1960 United States Senate election in Massachusetts

none March 2026 September 2023 1960 United States Senate election in Massachusetts Massachusetts 1908 presidential no 1954 United States Senate election in Massachusetts 1954 1966 United States Senate election in Massachusetts 1966 November 8, 1960 150x150px LeverettSaltonstall.jpg Leverett Saltonstall Republican Party (US) 1,358,556 56.19% File:1953 Thomas OConnor Massachusetts House of Representatives.png Thomas J. O'Connor Democratic Party (US) 1,050,725 43.46% 300px County results 300px| Municipality results 1 250px Saltonstall: #FFB2B2 40–50% #E27F7F 50–60% #D75D5D 60–70% #D72F30 70–80% #C21B18 80–90% #A80000 >90%O'Connor: #A5B0FF 40–50% #7996E2 50–60% #6674DE 60–70% Senator Leverett Saltonstall Republican Party (US) Leverett Saltonstall Republican Party (US) The United States Senate election of 1960 in Massachusetts was held on November 8, 1960. Republican incumbent Leverett Saltonstall was re-elected to a fourth term in office over Springfield mayor Thomas J. O'Connor. Democratic primary Candidates Declared Edmund C. Buckley, Middlesex County register of deeds Foster Furcolo, governor of Massachusetts Thomas J. O'Connor, mayor of Springfield Withdrew Edmund Dinis, Southern District district attorney Campaign Governor Foster Furcolo, who lost to Saltonstall in 1954, decided to run against him again in 1960. On June 15, Springfield mayor Thomas J. O'Connor announced he would challenge Furcolo for the Democratic nomination.Furcolo Challenged The New York Times June 16, 1960 O'Connor received support from opponents of Furcolo's proposed state sales tax. Edmund Dinis briefly ran but dropped out during the party convention to support O'Connor.Micciche, S.E. Senator Powers Will Nominate Furcolo Today The Boston Globe June 18, 1960 Convention results In a show of unity, Furcolo was nominated at the Democratic state convention by a political foe, Massachusetts Senate president John E. Powers. Furcolo defeated O'Connor by a 3 to 1 margin at the convention, but O'Connor decided to remain in the race.Micciche, S.E. Furcolo, Ward in Sweep The Boston Globe June 19, 19601960 Democratic convention, U.S. Senate ballotingStormy Democratic Session Leaves September Contests 20 Jun 1960 Holyoke Transcript-Telegram 2 https://www.newspapers.com/image/838172711/?match=1&terms=furcolo%20o%27connor%20convention Democratic Party (US) Foster Furcolo 1,189 78.22% Democratic Party (US) Thomas J. O'Connor 331 21.78% 1,520 100.00% Results In the primary, O'Connor upset Furcolo 48 percent to 39 percent with Edmund C. Buckley winning the remaining 13 percent. O'Connor was able to sweep the western part of the state and top Furcolo by 10,000 votes in Boston.Harris, John O'Connor Upsets Furcolo The Boston Globe September 14, 19601960 Democratic U.S. Senate primaryhttps://archive.org/details/electionstatisti19591960mass?view=theater#page/152/mode/2up Election statistics, the Commonwealth of Massachusetts Democratic Party (US) Thomas J. O'Connor 270,081 48.33% Democratic Party (US) Foster Furcolo 217,939 39.01% Democratic Party (US) Edmund C. Buckley 70,744 12.66% 558,764 100.00% General election Candidates Lawrence Gilfedder (Socialist Labor) Thomas J. O'Connor, mayor of Springfield (Democratic) Leverett Saltonstall, incumbent U.S. senator since 1945 (Republican) Mark R. Shaw, perennial candidate (Prohibition) Campaign During the general election, O'Connor contrasted his youth to Saltonstall's age, calling him "yesterday's senator" and "The Late George Apley of Massachusetts politics."Ainley, Leslie O'Connor Places Accent on Youth The Boston Globe October 26, 1960 O'Connor also attacked the senator for "fail[ing] to act for the working man" and helping "big business brigands" destroy the Massachusetts textile industry.Leary, Robert Saltonstall, O'Connor Exchange Sharp Blows The Boston Globe October 27, 1960 Saltonstall ran on his long record of public service. He criticized O'Connor for stating that he would consider continue serving as mayor if elected, arguing that Americans need "not part-time leadership but full leadership."Leary, Robert Salty Warns: No Pad-Time in Senate The Boston Globe November 1, 1960 Saltonstall also criticized O'Connor for lacking substance. After refusing to debate O'Connor, Saltonstall stated, "If my opponent would express his opinions of some of the vital national and international issues, I would then consider whether I would debate on these subjects or not."Saltonstall Cites Record On Vital State, U.S. Issues The Boston Globe September 22, 1960 Results Saltonstall defeated O'Connor by over 300,000 votes to hold on to his Senate seat,Election Statistics 1960 https://archive.org/stream/electionstatisti19591960mass#page/352/mode/2up even though his Senate colleague John F. Kennedy carried the state by a wide margin in the concurrent presidential election. General election Republican Party (US) Leverett Saltonstall (incumbent) 1,358,556 56.19% 5.65 Democratic Party (US) Thomas J. O'Connor 1,050,725 43.46% 5.57 Socialist Labor Party of America Lawrence Gilfedder 5,735 0.24% 0.04 Prohibition Party Mark R. Shaw 2,794 0.11% 0.04 2,417,810 100.00% References Massachusetts 1960 Category:1960 Massachusetts elections