# 1972 United States Senate election in Massachusetts

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U.S. Senate
Class 1: 1788
1790
1796 (S)
1796
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1800 (S)
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1808 (S)
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1811
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Ballot measures
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2002: English Language Education in Public Schools
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Greyhound Protection
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2018: Gender Identity Anti-Discrimination
2020: pending :
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vte :
The United States Senate election of 1972 in Massachusetts was held on November 7, 1972. Incumbent Republican Senator Edward Brooke defeated Democratic nominee John Droney in a landslide. As of 2024, this remains the last time that a Republican has been elected to Massachusetts’s Class 2 Senate seat and the last time a Republican has been elected to either Senate seat for a full term. This was also the last time until 2010 that a Republican would win any U.S. Senate election in the state. This election was the first time ever that an African-American United States senator was re-elected to the United States Senate.

## Republican primary
### Candidates

* Edward Brooke, incumbent Senator since 1967
Senator Edward Brooke was unopposed for re-nomination. At the state convention on June 24, he was renominated by acclamation.

## Democratic primary
### Candidates

* John J. Droney, Middlesex County District Attorney
* Gerald O'Leary, Boston City Councilor
* John P. Lynch, Hampden County Register of Deeds

#### Eliminated at the convention

* George Burke, Norfolk County district attorney (endorsed Droney)

#### Declined

* John Kenneth Galbraith, economist and former U.S. Ambassador to India

### Campaign

John Droney won the party endorsement at the June 11 convention on the sixth ballot. The party platform endorsed legalized marijuana and an end to the Vietnam War. Droney himself did not oppose the war, stating that there was no right or wrong stand on Vietnam. He received the support of state attorney general Robert H. Quinn, Boston Mayor Kevin White and state legislative leadership. After losing at the convention, Norfolk County district attorney George Burke dropped out of the race and backed Droney. However Boston City Councilor Gerald O'Leary, who was seen as the most liberal candidate, and Hampden County Register of Deeds John Pierce Lynch chose to stay in the race and face Droney in the Democratic primary.

### Results

Democratic Primary :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | John J. Droney | 215,523 | 45.05% |
| | Democratic | Gerald O'Leary | 169,876 | 35.51% |
| | Democratic | John P. Lynch | 92,979 | 19.43% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 478,378 | 100.00% |

## General election
### Candidates

* Edward Brooke, incumbent Senator since 1967 (Republican)
* John J. Droney, Middlesex County District Attorney (Democratic)
* Donald Gurewitz, anti-war activist (Socialist Workers)

### Campaign

Brooke centered his campaign on experience and his sponsorship of an amendment to end the Vietnam War. Droney ran on a law and order platform supporting Richard Nixon's conservative nominees to the United States Supreme Court and questioning the value of the Fifth Amendment. He also supported some of the president's foreign policy initiatives and did not come out against the Vietnam War. He chose to focus his attacks on Brooke's record as Massachusetts Attorney General, an office Brooke held from 1963 to 1966, rather than on his record in the senate. Droney criticized Brooke for files that had allegedly disappeared during his administration (an investigative panel could not determine if the files went missing under Brooke's watch or that of his successor Elliot Richardson) as well for his handling of the Boston Strangler case.
Brooke held a large lead throughout the campaign. He led Droney 72% to 18% in an October poll conducted by Becker Research and 66% to 23% in a poll conducted by the same firm shortly before election day.

### Results

General election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Republican | Edward Brooke (incumbent) | 1,505,932 | 63.53% | 2.85 |
| | Democratic | John J. Droney | 823,278 | 34.73% | 4.01 |
| | Socialist Workers | Donald Gurewitz | 41,369 | 1.75% | 1.41 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 2,370,579 | 100.00% |