# 1986 Massachusetts gubernatorial election

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The 1986 Massachusetts gubernatorial election was held on November 4, 1986. Michael Dukakis was elected Governor of Massachusetts for a third term. He defeated Republican George Kariotis by a 69–31% margin. This was the last time a Democrat was elected governor of Massachusetts until 2006.

## Democratic primary
### Governor
#### Candidates

* Michael Dukakis, incumbent governor
Michael Dukakis was unopposed for the Democratic nomination.

### Lieutenant governor
#### Candidates

* Gerard D'Amico, state senator from Worcester
* Evelyn Murphy, former Secretary of Environmental Affairs and candidate for lt. governor in 1982
John Kerry, the Democratic nominee for lieutenant governor in 1982, did not run for reelection as he had been elected to the United States Senate in 1984.

#### Results

Massachusetts Democratic Lt. gubernatorial primary, 1986 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Democratic | Evelyn Murphy | 374,714 | 60.10% |
| | Democratic | Gerard D'Amico | 248,671 | 39.89% |

## Republican primary
### Governor
#### Candidates

* George Kariotis, businessman and former Secretary of Economic Affairs

##### Withdrew

* Greg Hyatt, lawyer and candidate for Massachusetts's 5th congressional district in 1984
* Royall H. Switzler, State Representative from Wellesley

##### Eliminated at convention

* Guy Carbone, former Metropolitan District Commissioner

##### Declined

* Paul W. Cronin, former U.S. Representative for Massachusetts's 5th congressional district
* Edward J. King, former Democratic governor

#### Campaign

On March 13, Greg Hyatt became the first Republican to enter the gubernatorial race. A self-described "populist conservative", Hyatt supported limiting state taxes, bringing back the death penalty, and competency testing and merit pay for teachers. He opposed the state law that made wearing a seat belt mandatory, the use of roadblocks to crack down on drunken driving, and the use of public funds for abortions.
Shortly before the Republican convention, Boston attorney and former Metropolitan District Commissioner Guy Carbone entered the race.
The convention nomination was won by Royall H. Switzler, a state representative who had been drafted by anti-Hyatt Republicans after former Congressman Paul W. Cronin decided not to enter the race. To receive the endorsement of the party, a candidate must receive the support of 50% of the delegates. Only candidates receiving 15% of the vote or more on any ballot would be eligible for a primary. After a strong showing on the first ballot, some of Hyatt's major supporters, including Ray Shamie and Papa Gino's founder Michael Valerio, announced that they would not oppose Switzler's endorsement. On the second ballot, Switzler won the nomination with 975 votes. Since Carbone did not exceed 15% of the vote on either ballot, he was eliminated.
State Republican Convention results, 1986 :
| Candidate | First ballot | Pct. | Second ballot | Pct. |
| Royall Switzler | 775 | 40.28% | 975 | 51.02% |
| Greg Hyatt | 891 | 46.31% | 876 | 45.84% |
| Guy Carbone | 258 | 13.41% | 60 | 3.14% |
Despite losing the nomination, Hyatt chose to stay in the race and run against Switzler in the Republican primary. However, Switzler dropped out of the race in June after inaccuracies about his military record were revealed. He had falsely claimed to be a member of the United States Army Special Forces and stated that he had fought in Vietnam when he had only visited Vietnam on leave from noncombat duty in Korea.
Hyatt then dropped out of the race on July 14 amid accusations of forging names on his nomination papers, having ties to organized crime, and erratic personal behavior which included working nude in his office.
Businessman and former Secretary of Economic Affairs George Kariotis entered the race after both candidates dropped out. Because the filing deadline for the election was on March 1, Hyatt and Switzler remained on the ballot while Kariotis was forced to run a write in campaign. Hyatt won the election, but he and Switzler, who finished second, declined the nomination and Kariotis was declared the nominee.

#### Results

Because both listed candidates had dropped out of the race, the Republican primary saw extremely low turnout.
Massachusetts Republican gubernatorial primary, 1986 :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % |
| | Republican | Greg Hyatt (withdrew) | 31,021 | 48.19% |
| | Republican | Royall Switzler (withdrew) | 20,802 | 32.32% |
| | Republican | George Kariotis (write-in) | 11,787 | 18.31% |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 63,610 | 100.00% |

### Lieutenant governor
#### Candidates

* Nicholas M. Nikitas, hotel operator, real estate developer, and Republican Party activist

## General election
### Results

Dukakis won a convincing victory over Kariotis. He increased his margins across the state, winning all 14 counties with a majority, even as total vote numbers were down sharply from the previous election.
Soon after being sworn in for his third term as governor, Dukakis began to run for the Democratic nomination for president in 1988.
1986 Massachusetts gubernatorial election :
| Party | Party | Candidate | Votes | % | ±% |
| | Democratic | Michael Dukakis (incumbent) | 1,157,786 | 68.79% | 5.67 |
| | Republican | George Kariotis | 525,364 | 31.21% | 7.01 |
| Total votes | Total votes | Total votes | 1,683,150 | 100.00% |
| | None | Blank votes | 93,138 | — |
| Turnout | Turnout | Turnout | 1,776,288 | 100.00% |

### Results by county

1986 United States presidential election in Massachusetts (by county) :
| County | Dukakis - D % | Dukakis - D # | Kariotis - R % | Kariotis - R # | Others % | Others # | Total # |
| Barnstable | 59.7% | 41,644 | 35.3% | 24,641 | 4.9% | 3,449 | 69,734 |
| Berkshire | 76.5% | 33,753 | 20.2% | 8,910 | 3.2% | 1,432 | 44,095 |
| Bristol | 72.4% | 97,813 | 23.1% | 31,188 | 4.6% | 6,181 | 135,182 |
| Dukes | 76.4% | 3,642 | 20.9% | 994 | 2.7% | 129 | 4,765 |
| Essex | 63.2% | 130,975 | 31.1% | 64,437 | 5.7% | 11,761 | 207,173 |
| Franklin | 72.4% | 15,745 | 24.2% | 5,259 | 3.4% | 738 | 21,742 |
| Hampden | 69.4% | 81,467 | 26.3% | 30,881 | 4.3% | 5,099 | 117,447 |
| Hampshire | 70.0% | 28,500 | 24.7% | 10,038 | 5.3% | 2,169 | 40,707 |
| Middlesex | 64.3% | 291,618 | 29.9% | 135,699 | 5.7% | 25,922 | 453,239 |
| Nantucket | 73.2% | 1,567 | 23.7% | 507 | 3.1% | 67 | 2,141 |
| Norfolk | 61.9% | 128,741 | 32.7% | 67,923 | 5.5% | 11,340 | 208,004 |
| Plymouth | 58.6% | 71,100 | 36.5% | 44,291 | 5.0% | 6,021 | 121,412 |
| Suffolk | 69.0% | 108,995 | 23.6% | 37,223 | 7.4% | 11,677 | 157,895 |
| Worcester | 63.1% | 122,216 | 32.7% | 63,373 | 4.2% | 8,141 | 193,730 |