1966 United States Senate election in Massachusetts

none March 2026 September 2023 1966 United States Senate election in Massachusetts Massachusetts 1908 presidential no 1960 United States Senate election in Massachusetts 1960 1972 United States Senate election in Massachusetts 1972 November 8, 1966 File:Edward brooke senator (1).jpg 150x150px Edward Brooke Republican Party (United States) 1,213,473 60.68% File:Endicott Peabody (10290505454).jpg Endicott Peabody Democratic Party (United States) 774,761 38.74% 300px County results 300px| Municipality results 1 250px Brooke: #FFB2B2 40–50% #E27F7F 50–60% #D75D5D 60–70% #D72F30 70–80% #C21B18 80–90% #A80000 >90%Peabody: #A5B0FF 40–50% #7996E2 50–60% #6674DE 60–70% U.S. Senator Leverett Saltonstall Republican Party (United States) Edward Brooke Republican Party (United States) The 1966 United States Senate election in Massachusetts was held on November 8, 1966. Republican incumbent Leverett Saltonstall retired after serving for 22 years. Massachusetts attorney general Edward Brooke defeated former Massachusetts governor Endicott Peabody in a landslide. Brooke was the first African American elected to the United States Senate after the end of Reconstruction and the first ever popularly elected, as Reconstruction ended before the passage of the Seventeenth Amendment to the United States Constitution. This election marked the first time since Reconstruction in 1874 that an African-American was elected to the United States Senate and Edward Brooke's inauguration was the first time since 1881 that an African-American United States senator held a United States Senate seat. Republican primary Candidates Edward Brooke, Massachusetts attorney general since 1963 J. Alan MacKay, Boston attorney and founding member of Young Americans for FreedomFlashback Friday: On This Day In 1966, Mass. GOP Backs Ed Brooke For Senate 25 June 2010 Rudin Ken NPR.comBrooke Asks GOP Endorse Viet Nam Effort 16 Jun 1966 6 https://www.newspapers.com/image/433834801 subscription 19 Jun 2023 The Boston Globe Declined Leverett Saltonstall, incumbent U.S. senator since 1945 Campaign MacKay campaigned against Brooke for refusing to back Barry Goldwater's 1964 presidential campaign. During the first stage of the campaign, conservative spokespersons engaged in an anti-Brooke publicity and letter-writing campaign.Editorial: Backlash Against Brooke 25 Jun 1966 18 The Berkshire Eagle https://www.newspapers.com/image/530713073/ subscription 19 Jun 2023 Conservatives were particularly critical of Brooke's book, The Challenge of Change. A critical review of the book was mailed to all Republican convention delegates, along with a questionnaire linking Brooke's views to the Communist Party and Americans for Democratic Action. A third mailing went out accusing Brooke of participating in "the phony Great Society schemes of L.B.J. and his curious crew." However, conservative attacks were blunted when Goldwater endorsed Brooke in May and made a $100 donation to his campaign. Brooke also received the support of George W. Romney, a leading contender for the presidency in 1968. In advance of the convention, Brooke asked the party to formally endorse the United States policy in the Vietnam War and the recent Supreme Court decision regarding the rights of detainees in Miranda v. Arizona. McKay argued for a more aggressive bombing campaign in Southeast Asia and criticized Miranda as "rendering more difficult the proper enforcement of our laws." Results Brooke won the party endorsement at the June 25 convention and was unopposed in the September primary. Following the result, which precluded MacKay from seeking a primary challenge, Brooke declared, "This is a proud moment in my life, a moment which has no parallel." 1966 Republican state conventionVolpe Calls Ticket the Best GOP Slate in Many, Many Years Crepeau Frank Boston Associated Press 27 Jun 1966 16 Transcript-Telegram https://www.newspapers.com/image/839416759 subscription 19 Jun 2023 Edward W. Brooke Republican Party (US) 1,485 87.35% J. Alan MacKay Republican Party (US) 215 12.65% 1,700 100.00% Democratic primary thumb|Democratic primary runner-up John F. Collins campaigning Candidates Thomas Boylston Adams, academic and member of the Adams political family John F. Collins, mayor of Boston Endicott Peabody, former governor of Massachusetts Results 1966 Democratic U.S. Senate primary Democratic Party (US) Endicott Peabody 320,967 50.35% Democratic Party (US) John F. Collins 265,016 41.85% Democratic Party (US) Thomas Boylston Adams 51,435 8.07% 637,418 100.00% General election Candidates Edward Brooke, Massachusetts attorney general since 1963 (Republican) Lawrence Gilfedder, perennial candidateLawrence Gilfedder at ourcampaigns.com (Socialist Labor) Endicott Peabody, former governor of Massachusetts (Democratic) Mark R. Shaw, perennial candidate and nominee for vice president of the United States in 1964 (Prohibition) Results General election Republican Party (US) Edward Brooke 1,213,473 60.68% 4.49 Democratic Party (US) Endicott Peabody 774,761 38.74% 4.72 Socialist Labor Party of America Lawrence Gilfedder 6,790 0.34% 0.10 Prohibition Party Mark R. Shaw 4,833 0.24% 0.12 1,999,857 100.00% See also 1966 United States Senate elections References External links and references Race details at ourcampaigns.com United States Senate Massachusetts 1966