1966 United States Senate election in Massachusetts

The 1966 United States Senate election in Massachusetts was held on November 8, 1966. Republican incumbent Leverett Saltonstall retired after serving for 22 years. Republican Massachusetts Attorney General Edward Brooke defeated Democratic former Governor of Massachusetts Endicott Peabody in a landslide.

1966 United States Senate election in Massachusetts

← 1960 November 8, 1966 1972 →

Nominee Edward Brooke Endicott Peabody Party Republican Democratic Popular vote 1,213,473 774,761 Percentage 60.68% 38.74%

County results Municipality results Brooke:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%      70–80%      80–90%      >90% Peabody:      40–50%      50–60%      60–70%

U.S. senator before election Leverett Saltonstall Republican Elected U.S. Senator Edward Brooke Republican

Brooke was the first African-American U.S. Senator elected 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 Freedom^[1][2]

Declined

• Leverett Saltonstall, incumbent 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.^[3] 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."^[3]

However, conservative attacks were blunted when Goldwater endorsed Brooke in May and made a $100 donation to his campaign.^[1][3] Brooke also received the support of George W. Romney, a leading contender for the presidency in 1968.^[3]

In advance of the convention, Brooke asked the party to endorse the United States effort in Vietnam 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."^[2]

Results

Brooke won the party endorsement at the June 25 convention and was unopposed in the September primary.^[1]

1966 Republican state convention^[4]

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Republican	Edward W. Brooke	1,485	87.35%
	Republican	J. Alan MacKay	215	12.65%
Total votes			1,700	100.00%

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."^[4]

Democratic primary

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

Party		Candidate	Votes	%
	Democratic	Endicott Peabody	320,967	50.35%
	Democratic	John F. Collins	265,016	41.85%
	Democratic	Thomas Boylston Adams	51,435	8.07%
Total votes			637,418	100.00%

General election

Candidates

• Edward Brooke, Massachusetts Attorney General since 1963 (Republican)
• Lawrence Gilfedder, perennial candidate^[5] (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

Party		Candidate	Votes	%	±%
	Republican	Edward Brooke	1,213,473	60.68%	4.49
	Democratic	Endicott Peabody	774,761	38.74%	4.72
	Socialist Labor	Lawrence Gilfedder	6,790	0.34%	0.10
	Prohibition	Mark R. Shaw	4,833	0.24%	0.12
Total votes			1,999,857	100.00%

See also

• 1966 United States Senate elections

References

1. Rudin, Ken (June 25, 2010). "Flashback Friday: On This Day In 1966, Mass. GOP Backs Ed Brooke For Senate". NPR.com.
2. "Brooke Asks GOP Endorse Viet Nam Effort". The Boston Globe. June 16, 1966. p. 6. Retrieved June 19, 2023.
3. "Editorial: Backlash Against Brooke". The Berkshire Eagle. June 25, 1966. p. 18. Retrieved June 19, 2023.
4. Crepeau, Frank (June 27, 1966). "Volpe Calls Ticket the Best GOP Slate in Many, Many Years". Transcript-Telegram. Boston. Associated Press. p. 16. Retrieved June 19, 2023.
5. Lawrence Gilfedder at ourcampaigns.com

External links and references

• Race details at ourcampaigns.com