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 Deval Laurdine Patrick (born July 31, 1956) is an American politician who served as the 71st governor of Massachusetts from 2007 to 2015. He was the first African Americans, African-American Governor of Massachusetts and the first Democratic Pa ...

Martha Coakley Martha Mary Coakley (born July 14, 1953) is an American lobbyist, lawyer, and former politician who served as Attorney General of Massachusetts from 2007 to 2015. She is most notable for having lost a race for the United States Senate in what was ...

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

Incumbent Republican governor

Mitt Romney Willard Mitt Romney (born March 12, 1947) is an American businessman and retired politician. He served as a United States Senate, United States senator from Utah from 2019 to 2025 and as the 70th governor of Massachusetts from 2003 to 2007 ...

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 Timothy Patrick Murray (born June 7, 1968) is an American lawyer and member of the Democratic Party (United States), Democratic Party who served as the 71st Lieutenant Governor of Massachusetts, lieutenant governor of Massachusetts from 2007 to 2 ...

. The Republicans nominated a ticket of incumbent Lieutenant Governor

Kerry Healey Kerry Murphy Healey (born April 30, 1960) is an American politician and educator serving as President Emerita of Babson College. She previously served as the 70th lieutenant governor of Massachusetts from 2003 to 2007 under Governor Mitt Romne ...

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

Results

General election

In the general election, Galvin's only challenger was Green-Rainbow nominee

Jill Stein Jill Ellen Stein (born May 14, 1950) is an American physician, activist, and perennial candidate who was the Green Party of the United States, Green Party's nominee for President of the United States in the Jill Stein 2012 presidential campaign ...

, a medical doctor and community activist who ran for governor in 2002.

Polling

Results

Attorney General

Incumbent Attorney General

Thomas Reilly Thomas, Tommy or Tom Reilly may refer to: * Thomas Devin Reilly (1823–1854), Irish revolutionary, Young Irelander and journalist * Thomas Reilly (priest) (died 1921), Irish Anglican priest, Dean of Ardagh * Thomas L. Reilly (1858–1924), U.S. ...

ran for Governor instead of seeking a third term in office. Democratic Middlesex County

District Attorney In the United States, a district attorney (DA), county attorney, county prosecutor, state attorney, state's attorney, prosecuting attorney, commonwealth's attorney, or solicitor is the chief prosecutor or chief law enforcement officer represen ...

was elected Attorney General, defeating former Norfolk County

Republican

Larry Frisoli Larry Frisoli (August 22, 1950 – July 2, 2008) was the Republican Party candidate for Attorney General in Massachusetts in 2006. Frisoli, who was born in Cambridge, Massachusetts and was a Boston University and Suffolk University Law School gra ...

, a trial attorney from Belmont 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

Results

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 Hull may refer to: Structures * The hull of an armored fighting vehicle, housing the chassis * Fuselage, of an aircraft * Hull (botany), the outer covering of seeds * Hull (watercraft), the body or frame of a sea-going craft * Submarine hull Ma ...

selectman The select board or board of selectmen is commonly the executive arm of the government of New England towns in the United States. The board typically consists of three or five members, with or without staggered terms. Three is the most common numb ...

, was nominated but failed to reach signature requirement to qualify for the ballot.

General election

Polling

Results

Auditor

Incumbent Democrat Joe DeNucci was re-elected for a sixth term over

Working Families The phrase "hardworking families" or "working families" is an example of a glittering generality in contemporary political discourse. It is used in the politics of the United Kingdom and of the United States, and was heavily used by the politica ...

nominee Rand Wilson, a union organizer and labor communicator. Republican candidate Earle Stroll, a 52-year-old small-business consultant from

Bolton Bolton ( , locally ) is a town in Greater Manchester in England. In the foothills of the West Pennine Moors, Bolton is between Manchester, Blackburn, Wigan, Bury, Greater Manchester, Bury and Salford. It is surrounded by several towns and vill ...

, also failed to reach signature requirement to qualify for the ballot. Green-Rainbow candidate Nathanael Fortune, a physicist from

Smith College Smith College is a Private university, private Liberal arts colleges in the United States, liberal arts Women's colleges in the United States, women's college in Northampton, Massachusetts, United States. It was chartered in 1871 by Sophia Smit ...

and a Whatley School Committee member, dropped out of the race for personal reasons in late March 2006.

General election

Polling

Results

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.Boston.com Ballot Question Section
/ref> 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

Results

Question 1

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

Question 2

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

Question 3

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

References

External links

Elections Division, Massachusetts Secretary of the Commonwealth
Official government site. *

Campaign sites

Attorney General
Martha Coakley
(D)
Larry Frisoli
(R) Secretary of the Commonwealth
John Bonifaz
(D)
William F. Galvin
(D)
Jill Stein
(GR) Ballot Questions
''Question 1'' - Sale of Wine by Food Stores:

- includes link to full text
Yes on 1: Grocery Stores and Consumers for Fair CompetitionNo 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 Same-sex marriage, also known as gay marriage, is the marriage of two people of the same legal Legal sex and gender, sex. marriage between same-sex couples is legally performed and recognized in 38 countries, with a total population of 1.5 ...

{{DEFAULTSORT:2006 Massachusetts General Election

General A general officer is an Officer (armed forces), officer of high rank in the army, armies, and in some nations' air force, air and space forces, marines or naval infantry. In some usages, the term "general officer" refers to a rank above colone ...

Massachusetts Massachusetts ( ; ), officially the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, is a U.S. state, state in the New England region of the Northeastern United States. It borders the Atlantic Ocean and the Gulf of Maine to its east, Connecticut and Rhode ...