The 1926 Massachusetts gubernatorial election was held on November 2, 1926.
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 County results Fuller: 50–60% 60–70% 70–80% 80–90% Gaston: 50–60% | |||||||||||||||||
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Incumbent Republican Governor Alvan T. Fuller was elected over Democrat William A. Gaston. This was Gaston's third and final unsuccessful bid for governor.
Republican primary
editGovernor
editCandidates
edit- Alvan T. Fuller, incumbent governor
Results
editGovernor Fuller was unopposed for renomination.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Alvan T. Fuller (incumbent) | 237,979 | 100.00% | |
| Write-in | All others | 6 | 0.00% | |
| Total votes | 237,985 | 100.00% | ||
Lieutenant governor
editCandidates
edit- Frank G. Allen, incumbent lieutenant governor
Results
editAllen was unopposed for the Republican nomination.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Frank G. Allen | 223,253 | 100.00% | |
| Write-in | All others | 2 | 0.00% | |
| Total votes | 223,255 | 100.00% | ||
Democratic primary
editGovernor
editCandidates
edit- William A. Gaston, son of former governor William Gaston, nominee for governor in 1908 and 1909, and nominee for United States Senate in 1922
Withdrew
edit- John J. Cummings, former member of the Massachusetts House of Representatives and Democratic nominee for Lt. Governor in 1924[3]
Results
editGaston was unopposed for the Democratic nomination.
| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | William A. Gaston | 125,931 | 99.97% | |
| Write-in | All others | 35 | 0.03% | |
| Total votes | 125,966 | 100.00% | ||
Lt. Governor
editCandidates
edit- Joseph B. Ely, former District Attorney for the Western District of Massachusetts and candidate for governor in 1922
Withdrew
edit- Harry J. Dooley (name remained on primary ballot)
Campaign
editHarry J. Dooley and Joseph B. Ely competed for the Democratic nomination for Lieutenant Governor. Ely, an unsuccessful candidate for governor in 1922, was tapped by the party leadership so that the party could present an ethnically diverse and geographically balanced ticket.[5] On August 28, Dooley dropped out of the race and endorsed Ely in order to unite the party. As Dooley did not exit the race before the August 13 deadline for withdrawals, his name remained on the ballot.[6] Nevertheless, Dooley ended up winning the primary with the support of Irish Americans. Dooley refused the nomination as did Ely, who believed the means to be an embarrassment (but officially cited his mother's illness as his reason for declining).[5]
Dooley was replaced on the general election ballot by Fall River Mayor Edmond P. Talbot. Party leadership hoped that the popular French-Canadian politician would help the ticket attract votes from the state's 75,000 to 80,000 French-speaking residents, 75% of which were believed to be Republican supporters.[7]
Results
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Democratic | Harry J. Dooley (withdrew) | 51,327 | 52.86% | |
| Democratic | Joseph B. Ely | 45,765 | 47.14% | |
| Total votes | 97,092 | 100.00% | ||
General election
editCandidates
edit- Alvan T. Fuller, incumbent governor (Republican)
- William A. Gaston, son of former governor William Gaston, nominee for governor in 1908 and 1909, and nominee for United States Senate in 1922 (Democratic)
- Walter S. Hutchins, perennial candidate (Socialist)
- Samuel Leger, nominee for Secretary of the Commonwealth in 1924 (Socialist Labor)
- Lewis Marks (Workers)
Results
edit| Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Republican | Alvan T. Fuller (incumbent) | 595,006 | 58.76% |  2.76
| |
| Democratic | William A. Gaston | 407,389 | 40.25% |  1.94
| |
| Socialist | Walter S. Hutchins | 4,750 | 0.47% | 0.07
| |
| Workers | Lewis Marks | 3,006 | 0.30% | 0.62
| |
| Socialist Labor | Samuel Leger | 2,010 | 0.20% | 0.22
| |
| Write-in | All others | 5 | 0.00% | 
| |
| Total votes | 1,012,166 | 100.00% | |||
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ Election Statistics 1926, p. 5.
- ^ Election Statistics 1926, p. 8.
- ^ "Cummings Takes Name Off Ballot". The Boston Daily Globe. August 14, 1926.
- ^ Election Statistics 1926, p. 78.
- ^ a b Huthmacher, J. Joseph (1959). Massachusetts People and Politics, 1919-1933. Cambridge, MA: Belknap Press. p. 123. OCLC 460668046.
- ^ "Dooley Quits Race, Will Support Ely". The Boston Daily Globe. August 29, 1926.
- ^ "Mayor Talbot To Run With Gaston". The Boston Daily Globe. September 22, 1926.
- ^ Election Statistics 1926, p. 82.
- ^ "MA Governor, 1926". Our Campaigns. Retrieved August 21, 2019.
- ^ Election Statistics 1926, p. 140.
Bibliography
editOffice of the Secretary of the Commonwealth (1926). Election Statistics, 1926. Boston, MA.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)