1934 Massachusetts gubernatorial election

Gubernatorial elections were held in Massachusetts on November 6, 1934.

1934 Massachusetts gubernatorial election

November 6, 1934 (1934-11-06)
Turnout	34.90% (total pop.)
Nominee James Michael Curley Gaspar G. Bacon Frank Goodwin Party Democratic Republican Equal Tax Popular vote 736,463 627,413 94,141 Percentage 49.65% 42.30% 6.35%
Governor before election Joseph B. Ely Democratic Elected Governor James Michael Curley Democratic

Democratic Mayor of Boston James Michael Curley was elected to his only term as Governor of Massachusetts.

Democratic primary

Governor

Candidates

Declared

• Charles H. Cole, former Adjutant General of Massachusetts and nominee for Governor in 1928
• James Michael Curley, Mayor of Boston and nominee for Governor in 1924
• Frank A. Goodwin, former Registrar of Motor Vehicles (also running as a Republican)

Results

1934 Democratic gubernatorial primary[1]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	James Michael Curley	280,405	64.13%
	Democratic	Charles H. Cole	129,025	29.51%
	Democratic	Frank A. Goodwin	27,820	6.36%
	Write-in	All others	2	0.00%
Total votes			437,252	100.00%

Lt. Governor

Candidates

Declared

• Joseph L. Hurley, Mayor of Fall River
• Francis E. Kelly, member of the Boston City Council and candidate for Lt. Governor in 1932

Results

1934 Democratic lieutenant gubernatorial primary[2]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Joseph L. Hurley	234,357	59.51%
	Democratic	Francis E. Kelly	159,478	40.49%
	Write-in	All others	2	0.00%
Total votes			393,837	100.00%

Republican primary

Governor

Candidates

Declared

• Gaspar G. Bacon, Lieutenant Governor
• Frank A. Goodwin, former Registrar of Motor Vehicles (also running as a Democrat)

Results

1934 Republican gubernatorial primary[3]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Gaspar G. Bacon	229,544	63.26%
	Republican	Frank A. Goodwin	133,260	36.73%
	Write-in	All others	43	0.01%
Total votes			362,847	100.00%

Lt. Governor

Candidates

Declared

• John W. Haigis, former Treasurer and Receiver-General of Massachusetts

Results

Haigis was unopposed for the Republican nomination.

1934 Republican lieutenant gubernatorial primary[4]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	John W. Haigis	316,304	100.00%
	Write-in	All others	12	0.00%
Total votes			316,316	100.00%

Independents and third parties

Communist

• Edward Rand Stevens, candidate for Lieutenant Governor in 1924

Equal Tax

• Frank Goodwin, former Registrar of Motor Vehicles

After losing both the Democratic and Republican primaries, Goodwin entered the general election as an independent on the "Equal Tax" platform.

Prohibition

• Freeman W. Follett, resident of Haverhill

Socialist

• Alfred Baker Lewis, attorney, civil rights activist, and perennial candidate

Socialist Labor

• John W. Aiken, nominee for Vice President of the United States in 1932

General election

Results

1934 Massachusetts gubernatorial election[5][6]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±
	Democratic	James Michael Curley	825,479	49.65%	3.11
	Republican	Gaspar G. Bacon	704,576	42.30%	5.88
	Equal Tax	Frank A. Goodwin	94,141	6.35%	N/A
	Socialist	Alfred B. Lewis	12,282	0.83%	0.16
	Socialist Labor	John W. Aiken	5,803	0.39%	0.15
	Communist	Edward Rand Stevens	4,137	0.28%	0.11
	Prohibition	Freeman W. Follett	2,990	0.20%	0.20
	Write-in	All others	36	0.00%	0.01
	Democratic hold		Swing

References

1. Election Statistics 1934, p. 86.
2. Election Statistics 1934, p. 89.
3. Election Statistics 1934, p. 168.
4. Election Statistics 1934, p. 171.
5. "MA Governor, 1934". Our Campaigns. Retrieved 29 September 2019.
6. Election Statistics 1934, p. 245.

Bibliography

Frederic W. Cook, Secretary of the Commonwealth (1934). Election Statistics, 1933–34. Boston, MA.

See also