2012 Massachusetts State Senate election

2012 Massachusetts Senate election

←  2010 6 November 2012 2014  →
All 40 seats in the Massachusetts Senate 21 seats needed for a majority
Majority party Minority party   Leader Therese Murray Bruce Tarr Party Democratic Republican Leader since 21 March 2007 3 January 2011 Leader's seat Plymouth and Barnstable 1st Essex and Middlesex Last election 36 4 Seats after 36 4 Seat change Popular vote 2,012,117 545,523 Percentage 77.52% 21.02%
President before election Therese Murray Democratic Elected President Therese Murray Democratic

The 2012 Massachusetts Senate election was held on 6 November 2012 to determine which party would control the Massachusetts Senate for the following two years in the 188th Massachusetts General Court. All 40 senate seats were up for election and the primary was held on 6 September 2012. Prior to the election 36 seats were held by Democrats and 4 were held by Republicans. The general election saw both parties holding on to the same amount of seats as the previous election, meaning that Democrats retained control of the Massachusetts Senate. ^{[1] [2]}

Predictions

Source	Ranking	As of
Governing [3]	Safe D	24 October 2012

Retirements

1. 2nd Essex district: Fred Berry (D) retired.
2. 3rd Middlesex district: Susan Fargo (D) retired.

Results

Berkshire, Hampshire and Franklin district

Berkshire, Hampshire and Franklin district election, 2012

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Benjamin Downing (incumbent)	64,679	99.50%
		Scattering	307	0.50%
Total votes			64,986	100.0%
	Democratic hold

Bristol and Norfolk district

Bristol and Norfolk district election, 2012

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	James E. Timilty (incumbent)	47,333	62.50%
	Republican	Jeffrey Robert Bailey	28,354	37.40%
		Scattering	65	0.10%
Total votes			75,752	100.0%
	Democratic hold

1st Bristol and Plymouth district

1st Bristol and Plymouth district election, 2012

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Michael Rodrigues (incumbent)	53,169	99.60%
		Scattering	197	0.40%
Total votes			53,366	100.0%
	Democratic hold

2nd Bristol and Plymouth district

2nd Bristol and Plymouth district election, 2012

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Mark Montigny (incumbent)	55,059	99.20%
		Scattering	465	0.80%
Total votes			55,524	100.0%
	Democratic hold

Cape and Islands district

Cape and Islands district election, 2012

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Dan Wolf (incumbent)	80,236	99.50%
		Scattering	414	0.50%
Total votes			80,650	100.0%
	Democratic hold

1st Essex district

1st Essex district election, 2012

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Kathleen O'Connor Ives	36,405	45.90%
	Republican	Shaun P. Toohey	26,654	33.60%
	Independent	Paul A. Magliocchetti	12,870	16.20%
	Independent	James M. Kelcourse	3,358	4.20%
		Scattering	40	0.10%
Total votes			79,327	100.0%
	Democratic hold

2nd Essex district

2nd Essex district election, 2012

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Joan Lovely	56,088	70.60%
	Republican	Richard A. Jolitz	23,185	29.20%
		Scattering	126	0.20%
Total votes			79,399	100.0%
	Democratic hold

3rd Essex district

3rd Essex district election, 2012

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Thomas M. McGee (incumbent)	56,936	98.90%
		Scattering	648	1.10%
Total votes			57,584	100.0%
	Democratic hold

1st Essex and Middlesex district

1st Essex and Middlesex district election, 2012

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Bruce Tarr (incumbent)	78,386	99.10%
		Scattering	731	0.90%
Total votes			79,117	100.0%
	Republican hold

2nd Essex and Middlesex district

2nd Essex and Middlesex district election, 2012

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Barry Finegold (incumbent)	44,394	65.10%
	Republican	Paul Adams	23,716	34.80%
		Scattering	112	0.10%
Total votes			68,222	100.0%
	Democratic hold

