2006 Massachusetts elections

Last updated April 04, 2023

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

Governor and Lieutenant Governor

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

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]
	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)*
	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)*
	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

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)*
	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

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)*
	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: Wine in Food Stores^[12]
Candidate		Votes	%	±
	Yes	915,076	44%
✓	No	1,180,708	56%

Question 2: Fusion Voting^[12]
Candidate		Votes	%	±
	Yes	688,096	35%
✓	No	1,302,143	65%

Question 3: Family Care Worker Unionization^[12]
Candidate		Votes	%	±
	Yes	951,988	48%
✓	No	1,035,707	52%

Related Research Articles

William Francis Galvin is an American politician who serves as the 27th Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth.

Martha Mary Coakley is an American lobbyist, lawyer, and former politician who served as Attorney General of Massachusetts from 2007 to 2015. Prior to serving as Attorney General, she was District Attorney of Middlesex County from 1999 to 2007.

The Massachusetts general election, 2010 was held on November 2, 2010 throughout Massachusetts. Primary elections took place on September 14, 2010.

A Massachusetts general election was held on November 5, 2002 in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

A Massachusetts general election was held on November 3, 1998 in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

A Massachusetts general election was held on November 8, 1994 in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

A Massachusetts general election was held on November 6, 1990 in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

A Massachusetts general election was held on November 4, 1986 in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

A Massachusetts general election was held on November 2, 1982 in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

A Massachusetts general election was held on November 7, 1978 in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

The 1974 Massachusetts general election was held on November 5, 1974, throughout Massachusetts. Democratic and Republican candidates were selected in party primaries held September 10, 1974.

A Massachusetts general election was held on November 3, 1964, in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

A Massachusetts general election was held on November 6, 1962, in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

A Massachusetts general election was held on November 8, 1960 in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

The Massachusetts general election, 2014 was held on November 4, 2014, throughout Massachusetts. Primary elections took place on September 9, 2014.

The 2018 Massachusetts general election was held on November 6, 2018, throughout Massachusetts. Primary elections took place on September 4. Early voting took place from October 22 through November 2.

A Massachusetts general election was held on November 4, 1958 in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

A Massachusetts general election was held on November 6, 1956, in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

A Massachusetts general election was held on November 2, 1954 in the Commonwealth of Massachusetts.

The 1944 Massachusetts general election was held on November 7, 1944, throughout Massachusetts. Primary elections took place on July 11.

References

↑ State Primary Election Results 2006 Massachusetts Elections Division: Official Results (PDF, 196k)
↑ 2006 Massachusetts General Election Results - Secretary of State - Boston Globe Boston.com last updated: 12:48 PM November 8, 2006
↑ "Frisoli runs for AG" Belmont Citizen-Herald
↑ 2006 Massachusetts General Election Results - Attorney General - Boston Globe Boston.com last updated: 12:48 PM November 8, 2006
↑ Republican down ballot candidates struggle Boston Globe June 1, 2006
↑ 2006 Massachusetts General Election Results - Treasurer - Boston Globe Boston.com last updated: 12:48 PM November 8, 2006
↑ Boston Globe "Bolton consultant plans run for state auditor"
↑ 2006 Massachusetts General Election Results - Auditor - Boston Globe Boston.com last updated: 12:48 PM November 8, 2006
↑ Secretary of the Commonwealth's ballot questions page
↑ CBS News ballot questions page
↑ Boston.com Ballot Question Section
1 2 3 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

This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.

[primary-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

[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

[referenda-12] 1 2 3 2006 Massachusetts Election Results - Statewide and local ballot questions Boston.com November 8, 2006

[1]

[2]

[3]

[4]

[5]

[6]

[7]

[8]

[9]

[10]

[11]

[12]

v t e Select elections in Massachusetts
General	1942 1944 1946 1948 1950 1952 1954 1956 1958 1960 1962 1964 1966 1968 1970 1972 1974 1976 1978 1982 1986 1988 1990 1992 1994 1996 1998 2000 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020 2022
Governor	1780 1781 1782 1783 1784 1785 1786 1787 1788 1789 1790 1791 1792 1793 1794 1795 1796 1797 1798 1799 1800 1801 1802 1803 1804 1805 1806 1807 1808 1809 1810 1811 1812 1813 1814 1815 1816 1817 1818 1819 1820 1821 1822 1823 1824 1825 1826 1827 1828 1829 1830 1831 (April) 1831 (November) 1832 1833 1834 1835 1836 1837 1838 1839 1840 1841 1842 (Morton) 1843 1844 1845 1846 1847 1848 1849 1850 1851 1852 1853 1854 1855 1856 1857 1858 1859 1860 1861 1862 1863 1864 1865 1866 1868 1869 1870 1871 1871 1872 1873 1874 1875 1876 1877 1878 1879 1880 1881 1882 1883 1884 1885 1886 1887 1888 1889 1890 1891 1892 1893 1894 1895 1896 1897 1898 1899 1900 1901 1902 1903 1904 1905 1906 1907 1908 1909 1910 1911 1912 1913 1914 1915 1916 1917 1918 1919 1920 1922 1924 1926 1928 1930 1932 1934 1936 1938 1940 1942 1944 1946 1948 1950 1952 1954 1956 1958 1960 1962 1964 1966 1970 1974 1978 1982 1986 1990 1994 1998 2002 2006 2010 2014 2018 2022
Mass. Senate	1787 1788 ... 1824 ... 1908 ... 2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020 2022
Mass. House	2002 2004 2006 2008 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020 2022
Gov.'s Council	2002 2006 2010 2012 2014 2016 2018 2020
U.S. President	1788 1792 1796 1800 1804 1808 1812 1816 1820 1824 1828 1832 1836 1840 1844 1848 1852 1856 1860 1864 1868 1872 1876 1880 1884 1888 1892 1896 1900 1904 1908 1912 1916 1920 1924 1928 1932 1936 1940 1944 1948 1952 1956 1960 1964 1968 1972 1976 1980 1984 1988 1992 1996 2000 2004 2008 2012 2016 2020
U.S. Senate Class 1	1788 1790 s/1796 1796 s/1800 1803 1808 s/1808 1815 s/1816 s/1818 s/1820 1820 1827 1833 1839 s/Feb 1841 1845 s/1851 1851 1857 1863 1869 s/1874 1875 1881 1887 1893 1899 1905 1911 1916 1922 s/1926 1928 1934 1940 1946 1952 1958 s/1962 1964 1970 1976 1982 1988 1994 2000 2006 s/2010 2012 2018 2024
U.S. Senate Class 2	1788 1793 s/1796 1798 s/1800 s/1803 1805 s/1811 1816 s/1822 1822 s/1826 1828 1835 Jan 1841 1841 s/1845 1847 1853 s/1855 1859 1865 1871 s/1873 1877 1883 1889 1895 1901 s/1905 1907 1913 1918 1924 1930 1936 1942 s/1944 1948 1954 1960 1966 1972 1978 1984 1990 1996 2002 2008 s/2013 2014 2020
U.S. House	1788–89 1790–92 1792-93 1794–95 1796 s/1st s/10th s/11th 1798–99 1800–01 s/3rd s/4th s/10th s/4th s/12th s/14th 1802–03 1804 s/12th 1806 1807 s/12th 1808 s/2nd 1810–11 s/10th s/11th s/4th 1812–13 s/17th 1814–15 s/3rd s/4th s/12th 1816–17 s/11th s/1st 1818–19 s/20th 1820–21 s/1st s/8th s/13th 1822–23 s/10th 1824–25 s/10th 1826–27 s/1st 1828 1830–32 1833–34 1834–35 s/2nd s/5th 1836 1838 s/2nd 1840–41 s/1st 1842–44 1843 s/10th 1844–46 1846 1848-50 1850–51 1852 s/2nd s/4th 1854 1856 1858 s/7th 1860 1861 s/3rd s/5th 1862 1864 1866 1868 1869 s/7th 1870 1872 1873 s/3rd 1874 1876 1878 1880 1882 1884 1886 1888 1890 1892 1893 s/7th 1894 1895 s/6th 1896 1897 s/1st 1898 1900 1902 s/6th 1904 1906 s/3rd 1908 1910 s/4th 1912 1913 s/3rd s/13th 1914 1916 1917 s/6th 1918 1920 1921 s/6th 1922 s/16th 1924 1925 s/2nd s/5th 1926 s/8th 1928 s/12th s/14th 1930 s/2nd 1932 1934 1936 1937 s/7th s/11th 1938 1940 1941 s/7th 1942 1944 1946 1947 s/9th 1948 1950 s/6th 1952 1954 1956 1958 1960 1962 1964 1966 1968 1970 1972 1974 1976 s/7th 1978 1980 1982 1984 1986 1988 1990 1991 s/1st 1992 1994 1996 1998 s/1st Jun s/1st Nov 2000 2001 s/9th 2002 2004 2006 2007 s/5th 2008 2010 2012 2013 s/5th 2014 2016 2018 2020 2022
"s/" = Special election See also: Political party strength in Massachusetts

