 100.00% Invalid or blank votes 0 0.00% Total votes 1,990,239 100.00%
County results Municipality results Yes   90–100%   80–90%   70–80%   60–70%   50–60% No   80–90%   70–80%   60–70%   50–60%

A law to create "more ballot choices" by allowing for fusion voting.

Question 2: Fusion Voting ^[12]

Candidate		Votes	%	±
	Yes	688,096	35%
✓	No	1,302,143	65%

Question 3

A law to allow home-based family child care providers providing state-subsidized care to bargain collectively with the state government.

Massachusetts Question 3 (2006)

Family Care Worker Unionization
Results
Choice Votes  % Yes 951,988 47.89% No 1,035,707 52.11% Valid votes 1,987,695 100.00% Invalid or blank votes 0 0.00% Total votes 1,987,695 100.00%
County results Municipality results Yes   70–80%   60–70%   50–60% No   70–80%   60–70%   50–60% Tie   50%

Question 3: Family Care Worker Unionization ^[12]

Candidate		Votes	%	±
	Yes	951,988	48%
✓	No	1,035,707	52%

References

1. State Primary Election Results 2006 Massachusetts Elections Division: Official Results (PDF, 196k)
2. 2006 Massachusetts General Election Results - Secretary of State - Boston Globe Boston.com last updated: 12:48 PM November 8, 2006
3. "Frisoli runs for AG" Belmont Citizen-Herald ^{[ permanent dead link ]}
4. 2006 Massachusetts General Election Results - Attorney General - Boston Globe Boston.com last updated: 12:48 PM November 8, 2006
5. Republican down ballot candidates struggle Boston Globe June 1, 2006
6. 2006 Massachusetts General Election Results - Treasurer - Boston Globe Boston.com last updated: 12:48 PM November 8, 2006
7. Boston Globe "Bolton consultant plans run for state auditor"
8. 2006 Massachusetts General Election Results - Auditor - Boston Globe Boston.com last updated: 12:48 PM November 8, 2006
9. Secretary of the Commonwealth's ballot questions page
10. CBS News ballot questions page
11. Boston.com Ballot Question Section
12. 2006 Massachusetts Election Results - Statewide and local ballot questions Boston.com November 8, 2006

External links

• Elections Division, Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth- Official government site.
• "Nov 7, 2006 general election", PD43+ Massachusetts Election Statistics, Secretary of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts

Campaign sites

Attorney General

• Martha Coakley (D)
• Larry Frisoli (R)

Secretary of the Commonwealth

• John Bonifaz (D)
• William F. Galvin (D)
• Jill Stein Archived 2010-10-26 at the Wayback Machine (GR)

Ballot Questions
Question 1 - Sale of Wine by Food Stores:

• LWV Question One Summary - includes link to full text
• Yes on 1: Grocery Stores and Consumers for Fair Competition
• No on 1: Wine Merchants and Concerned Citizens for S.A.F.E.T.Y. (Stop Alcohol's Further Extension to Youth)
• Massachusetts Food Association - supporting Question 1, the selling of wine in grocery stores

Question 2 - Nomination of Candidates for Public Office:

• Massachusetts Ballot Freedom Campaign - supporting Question 2, allowing NY-style party fusion

Not on statewide ballot in 2006:

• Massachusetts Common Cause - supporting independent redistricting commission
• Home From Iraq Now - supporting withdrawal of Massachusetts National Guard from Iraq
• MassACT: Affordable Care Today! - supporting the "Affordable Health Care Act"
• Vote on Marriage - supporting constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage