Massachusetts 2012 Election Results

Massachusetts held its general election on November 6, 2012, deciding 200 legislative seats. No chamber changed party control.

Highlights

• Democrats kept two-thirds majorities in both chambers, widening their House edge to 131-29 on the new post-census maps while the Senate stayed at 36-4.
• Democrats took House seats from Republicans both by unseating incumbents and by winning open seats:
  • Paul Heroux (D) beat Rep. George T. Ross (R) by about 16 points in 2nd Bristol, a race many expected to be close.
  • Danielle Gregoire (D) won back 4th Middlesex from Rep. Steven L. Levy (R) by about 210 votes, two years after Levy had ousted her by about 100.
  • Jon Zlotnik (D) unseated Rep. Richard M. Bastien (R) by about 330 votes in 2nd Worcester.
  • Josh Cutler (D), who lost to the retiring incumbent in 2010, beat Karen E. Barry (R) for the open 6th Plymouth seat.
  • Frank Moran (D) beat Kevin M. Cuff (I) for 17th Essex, which Rep. Paul L. Adams (R) gave up to run for state Senate, a race Adams lost to Sen. Barry Finegold (D) by nearly two to one.
  Republicans' one pickup came in 2nd Essex, where Leonard Mirra (R) beat Barry P. Fogel (D) by about 4 points for a seat held for 18 years by retiring Rep. Harriett L. Stanley (D).
• All 3 incumbents who lost were House Republicans. Elsewhere, Rep. Denise Andrews (D) held 2nd Franklin by about 200 votes over Susannah Whipps (R), and 125 races had only one candidate on the ballot.
• Voters passed 2 of 3 ballot questions. Question 3 legalized medical marijuana, and Question 1, the auto "Right to Repair" measure, passed resoundingly even though lawmakers had enacted a compromise law in July, leaving them to reconcile the two. Question 2, which would have let doctors prescribe life-ending medication to terminally ill patients, was narrowly rejected.

Legislature

• House (160 seats): 126 D, 32 R, 2 other or vacant before the election, 131 D, 29 R after; control stayed with Democrats.
• Senate (40 seats): 35 D, 4 R, 1 other or vacant before the election, 36 D, 4 R after; control stayed with Democrats.

Legislative races

Ballot measures