v t e (2005 ←) 2006 United States elections (→ 2007)
U.S. Senate	Arizona California Connecticut Delaware District of Columbia (shadow) Florida Hawaii Indiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Jersey New Mexico New York North Dakota Ohio Pennsylvania Rhode Island Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming
U.S. House	Alabama Alaska Arizona 8th Arkansas California 50th sp Colorado Connecticut Delaware District of Columbia delegate shadow Florida Georgia 4th Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota 5th 6th Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Jersey New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio 2nd Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas 22nd and 22nd sp Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming
Governors	Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Lt. Gov Colorado Connecticut District of Columbia Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Iowa Kansas Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Mexico New York Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Lt. Gov Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Vermont Wisconsin Wyoming
State Attorneys General	California Florida Maryland Michigan Minnesota New York
State officials	California Insurance Commissioner Secretary of State Controller Treasurer Superintendent of Public Instruction Florida Chief Financial Officer Commissioner of Agriculture Maryland Comptroller Michigan Secretary of State Minnesota Auditor New York Comptroller
State legislatures	Arizona California Assembly Senate Connecticut Senate Iowa Senate House Maryland House Senate Massachusetts House Senate Michigan House Senate Minnesota House Senate Montana House North Carolina House Senate Pennsylvania House Senate Texas
Mayors	Anaheim, CA Anchorage, AK Austin, TX Chandler, AZ Fort Lauderdale, FL Irvine, CA Long Beach, CA Newark, NJ New Orleans, LA Richmond, CA San Bernardino, CA San Jose, CA Norfolk, VA Oakland, CA Providence, RI Tallahassee, FL Tulsa, OK Washington, DC
States	Alabama Alaska Arizona Arkansas California Colorado Connecticut Delaware Florida Georgia Hawaii Idaho Illinois Indiana Iowa Kansas Kentucky Louisiana Maine Maryland Massachusetts Michigan Minnesota Mississippi Missouri Montana Nebraska Nevada New Hampshire New Mexico New York North Carolina North Dakota Ohio Oklahoma Oregon Pennsylvania Rhode Island South Carolina South Dakota Tennessee Texas Utah Vermont Virginia Washington West Virginia Wisconsin Wyoming

2006 Massachusetts elections

Contents

Governor and Lieutenant Governor

Secretary of the Commonwealth

Democratic primary

Polling

Results

General election

Polling

Results

Attorney General

General election

Polling

Results

Treasurer and Receiver-General

General election

Polling

Results

Auditor

General election

Polling

Results

U.S. House of Representatives

Massachusetts Senate

Massachusetts House of Representatives

Governor's Council

Ballot questions

Polling

Results

Related Research Articles

References

External links

Campaign sites