1970 Massachusetts gubernatorial election

The 1970 Massachusetts gubernatorial election was held on November 3, 1970. Acting Governor Francis W. Sargent was elected to a four-year term. He defeated incumbent Boston Mayor Kevin H. White in the general election. This was the first Massachusetts election in which the governor and lieutenant governor were elected as a ticket rather than separately. == Republican primary == === Governor === ==== Candidates ==== Francis Sargent, acting governor Acting Governor Francis Sargent was unopposed for renomination. === Lieutenant governor === ==== Candidates ==== Donald R. Dwight, commissioner of finance and administration ===== Eliminated at convention ===== Frank Harlan Freedman, mayor of Springfield John M. Quinlan, state senator from Dover ===== Withdrew ===== Martin A. Linsky, state representative from Brookline ==== Campaign ==== With Sargent's support, Dwight won the endorsement of the state party at the Republican convention. State Rep. Martin A. Linsky was Sargent's original choice for the nomination. However, two weeks before the convention, Linsky dropped out of the race after it was revealed that police officers had once stopped his car and informed him that the woman he was traveling with was a prostitute. After Linsky dropped out, Sargent endorsed Dwight. == Democratic primary == === Governor === ==== Candidates ==== Francis X. Bellotti, former lieutenant governor and nominee for governor in 1964 Maurice A. Donahue, president of the Massachusetts Senate Kenneth O'Donnell, former aide to President John F. Kennedy Kevin White, mayor of Boston ==== Campaign ==== Donahue won the vote of the state convention held on June 15 at the Curry Hicks Cage. Donahue received 697 votes, White received 589, and the remaining 78 went to Bellotti. ==== Results ==== Despite losing at the convention, White went on to win the Democratic primary, defeating Donahue by 12,940 votes. === Lieutenant governor === ==== Candidates ==== Rocco Antonelli, Somerville treasurer John J. Craven Jr., member of Boston School Committee Kathleen Ryan Dacey, member of Boston School Committee Michael Dukakis, state representative from Brookline James McCormack, attorney ==== Results ==== == General election == Sargent defeated White by 259,354 votes. He won 11 of Massachusetts' 14 counties, and beat White in his home city of Boston 54–45%. === Results === === Results by county === Counties that flipped from Republican to Democratic Bristol Hampden Hampshire == See also == 1969–1970 Massachusetts legislature == References ==