Hampden district

Hampden district election, 2012

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	James T. Welch (incumbent)	44,180	98.60%
		Scattering	636	1.40%
Total votes			44,816	100.0%
	Democratic hold

1st Hampden and Hampshire district

1st Hampden and Hampshire district election, 2012

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Gale D. Candaras (incumbent)	59,213	98.60%
		Scattering	829	1.40%
Total votes			60,042	100.0%
	Democratic hold

2nd Hampden and Hampshire district

2nd Hampden and Hampshire district election, 2012

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Michael Knapik (incumbent)	54,649	99.10%
		Scattering	479	0.90%
Total votes			55,128	100.0%
	Republican hold

Hampshire, Franklin and Worcester district

Hampshire, Franklin and Worcester district election, 2012

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Stan Rosenberg (incumbent)	66,072	99.40%
		Scattering	391	0.60%
Total votes			66,463	100.0%
	Democratic hold

1st Middlesex district

1st Middlesex district election, 2012

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Eileen Donoghue (incumbent)	44,177	71.10%
	Republican	James J. Buba	17,884	28.80%
		Scattering	110	0.10%
Total votes			62,171	100.0%
	Democratic hold

2nd Middlesex district

2nd Middlesex district election, 2012

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Patricia D. Jehlen (incumbent)	66,267	98.60%
		Scattering	968	1.40%
Total votes			67,235	100.0%
	Democratic hold

3rd Middlesex district

3rd Middlesex district election, 2012

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Michael J. Barrett	49,213	60.50%
	Republican	Sandi Martinez	32,003	39.40%
		Scattering	97	0.10%
Total votes			81,313	100.0%
	Democratic hold

4th Middlesex district

4th Middlesex district election, 2012

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Ken Donnelly (incumbent)	56,100	68.00%
	Republican	Gerry Dembrowski	26,210	31.80%
		Scattering	130	0.20%
Total votes			82,440	100.0%
	Democratic hold

5th Middlesex district

5th Middlesex district election, 2012

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Katherine Clark (incumbent)	58,256	98.80%
		Scattering	696	1.20%
Total votes			58,952	100.0%
	Democratic hold

1st Middlesex and Norfolk district

1st Middlesex and Norfolk district election, 2012

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Cynthia Stone Creem (incumbent)	61,397	98.90%
		Scattering	655	1.10%
Total votes			62,052	100.0%
	Democratic hold

2nd Middlesex and Norfolk district

2nd Middlesex and Norfolk district election, 2012

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Karen Spilka (incumbent)	57,863	98.40%
		Scattering	915	1.60%
Total votes			58,778	100.0%
	Democratic hold

Middlesex and Suffolk district

Middlesex and Suffolk district election, 2012

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Sal DiDomenico (incumbent)	47,586	98.90%
		Scattering	511	1.10%
Total votes			48,097	100.0%
	Democratic hold

Middlesex and Worcester district

Middlesex and Worcester district election, 2012

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Jamie Eldridge (incumbent)	52,922	64.50%
	Republican	Dean J. Cavaretta	28,797	35.10%
		Scattering	268	0.40%
Total votes			81,987	100.0%
	Democratic hold

Norfolk, Bristol and Middlesex district

Norfolk, Bristol and Middlesex district election, 2012

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Richard J. Ross (incumbent)	60,885	98.90%
		Scattering	669	1.10%
Total votes			61,554	100.0%
	Republican hold

Norfolk, Bristol and Plymouth district

Norfolk, Bristol and Plymouth district election, 2012

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Brian A. Joyce (incumbent)	64,019	98.00%
		Scattering	1,277	2.00%
Total votes			65,296	100.0%
	Democratic hold

Norfolk and Plymouth district

Norfolk and Plymouth district election, 2012

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	John F. Keenan (incumbent)	56,518	98.70%
		Scattering	735	1.30%
Total votes			57,253	100.0%
	Democratic hold

Norfolk and Suffolk district

Norfolk and Suffolk district election, 2012

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Mike Rush (incumbent)	60,699	98.60%
		Scattering	868	1.40%
Total votes			61,567	100.0%
	Democratic hold

