1978 Senate elections · Massachusetts history
Massachusetts U.S. Senate election 1978
Paul E. Tsongas DEM +10.2 gain · Class II seat · held 11/7/78
- Votes counted
- 1,985,700
- Margin
- 10.2 pts
- Seat held by
- Republicanchanged party
General election 11/7/78
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Bar |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Paul E. Tsongas Won | DEM | 1,093,283 | 55.06% | |
| Edward William Brooke | REP | 890,584 | 44.85% | |
| Other | — | 1,833 | 0.09% | |
| Total | 1,985,700 | |||
Official source: data
Other Massachusetts Senate races
| Year | Seat | Winner | Margin |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | Class I | Elizabeth Ann Warren | 19.3 |
| 2020 | Class II | Edward J. Markey | 32.3 |
| 2018 | Class I | Elizabeth Ann Warren | 23.8 |
| 2014 | Class II | Edward J. Markey | 22.8 |
| 2013 special | Class II | Edward J. Markey | 10.2 |
| 2012 | Class I | Elizabeth Ann Warren | 7.5 |
| 2010 special | Class I | Scott Brown | 4.8 |
| 2008 | Class II | John Kerry | 33.7 |
| 2006 | Class I | Edward M. Kennedy | 37.4 |
| 2002 | Class II | John Kerry | 55.7 |
| 2000 | Class I | Edward M. Kennedy | 56.9 |
| 1996 | Class II | John Kerry | 7.5 |
Full Massachusetts Senate history →
Questions and answers
Who won the 1978 Massachusetts Senate race?
Paul E. Tsongas (DEM) won with 55.1% of the vote, ahead of Edward William Brooke (44.9%), a margin of 10.2 points.
Did the Massachusetts Senate seat change party in 1978?
Yes. It moved from the Republican Party to the Democratic Party.
How many votes were cast in the 1978 Massachusetts Senate race?
1,985,700 votes were counted for the candidates in the general election.
Compiled by FiveThirtyEight from the official source linked above.