1964 Massachusetts gubernatorial election
The 1964 Massachusetts gubernatorial election was held on November 3, 1964. Incumbent Governor Endicott Peabody ran for re-election, but was defeated by then-Lieutenant Governor Francis X. Bellotti in the Democratic Party primary. Bellotti went on to lose the general election to former Governor John Volpe. The race between Volpe and Bellotti was the first time in Massachusetts history that the two major parties backed sons of Italian immigrants for governor. This was the final election held before the governor's term of office was extended from two to four years. Democratic primary. Lieutenant Governor . Convention. On the first ballot, Massachusetts Governor's Councilor John W. Costello led with 428 votes to Worcester attorney and Industrial Accident Board member Joseph E. McGuire's 404, state senator Mario Umana's 250, and state representative Joseph G. Bradley's 112. The other seven candidates received less than the 100 votes required to remain on the ballot and Bradley chose to drop out, which left Costello, McGuire, and Umana as the only remaining candidates. Costello led again on the second ballot, with 641 votes to McGuire's 600 and Umana's 343, but did not receive enough votes  to win the nomination. The same happened on the third (687 votes for Costello to McGuire's 656 and Umana's 172). On the fourth ballot, Umana fell to 99 votes, which eliminated him from the contest. On the fifth and final ballot Costello won the party's endorsement by defeating McGuire 724 votes to 691. Results. Costello was unopposed for the nomination for Lieutenant Governor. Republican primary. Governor. Results. Volpe ran unopposed in the Republican primary. Lieutenant Governor. Results. Richardson ran unopposed in the Republican primary for Lieutenant Governor. General election. Results. Governor. Volpe defeated Bellotti by less than  25,000 votes. Volpe's victory came in a year in which Democrats gained seats in the United States House of Representatives and Senate and Lyndon Johnson won the Presidential election in a landslide. Lieutenant Governor. Former United States Attorney Elliot L. Richardson defeated executive councillor John W. Costello in the race for lieutenant governor.