Plymouth and Barnstable district

Plymouth and Barnstable district election, 2012

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Therese Murray (incumbent)	49,723	58.10%
	Republican	Thomas F. Keyes	35,776	41.80%
		Scattering	51	0.10%
Total votes			85,550	100.0%
	Democratic hold

Plymouth and Norfolk district

Plymouth and Norfolk district election, 2012

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Bob Hedlund (incumbent)	61,686	68.30%
	Democratic	Genevieve S. Davis	28,579	31.60%
		Scattering	88	0.10%
Total votes			90,353	100.0%
	Republican hold

1st Plymouth and Bristol district

1st Plymouth and Bristol district election, 2012

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Marc Pacheco (incumbent)	61,506	98.70%
		Scattering	787	1.30%
Total votes			62,293	100.0%
	Democratic hold

2nd Plymouth and Bristol district

2nd Plymouth and Bristol district election, 2012

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Thomas P. Kennedy (incumbent)	53,717	99.40%
		Scattering	345	0.60%
Total votes			54,062	100.0%
	Democratic hold

1st Suffolk district

1st Suffolk district election, 2012

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Jack Hart (incumbent)	54,191	98.30%
		Scattering	942	1.70%
Total votes			55,134	100.0%
	Democratic hold

2nd Suffolk district

2nd Suffolk district election, 2012

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Sonia Chang-Díaz (incumbent)	54,886	98.60%
		Scattering	791	1.40%
Total votes			55,677	100.0%
	Democratic hold

1st Suffolk and Middlesex district

1st Suffolk and Middlesex district election, 2012

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Anthony Petruccelli (incumbent)	45,230	81.30%
	Republican	Thomas J. Dooley, III	10,199	18.30%
		Scattering	174	0.40%
Total votes			55,603	100.0%
	Democratic hold

2nd Suffolk and Middlesex district

2nd Suffolk and Middlesex district election, 2012

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Will Brownsberger (incumbent)	45,852	76.10%
	Republican	Steven W. Aylward	14,190	23.60%
		Scattering	183	0.30%
Total votes			60,225	100.0%
	Democratic hold

Worcester and Middlesex district

Worcester and Middlesex district election, 2012

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Jennifer Flanagan (incumbent)	55,228	99.30%
		Scattering	392	0.70%
Total votes			55,620	100.0%
	Democratic hold

Worcester and Norfolk district

Worcester and Norfolk district election, 2012

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Richard T. Moore (incumbent)	59,561	95.30%
		Scattering	2,949	4.70%
Total votes			62,510	100.0%
	Democratic hold

Worcester, Hampden, Hampshire and Middlesex district

Worcester, Hampden, Hampshire and Middlesex district election, 2012

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Stephen Brewer (incumbent)	63,777	99.20%
		Scattering	520	0.80%
Total votes			64,297	100.0%
	Democratic hold

1st Worcester district

1st Worcester district election, 2012

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Harriette L. Chandler (incumbent)	52,477	98.20%
		Scattering	976	1.80%
Total votes			53,453	100.0%
	Democratic hold

2nd Worcester district

2nd Worcester district election, 2012

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Michael O. Moore (incumbent)	48,609	67.80%
	Republican	Stephen R. Simonian	22,949	32.00%
		Scattering	115	0.20%
Total votes			71,673	100.0%
	Democratic hold

See also

• 2013–2014 Massachusetts legislature
• List of Massachusetts General Courts

References

1. "Elections". electionstats.state.ma.us. Retrieved 22 November 2025.
2. "Massachusetts State Senate elections, 2012". ballotpedia.org. Retrieved 22 November 2025.
3. Daigneau, Elizabeth; Jacobson, Louis (2012-10-23). "The Latest Chamber-by-Chamber Analysis of the 2012 State Legislative Elections". Governing. Archived from the original on 24 February 2021. Retrieved 22 November 2025.